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Facebook and Personal Morality

analytical Essay
1435 words
1435 words
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Social Networking in a more analytical context is defined as a community of network members which are technically called Nodes. Nodes most commonly differentiate as persons or organisations; if a singular unit can be connected this can be identified as a node. The connections of nodes are usually made based on relations of common interest. Network analysts study the pattern of attraction towards masses of nodes that are connected and this is the structure of how a social network is formed (Scott, Carrington 2011, pp. 11-12).

There are many different types of social networking sites available; the most popular in today’s society are Facebook and Twitter which are rapidly attracting multitudes of visitors every month. Facebook allows individuals to create a profile based on their life experiences, beliefs and attributes. These can be expressed by posting status updates, uploading photographs and creating your own personal description. Facebook can be a powerful tool for keeping in touch with your current social circle, reunifying long lost family and friends or venturing out to find new companions. Twitter on the other hand can be simplified as an online short messages service, allowing the individual to speak their mind in 140 characters or less. Friends can follow your message posts as well as other like-minded individuals (Collier,2010, pp. 61-64). Both Facebook and Twitter are examples of how technology has provided societies with a more convenient way of communicating regularly. We can become quite reliant and impulsive when it comes to convenience especially in this current era of finding time for our busy lifestyles, but then again the most convenient way may not always be the best choice (Turkle, 2011, p17). Following Wit...

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...M 2010, Facebook & Twitter For Seniors For Dummies, Wiley Publishing, Canada.

Cooke, T 2011, Help I’m a Facebookaholic: Inside the Crazy World of Social Networking, John Blake, England.

Lauzon, E 2011, 'Paradox: The anti-social generation', Enterprise Innovation, 7, 1, p. 44, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 6 January 2012.

Salman, J 2009, 'Old, young don't see eye to eye in widening generation gap: Study finds wider differences in social values, lifestyle', Florida Times-Union, The (Jacksonville, FL),Newspaper Source, EBSCOhost, viewed 6 January 2012

Scott, J & Carrington, P 2011,The Sage Handbook Of Social Network Analysis, Sage Publications Ltd, London.

Wittkower, D 2010, Facebook and Philosophy: What’s on your mind?, Open Court, USA.

Turkle, S 2011, Alone Together: Why we expect more from technology & less from each other, Basic Books, USA.

In this essay, the author

  • Defines social networking as a community of network members which are technically called nodes. network analysts study the pattern of attraction towards masses of nodes that are connected.
  • Explains that social networking sites such as facebook and twitter have helped shape our moral emphasis by building relationships on an unstable platform of virtual connections.
  • Explains that the older generation's knowledge was produced from a limited source of technology when they were growing up, which may have differentiated their perceptions and abilities for social networking sites.
  • Argues that the creation of the human genetic makeup is designed to provide us with a face showing expressions of emotion, character, and uniqueness, which enhances the meaning to our conversations.
  • Analyzes how jean – paul sartre valued face-to-face contact as an important part of our social development. technology may slowly be taking away our natural form and replacing our emotions with a superficial connection based on our imaginations.
  • Explains that our morality of natural sympathy can be disfigured and disguised because our interpersonal skills are not entirely present during a conversation through social networking sites.
  • Concludes that facebook and other social networking communities provide us with some sense of communicative enrichment allowing us to experience feelings and some sort of element of connectivity to other people.
  • Explains that age differences in perceptions of online community participation among non-users: an extension of the technology acceptance model, computers in human behavior, vol. 6, no 6, pp. 1674 – 1684.
  • Describes cooke's 2011 book, help i’m a facebookaholic: inside the crazy world of social networking.
  • Opines that lauzon, e 2011, 'paradox: the anti-social generation', enterprise innovation, 7, 1, p. 44, business source complete, ebscohost.
  • Analyzes salman's study, 'old, young don't see eye to eye in widening generation gap: study finds wider differences in social values, lifestyle'.
  • Explains scott, j, and carrington, p, sage handbook of social network analysis, london.
  • Explains turkle, s. 2011, alone together: why we expect more from technology & less from each other.
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