Social Networking

1. First this article discusses the new trend of food photography. It has been found that many people who are obsessed with viewing food photography have mental disorders or weight problems. I don't know if this is entirely true, but I can see where it would cause some problems. Looking at food on the internet all the time might make a person more hungry, which could lead to weight gain. Rapid weight gain has been linked lead to eating disorders. The next subject in this article was the effect of social media on our relationships. Research has found that children who are connected with their parents on social media sites have better relationships with them offline too. I think this is true because if a child knows there parents can see anything they post, they are more likely to stay out of trouble. Research also says that jealousy and lack of privacy due to social media sites such as Facebook is very common. The third subject covered in this article is narcissism. The article states that in order to be on social media you have to love yourself very much. It says that we often post good things about ourselves to make us feel good about our lives. I don't think that everyone who uses social media is a narcissist, but some people do develop those tendencies in order to have something to post. The article also mentions self esteem issues associated with too much social media time and an increased risk of depression, lower grades, psychological disorders, and future health problems. As a society, we do stay connected the majority of the time, and I can see where the constant connection could cause serious issues.
http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/science-you-and-social-media/


2. This article discusses many aspects of social media in today's world. The first issue mentioned is the issue of privacy and scams. It discusses the tricky setbacks of a supposedly "secure privacy setting." This article points out that many social networking sites update the privacy regulations so that users will have a hard time keeping up with what they have set as private. The next problem discussed is health problems associated with hyper networking. Research has found that more screen time and less face to face interaction has been linked to increases stress, aggression, anxiety, and other mental issues.
http://socialnetworking.lovetoknow.com/Negative_Impact_of_Social_Networking_Sites

In my opinion, the effects of social networking is different for every individual and their usage time. Personally, social networking has had positive influences on my life because I can connect with family members through Facebook that I would not otherwise ever be able to talk to. My grandmother is from Spain and she has several relatives there that like to keep in contact with us. I am able to talk to them, send pictures, and keep in touch with them through Facebook. On the other hand, I understand how social networking can lead to many problems without the responsibility and limitations that were discussed in the articles above. I think it is important to have face to face conversations, but social media makes it easier to avoid that. I think it would be good for us to try to limit ourselves with social media time and to get out, exercise, and enjoy actual people every once and a while.