Social Networking Sites and their affect on communication

Do you feel websites such as Myspace and Facebook will affect the way people communicate in the future? Do you think these websites will hinder productivity in the workplace?

While it may seem ludicrous to think that sites such as Myspace and Facebook have an affect on the way people communicate, there are already indicators of the affects which they are having on our society. Social networking sites receive millions of hits each day. Myspace alone has over 99-million profiles and adds nearly 230,000 each day (Rexrode, 2006). This huge community provides many opportunities for people to communicate information which otherwise would be difficult to disseminate.

One example of this involves the Brooklyn College Library, as of mid-May the library has over 1700 “friends” which are made up of students at Brooklyn College (Evans, 2006). The entrance of the library has enabled the college to send “…invitations, announcements, unsolicited library instruction, and answers to their [students] questions” (2006). The library is able to connect with students in a way which they have never been able to before. Students can ask questions easily and find information quickly and conveniently. They can link to the library’s website, databases, and the “Ask-a-Librarian service” (2006). All of this information has previously been neglected by students and Myspace has enabled the library to connect with students on a different level. This example shows that many different organizations can use social networking sites to communicate with today’s youth.

There have been concerns raised in regards to negative affects of online communities on the workplace. Due to the fact that members of these social networking sites are mostly teens, workplace productivity will probably not be affected drastically (Rexrode, 2006).

Though there are potential negative effects which may be associated with social networking sites, these new tools enable immediate connection with members of the community through the simplicity and convenience of the site. Teens are constantly on the go and time is a precious commodity to them. Myspace and other social networking sites will continue to cater to these teens and will remain a staple for our nation’s youth for years to come.

References

Evans, B. (2006 October 15) Your Space or MySpace?; The best way for the Brooklyn College Library to reach students, says Beth Evans, was to enter MySpace. Library Journal, p. 8. [Online]. Available: http://www.lexisnexis.com/universe.

Rexrode, C.. (2006 August 6) A Place For Business, Too. St. Petersburg Times, p. 1D. [Online]. Available: http://www.lexisnexis.com/universe.