This paper analyses the above article
The social networks have become extremely popular of the past two decades and they pose a particularly high potential of changing people’s lives. This can happen at both community level and interpersonal level.
Among the young people and particularly high school, college, and university students, this trend is exceedingly common because these age group forms the heaviest users of the social sites. The adoption of these sites continues to grow large to reach a wider audience; therefore, it is expected that the changes will be felt in all segments of the society.
Audience of this Article
At a personal level, the information provided for identification in public profiles often reduced the barrier to social interaction. Therefore, this enables connection of individuals who otherwise would have not connected in the first place.
At a community level, organisation of the profiles of many people reduces the need to organise contact information from other people one connects with (Hargattai 2007, p. 278). Social sites provide a straightforward way to see people who share interests and so on even though they could differ in other dimensions.
The popular culture, which tends to be the order of life among certain age groups, is indispensable. Younger people are the most vulnerable to the fad and subculture of a certain moment in human history. This phenomenon is so because in a normal way of life, people are affected by media, artistic events, and people who represent pop culture (Hargattai 2007, p. 279).
The perception of the world comes to students in a symbolic way rather than encountering it first-hand. Saturated societies like Europe and America and highly affected. Students embrace technology and popular culture activities because they tend to be technologically savvy and they have different worldview of events, which is to fulfil the way they feel about themselves and build self identity (Boyd 2007, p. 127).
Younger members of the society, the students depend on the symbolic reality, which they realize from the popular culture to satisfy their cognitive instincts. This is the reason why this paper is written to tap the optimistic uses that popular culture can be used by students especially for assignments, group discussion and even preparation for future jobs (Ellison, Lampe, & Steinfield 2009, p. 3).
Each generation that lives on this planet laments the lack of civility and high level isolation due to new technology of the moment (Junco 2011, p. 4). This generation is no different, access to computer, internet, cell phones and iPods can deny people chance to enjoy today’s pleasantries in life.
The social network sites work the same way and student find places of commonality and building acquaintances hence reducing barriers to socialization (Boyd 2007, p.127). Students say they use social networks like Facebook to connect with people, from their hometown or new friends they make, even when there is not so much commonality. The information on the site is enough to initiate a relationship (Junco 2011, p. 6).
Major Themes of the Text
Essentially, the paper helps to show that there are numerous ways that people are connected with each other like social network sites. Social Networking gives people a platform to link up. The social sites remove barriers that hinder interaction (Ellison Lampe, & Steinfield 2009, p.3).
Young people rely on the Internet and other technologies. Students can hence use the instant messaging feature, to interact. Online profiles reveal the person details even before people meet. Online interaction differs from traditional ways of socializing (Ellison, Steinfield, & Lampe 2007, p. 156).
Because the social networks are popular culture, rather than letting them be used negatively by the students, the technology can be used for teaching and studying. Instruction in class can entail blogging, following each other on twitter as well as creating a wall with topic for discussion or blogging (Hargattai 2007, p. 278).
A study in Michigan State University showed that the undergraduate students used Facebook to gain social capital (Ellison, Lampe, & Steinfield 2009, p. 3). As a result, the students were able to manage a wider network of ties and hence widening the bridging of the social capital.
This theme is necessary in that, for any technology that is crucial in expanding a student’s social network, was also essential increasing information pool and therefore, opportunities to excel (Valkenburg, & Peter 2008, p.232). The benefits of these networks are large. This is the reason why a study among undergraduates showed that, intensive use of Facebook was connected to the high social capital.
Central Argument
Educators are becoming increasingly interested in the impact that the popular culture of social network has on college student’s achievement. A number of studies have been conducted before, and the outcomes have been that, there is a positive outcome in terms of student achievements. The gaps to be filled include addressing how were the outcomes assessed?
The students who spent more time on social networks have lower engagement levels (Sheldon 2008, p.67). The student who spent more time on social networks was also highly active in college activities. Therefore, the participation in social networks was a remarkably strong predictor of social engagement.
Social media is no longer just a trend, but it is changing the way the students think about communication and even the instructors have been embracing the idea (Valkenburg, & Peter, 2008, p.232). By synthesizing the future possibilities of the social networking culture, probably this could be an effective tool for instruction in schools and colleges.
The social network sites allow individuals to do all or most of the things they want to do, like posting a topic for discussion, uploading and sharing photos, chatting, sharing videos, blogging and participating in bulletin board, forums and groups (Sheldon 2008, p.67).
The social networks allow young people to keep in touch, since they can always get updates of what their friends are doing and which events are taking place. In college, the same can be attained, for a student can get assignments from instructors, discuss, and post topics for reading (Junco 2009, p.3). However, the popular culture of social networking has not been received well by school administrators.
This is because the college and school managements are fearful of the safety of the students. Besides, if the social media is just allowed in school and colleges, administrators fear that the students could misuse it and, therefore, waste what was intended to be time for instruction.
Therefore, there are a number of alternatives that have come up to provide the instructors with appropriate platforms for hosting online classrooms. There are hence sites like think.com, Ning, Diigo, and Panwapa.
Conclusion
The article, therefore, gives some relevant information about the topic, being a Student and that communal perception of handing the student conduct. Essential, the articles present future and better possibilities of the social network trends. This is because it has had a profound impact on the way even public relation officers communicate.
Students who graduate are required to have social media knowledge to get jobs and employers expect them to be social media savvy. Those students who have had better online experience are better placed in terms of advertising themselves and gaining promoting in the job market. In essence, the social media is taking communication and interaction to a whole new level.
Before, communication was almost dominated by gossip. However with social networking, there is a possibility of instant updates and news feed with allow effective communication. Social media remain a potentially effective for instruction and other communication purposes when it is properly used.
Reference List
Boyd, D., 2007. Why Youth (Heart) Social Network Sites: The Role of Networked Publics in Teenage Social Life. Macarthur Foundation Series on Digital Learning – Youth, Identity, and Digital Media Volume. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Ellison, N., Lampe, C., & Steinfield, C., 2009. Social Network Sites and Society: Current Trends and Future Possibilities. Interactions Magazine, 16 (1), pp. 3-7.
Ellison, N., Steinfield, C., & Lampe, C., 2007. The Benefits of Facebook ‘Friends’: Social Capital and College Students’ Use of Online Social Network Sites. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 12(4), pp. 156-158.
Hargattai, E., 2007. Whose Space? Differences among Users and Non-Users of Social Network Sites. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 13(1), pp. 276-297.
Junco, R., 2009. Teaching Teens to Twitter: Supporting Engagement in The College Classroom. Web. Web.
Junco, R., 2011. The Relationship between Frequency of Facebook Use, Participation in Facebook Activities and Student Engagement. Web. Web.
Sheldon, P., 2008. The Relationship between Unwillingness-To-Communicate and Students Facebook Use. Journal of Media Psychology: Theories, Methods, and Applications, 20(2), pp. 67 – 75.
Valkenburg, P., & Peter, J., 2008. Adolescents’ Identity Experiments on The Internet: Consequences For Social Competence And Self-Concept Unity. Communication Research, 35 (2), pp.208 – 231.