Is social networking ruining our lives?

Ben Good– No

December 23, 2006 at 20:41, “Ben has joined Facebook”. It was a simple page, no friends, no photos and a fake birth date to get around the age restrictions. If you had told me then that this, and other social networking sites, would be the cornerstone of social interaction for our generation I probably wouldn’t have believed you. But, whilst this development may be surprising I believe that it has been positive.

There have been many examples of where social networking has brought happiness to lives and in some cases saved them! Phillip Pain, whilst on a year out in Mexico, fell from the 7th floor of a hotel. However, the hospital did not have enough O negative blood for the life-saving operation he needed, so his friends in the UK made Facebook groups calling for people to help out. After 24 hours thousands of people had joined to spread the word. Then amazingly, people started turning up at the hospital to offer their blood.

Whilst social networking may not have such a drastic effect on the lives of most of us, its impact is undeniable. LinkedIn is great for business, MySpace/last.fm for music, twitter for journalism with Facebook a ‘jack-of-all-trades’ patriarchal figure. Each of these enhances how we interact each other in different ways; there are bands I wouldn’t have heard, news stories I wouldn’t have found and events I wouldn’t have attended if social media did not exist.

Whilst like anything there are those who take social networking too far, it is a fantastic tool if used correctly. It can connect you to anyone anywhere in the world, reunite lost friends and help to maintain long distance friendships that might otherwise disintegrate.

The true global potential of the medium is perfectly demonstrated by the recent story of Ashley Kerekes (aka @theashes), a 20 something American twitter user. She woke up one day to find that a large number of people had sent her messages on twitter regarding the Ashes tour. Having no idea about cricket she responded, initially with annoyance but this then developed into full conversations. Soon she had thousands of followers and through the power of social networking was flown out to Australia to watch the Ashes for real.

The social media revolution has without a doubt changed the way we interact with each other and the wider world. It has provided a new easy way to communicate and for those who want it, a channel through which your voice has the potential to be heard by millions.

Alex Nowbar – Yes

How many times have you been introduced to someone of whom you were already aware, perhaps the collateral of a recent facebook browse or, if you’re one of the pathetic many (like me), a target of a facebook stalk? Or at least made decisions based on relationship statuses as seen on facebook?

Singles, haven’t you checked out the guest list for a friend’s party and decided not to go because there weren’t any fit single ladies attending? (There were a few in the “Maybe attending” and your wingman said let’s risk it for a biscuit but computer games won out in the end.)

Non-singles, have you been jealous when you looked at every single tagged photo of your girlfriend from before you got together? And nearly died when you looked through that album from a trip she took with her ex-boyfriend?

None of this applies to me, of course, but you lot should be ashamed of yourselves! The way Facebook (more so than any other social networking site) has changed the way people interact is a disappointment. It completely takes the mystery out of life, let alone making it a lot more difficult to get away with lies. There was a time you could have got away with bailing on a mate’s birthday party, organising with other friends to go clubbing and just maybe suggesting to go to the same club where the girl you fancy just so happens to be going. But not anymore! Thanks to the inevitable day-after-the-night-before album, your actions WILL be recorded and you WILL be found out.

Social networks do have innumerable benefits of which I have definitely taken advantage, but I can’t help feeling let down. I’m a big fan of tradition, admittedly because I read too much Jane Austen, but romance is dead and I blame social networking, as it fosters a society which is too busy for real-time contact with people. And how many times have you had coffee with someone who checks twitter on their smartphone every five minutes? While it helps people juggle their busy lives and is a bit of fun in easy reach, there is no substitute for real interaction. So please, I urge you to join me in mocking those who “check-in” everywhere they go.

Much as I’d like to resist social networking e.g. by boycotting or some such gesture, it’s a lot of effort to follow through on my ‘principles’ only to become even more of a pleb. Safe to say, resistance is futile. Hey Trekkies, Seven of Nine is really hot isn’t she? If I only I could “network” with her, then maybe I’d stop complaining. Live long and prosper.