Social networks have become an integral part of our daily lives, with gradually more users emerging online throughout the demographics (Perrin par. 3). They provide entertainment and the means for socializing and communication, to the point where some people become concerned that they threaten the normal way of human life by undermining our ability to communicate (Jones par. 1). Another opinion is that the world is changing, and one such change, not a threat, is the shift toward social media (Boyd 138). However, as more people become involved in using social networks, more concerns arise and more issues become apparent. This paper aims at two primary concerns with the question: the privacy security, and the usability and convenience, by analyzing the responses from three interviewed persons, and show that they display the concerns which are dominant throughout the community on the whole, and suggest several possible ways to address the issues in question.
The interview targeted three persons with as diverse backgrounds as possible within the limited scope: Mr. Hussian, age 30, Mrs. Aisha, age 18, and Mr. Ahmed, age 45. The interview was conducted in oral form, which allowed for a more personal insight into each question. The eight questions were detailing their engagement in social networking, the tools and applications they use and the issues with them, and their concerns regarding the privacy breach.
The results were much in line with the general statistics. Two older users, Mr. Hussian and Mr. Ahmed, both said they use social networks, but do not have many accounts around the Web, and despite being online for a significant portion of their day, only used social services for their basic features, like communicating with close relatives and family. This coincides with the statistical data showing less engagement in the social network among the adult population (Karr par. 2).
They both responded they use applications that enhance its usability, and both named simplicity and usability as their major criteria for selecting the software, which clearly shows they use the networks for utilitarian purposes, not as a means of entertainment (Matsa and Mitchell par. 2). Mrs. Aisha, on the other hand, uses social networks extensively and devotes a lot of her spare time to it, utilizes all of its features, and has a lot of friends she only meets online. Interestingly, she also is primarily concerned with the reliability and usability of the applications, citing the annoying advertisement and the frequent malfunction of the software. All three respondents also mentioned their devices’ battery life as a major drawback, while only one (Mr. Ahmed) cited minor dissatisfaction with the appearance (fonts and colors).
The security concerns were voiced by Mr. Ahmed and Mr. Hussian, who both said they are careful when sharing personal information and securing their accounts. Mrs. Aisha, on the other hand, said she pays no attention to privacy settings and personal data collection issues whatsoever. The detailed inquiry revealed that only Mr. Hussian has a good grasp of privacy integrity and the threats posed by the exposure on the web.
Two primary conclusions can be drawn from these interviews. First, the developers of the social networking applications and tools need to pay more attention to the performance and reliability of their products, as they are more often cited as a drawback than the appearance, which is a common emphasis in software development today. Second, and more important, is the vulnerability the users with little knowledge exhibit in questions of network security. Two of three respondents lacked caution in sharing private information and at the same time were unfamiliar with threats posed by the privacy breach. The user gullibility is often a cause of data theft and its adverse consequences (Haskins par. 1). So, while certain steps are made by the developers to address this issue, the problem persists. This fact suggests the need for an alternative approach.
Works Cited
Boyd, Danah 2007, Why youth (heart) social network sites: The role of networked publics in teenage social life. PDF file. Web.
Haskins, Walaika. Network Security: Gullible Users Are the Weakest Link. 2007. Web.
Jones, Haley. Social Media’s Affect on Human Interaction. 2013. Web.
Karr, Douglas. Social Media Demographics. 2015. Web.
Matsa, Katerina Eva and Amy Mitchell. 8 Key Takeaways about Social Media and News. 2014. Web.
Perrin, Andrew. Social Media Usage: 2005-2015. 2015. Web.