Social networking hits a primal nerve for many of us. According to recent Nielsen poll, Australians are the biggest social media users in the world, with over 9.9 million of us regularly bleating our innermost’s to whoever’s out there listening. The survey illustrates that we spend, on average, six hours and 52 minutes each month sailing the social media seas- a full 43 minutes more than our nearest rivals in the U.S.
Face book is our preferred outlet, followed by MySpace and then Twitter. But what is all this web noise doing to our relationships and sense of self? Its hard to say- not that this has stop experts from saying it. Psychologists, media analysts and social commentators together have different opinions about the benefit or dangers of social media. In fact most will immediately post their hypotheses on their blogs or Twitter accounts via their Iphone. Some have argued the following; “It’s a poor substitute for real-life relationships!” “It’s a genius marketing platform and procrastinator’s dream.”
But when it comes down to it its simply another way to communicate. It does bring us closer together but at the same time is does drag us further apart. Most of us are comfortable with this form of communication. Now that its such a fixture in many of our lives, its important to assess our own use of social media to be sure it fits with out values and is doing each of us more good than harm. Social media would appear to be a harmless diversion, one that may strengthen our existing relationships. As psychologist Pamela Rutledge illustrates “when we contact people regularly, even though the contact may feel inferior to face-to-face for intimacy, the frequency creates a connection that facilitates face-to-face connections.”
Social media helps many who find it difficult to communicate. It helps those that are shy helps individuals to express themselves and builds networks.
It changes our lives, improves the way we do business, enhanced our relationships. But sometimes-social media sites reveal the saddest and ugliest sides of our characters. Here are five unsavoury examples I found in an issue of Madison May 2010, p. 70-73.
1. “A British mother jumps to her death from a fourth-floor balcony in Spain days before she due to give evidence against a former partner who was accused of assaulting her. She left a suicide note to her teenaged children on Facebook that read, “Please, I beg you, don’t hate me for letting you down now.” Her daughter spotted the message and replied. “Mum!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! mum…I love you u 2 much, Please don’t leave….!!!!!!!!!!!” Alexandra Carlton
2. Us mother tweeted details of her son’s death. Two-year-old Bryson feel into the family’s pool after a fence was left unlocked. 34minutes after the paramedics arrived to try and revive the boy. The mother further tweeted “Please pray like never before, my 2 year old feel in the pool” Five hours later as her son was pronounced dead. She tweeted “ Remembering my million dollar baby.” Critics have said that perhaps if she was paying as much attention to her son as she was twitter her son may have never died.
3. “After her IUD failed and she become pregnant 27-year-old mother to be Angie Jackson tweeted her abortion using the “abortion pill”, RU-486. “I’m doing this so other women know, “Hey, its not nearly as terrifying as I had myself worked up thinking it was.” She said. “It’s just not that bad”.” Alexandra Carlton
4. “Facebook was force to apologies after a number of tribute sites to murdered Queensland children were defaced. Memorials to trinity Bates, an eight-year-old girl murdered and a 12-year-old boy alleged stabbed to death by a classmate in Brisbane, were flooded with obscene messages and images of murder and pornography. Police have said perpetrators will be punished though at the time of writing no charges had been laid. “Alexandra Carlton
5. “Anyone using Gmail was automatically signed into Google’s social messaging service Google Buzz. Instantly, their email contact list was revealed to anyone who wanted to look at it. One woman reported that her abusive ex-husband was given access to sensitive information, Journalist sources were revealed and details of affairs were made public. Google had to apologise for its breach of privacy and announced it would make changed to the system.
Face book is our preferred outlet, followed by MySpace and then Twitter. But what is all this web noise doing to our relationships and sense of self? Its hard to say- not that this has stop experts from saying it. Psychologists, media analysts and social commentators together have different opinions about the benefit or dangers of social media. In fact most will immediately post their hypotheses on their blogs or Twitter accounts via their Iphone. Some have argued the following; “It’s a poor substitute for real-life relationships!” “It’s a genius marketing platform and procrastinator’s dream.”
But when it comes down to it its simply another way to communicate. It does bring us closer together but at the same time is does drag us further apart. Most of us are comfortable with this form of communication. Now that its such a fixture in many of our lives, its important to assess our own use of social media to be sure it fits with out values and is doing each of us more good than harm. Social media would appear to be a harmless diversion, one that may strengthen our existing relationships. As psychologist Pamela Rutledge illustrates “when we contact people regularly, even though the contact may feel inferior to face-to-face for intimacy, the frequency creates a connection that facilitates face-to-face connections.”
Social media helps many who find it difficult to communicate. It helps those that are shy helps individuals to express themselves and builds networks.
It changes our lives, improves the way we do business, enhanced our relationships. But sometimes-social media sites reveal the saddest and ugliest sides of our characters. Here are five unsavoury examples I found in an issue of Madison May 2010, p. 70-73.
1. “A British mother jumps to her death from a fourth-floor balcony in Spain days before she due to give evidence against a former partner who was accused of assaulting her. She left a suicide note to her teenaged children on Facebook that read, “Please, I beg you, don’t hate me for letting you down now.” Her daughter spotted the message and replied. “Mum!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! mum…I love you u 2 much, Please don’t leave….!!!!!!!!!!!” Alexandra Carlton
2. Us mother tweeted details of her son’s death. Two-year-old Bryson feel into the family’s pool after a fence was left unlocked. 34minutes after the paramedics arrived to try and revive the boy. The mother further tweeted “Please pray like never before, my 2 year old feel in the pool” Five hours later as her son was pronounced dead. She tweeted “ Remembering my million dollar baby.” Critics have said that perhaps if she was paying as much attention to her son as she was twitter her son may have never died.
3. “After her IUD failed and she become pregnant 27-year-old mother to be Angie Jackson tweeted her abortion using the “abortion pill”, RU-486. “I’m doing this so other women know, “Hey, its not nearly as terrifying as I had myself worked up thinking it was.” She said. “It’s just not that bad”.” Alexandra Carlton
4. “Facebook was force to apologies after a number of tribute sites to murdered Queensland children were defaced. Memorials to trinity Bates, an eight-year-old girl murdered and a 12-year-old boy alleged stabbed to death by a classmate in Brisbane, were flooded with obscene messages and images of murder and pornography. Police have said perpetrators will be punished though at the time of writing no charges had been laid. “Alexandra Carlton
5. “Anyone using Gmail was automatically signed into Google’s social messaging service Google Buzz. Instantly, their email contact list was revealed to anyone who wanted to look at it. One woman reported that her abusive ex-husband was given access to sensitive information, Journalist sources were revealed and details of affairs were made public. Google had to apologise for its breach of privacy and announced it would make changed to the system.
So is it time to switch off?
- By Severine Duval
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