Ten years ago if someone wanted to contact another person, they would write him or her

a letter, call them on their phone, or even walk down the street to go see them. Now, however, if

I wanted to contact someone, I would go on their Facebook page and write a message on their

wall. The boom of social networking sites has revolutionized how people interact with each

other, as well as how people access information. In my opinion it is the greatest advancement in

information and communications technology we’ve had in the past decade. I think this not

because of the 2 million plus users on Twitter, or even the 500 million plus users on Facebook,

but because of the positive impact it has on our society.

Social networking sites provide a faster, easier, and cheaper way to communicate with

one another. It gives those who we can’t see each other on a daily basis a chance to peak into

each other’s lives. We express ourselves through our photos that we upload, our feelings that we

post, and our interests that we join. It’s hard to feel alone when it seems you have access to so

many people. Whether you’re trying to stay in touch with friends, family, or acquaintances, or

maybe even trying to find someone new to add to your circle, these sites serve as a place of

gathering to a level that we haven’t experienced before.

We also use social networking sites to do more than just keep in touch with friends. For

example, we get information on world news before it hits the stands the next morning. All it

takes is one tweet from a follower to notify someone of a historical event that may have

happened moments before. Just a few weeks ago, it was breaking news that US armed forces had

assassinated world-renowned terrorist, Osama Bin Laden. Before you could turn on your

television and flip to CNN news, the story had already spread like wildfire on sites like Twitter

and Facebook. People were addressing it even before President Obama did, until he announced

an impromptu press conference that same night.

 We can also organize political events using our social networking sites. In January of this

year, the people of Egypt marched the streets of its capital, demanding that the regime of their

president, Hosni Mubarak be overthrown. It was the start of a revolution. The Egyptians were

tired of the police brutality, electoral fraud, political censorship, corruption, and the list goes on.

Someone else was fed up of the mistreatment as well, activist Wael Ghonim. So much so, that he

reached out to the youth of his beloved country to come together and fight for what they believed

in, using a social networking site, Facebook. He attributes the success of the revolution (Hosni

Mubarak resigned just a few weeks afterwards) to Facebook. Without a medium to express

himself and gather his people, this could have been a different story. Although, social

networking sites are not meant for those who are politically savvy, it is still a tool that can be

taken advantage of in a plethora of ways.

For example, people have begun to use social networking sites to find jobs. Such is the

case when it comes to the website, LinkedIn. Using a more professional platform you don’t have

“friends” on LinkedIn, you have connections. This is where businesspeople come together to

meet and find other professionals, where instead of uploading pictures from your summer

vacation, your uploading your current resume. You can use this to your advantage if you’re a

person with a certain skill who is looking for a certain job. You can always use your connections

to get you to where you want to be professionally.

It is in this way that social networking sites has fundamentally changed how we view our

world. We are no longer individuals who seek a sense of belonging within our local community;

instead we find comfort in our vast online society. It is there where we can connect with others

from our own country to those who are seas away. It allows us to get something off our chest,

proclaim something we deem vital, and of course inform others, not just of our own lives, but
also about the things that go on around us. The thought of being absent from these sites for even

a few days might cause some people to panic, because, currently, it is our most cherished form of

communication we have.
 Bibliography

"The Social Network." Love/Lust. Sundance: Jun. 20 2011. Television. 21 Jun 2011.

Smith, Catharine. "Egypt's Facebook Revolution: Wael Ghonim Thanks The Social Network."

Huffington Post Feb. 11 2011: n. pag. Web. 21 Jun 2011.

<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/11/egypt-facebook-revolution-wael-

ghonim_n_822078.html>.