The
Pro-social Aspects of Social Media
With my previous blog
posts I have provided the general overviews of both sides of the argument: do
social media networks promote antisocial or pro-social behavior? In this post I
am going to go into further detail and get into more specifics on the side that
believes that social networking
is pro-social behavior. Again, I wish to remain unbiased and just share both
sides of the argument so that you may come to your own conclusion on whether or
not social media is antisocial or pro-social. I wish to simply share
information, facts, and opinions that are already available to you rather than
convince you to take one side or the other. The article I provided below
discusses how “social networking activities might actually be good for our
psychological well-being, physical health and in-person relationships.” If social
networking activities are believed to improve in-person relationships, than
wouldn’t it be considered a pro-social activity?
It
is probably unlikely that you will find a new lifelong best friend on Facebook,
but it could happen. Facebook provides you with the opportunity to meet new
people and better the relationships you already have. Critics of social media
think that social networking on the internet creates social isolation in people.
But based on this article, face-to-face interactions are not all that different
from interactions you may encounter on social media networks. For instance,
Facebook not only has instant messaging where you can have an uninterrupted conversation
back-and-forth with someone else, but Facebook now also has video chat. Users
can use the web chat to hear the other person speaking and also see them so
that you may pick up on the other person’s nonverbal communication.
Another example that shows that
social media can be a pro-social activity can be observed in the actions that
followed the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and
tsunami off the coast of Japan. Facebook and Twitter users turned to
these sites to provide financial and emotional support to the victims and loved
ones of victims of this disaster. Without the use of social networking sites,
people may not have easily have gotten the word out or provided help to the
victims. This is a great example of pro-social behavior through social
networking. Clearly, not all social media is evil. Social media can be used for
good and can be used in a pro-social manner. What do you think so far? Do you
think social networking is antisocial or pro-social?
This Discovery article does a good job of showing how social networks can be used to augment existing relationships in real life. I think there are definitely some pro-social benefits to other forms of online interaction, such as participation on online forums, but I don't think I've heard about a lot of research into that.
ReplyDeleteXavier Santana (hit cynicsreview to go to my blog).
Like the saying goes--moderation is key! Facebook is pro-social when we use it to accomplish social behavior. However, we're substituting face-to-face communication for communication behind the monitor. I heard a statistic that we're on Facebook for over 2 hours a day. And my computer just red-lined "facebook." It is a force
ReplyDeleteIt can be a combination of both pro-social and anti-social in my opinion. If a person nevers leaves their home and spends all of their time online then it would be anti-social. However if a person just uses social media to connect with friends and family then it would be pro-social. I agree with natalieo moderation is the key. Great blog look forward to reading more.
ReplyDeleteI love hearing how social media can be used for good. I believe that we hear more about the bad stuff and all of the positive aspects get brushed to the side. Sites like Facebook and Twitter allow you to communicate with people you never though possible, like celebrities, designers. They allow you to network and find possible job opportunities for the future. Companies can present themselves in a particular way through Facebook and that reflects their companies values and behavior, both online and face-to-face.
ReplyDeletePlease comment on my blog! http://imaddictedtosocialmedia.blogspot.com/