SOCIAL NETWORKING........

“A good reputation and respects are worth much more than silver and gold” Bible

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 great wealth of means of communication is prevalent across the globe. Of them face-to-face conversation, phone calls, text messages, video chat, handwritten letter or cards, instant messages, social networks etc. is the commonest method. Albeit we have so many options for keeping in touch, each one embraces pros and cons.

 For face-to face chat , at least two parties must be available to talk, for handwritten letter or card, it takes times to write and days to deliver to recipient; similarly for e-mail, emotion is often lacked—or misinterpreted easily. Social networking, which some youths and teenagers say is the best way to be connected. Hundreds of social networks exist, and the most popular one—Face book which has registered more than 800 million members.

         A social network is a web site that lets users share information, personal feelings, photos, comments with the select ones. It is the fastest way of getting updated. At times disasters strike –such as earthquake, tsunami, hurricane which devastate some parts of a country or the world; at the moment phone lines will be down but social networks will be the best way to find out about the welfare of our loved ones as well as victims.

            Everything consists of binary opposites—positive and negative so does Face book.  Unduly use of Face book leads to some risks and dangers. So, we ought to number the items in order of their weight to us—my privacy, valuable time, reputation and friendship. A recent survey carried out by Consumer Reports revealed that many social network users run risks that has high level of potential to lead to burglaries, identity theft, and stalking. Fifteen per cent had posted their current location or travel plans, thirty four per cent their full birth date, and twenty one per cent of those with at home had posted those offspring’s names and snapshots.

          Really, anything posted on a social network can be viewed as a public or as a material that can be made public. Therefore, what we need to do is to be thoroughly familiar with the privacy settings on our social networks, and use them. Also, restrict access to our status updates and photos to people we know are conversant with. Chatting on phones is way more personal and far less exposing. Moreover, what information we post can violate not only our privacy but of our friends also.

            Social networking really consumes our valuable time and distracts us from more vital activities. I understand it is hard to get off a social networking site because it has been an obsession. It can interfere with the friendship we are cultivating within our household. A writer writes in his book, Grown Up Digital, “is that whilst it makes staying in touch easier when family members are physically apart, it can also keep us apart when we are home.”

     Leaving our accounts singed on when we are not present can run the risk which is equivalent of leaving our wallet or cell phone in public on the picnic table. Anyone can sit down and start making post to our wall which is enough to ruin our reputation. Damaging our reputation on a social networking can have long-range consequences. Social networking sites users can get sacked or turned down for new jobs on account of what they have posted online. Guarding reputation means being careful not to let others have valid reasons to think bad of us.

             Our friendship influences how we think and act. We pick up those who we trust and know well. Then why don’t we be selective about whom we befriend on a social network? If we use social networks duly thinking it as a boon of science, we gain advantages. If we misuse it, it will be no less than an atomic formula, which is being misused by people with an eye to be powerful, formulated by Albert Einstein. It is wise to weigh up pros and cons of something prior to using. 

AMAR LIMBU