What Is the Appeal?
What Is the Appeal?
WHICH methods of communication below have you used during the past month?
Face-to-face conversation
Handwritten letter or card
Phone call
Text message
Instant message
Video chat
Social network
Never have there been so many options for keeping in touch, each one with its advantages and disadvantages. Consider a few examples:
FACE-TO-FACE CONVERSATION
Advantage: Includes all the subtle nuances of facial expression, tone of voice, and gestures.
Disadvantage: Both parties must be available to talk.
HANDWRITTEN LETTER OR CARD
Advantage: Warm and personal.
Disadvantage: Takes time to write and days to reach the recipient.
Advantage: Can be composed and delivered quickly.
Disadvantage: Emotion is often lacking—or easy to misinterpret.
Enter social networking, which some say is the best way to keep in touch. Hundreds of social networks exist, and the most popular one—Facebook—has some 800 million members! “If Facebook were a country,” says Time magazine, “it would be the third largest, behind only China and India.” What are social networks, and why have they become so popular?
A social network is a Web site that allows users to share information with a selected group of friends. “It’s a great way to stay connected,” says 21-year-old Jean. “Social networking is also a convenient way to share photos from trips or events.”
Why not just write a letter? ‘Too time-consuming,’ some would answer—and it is expensive if you have to make copies of photos. Why not use the phone? Again, too time-consuming—especially since you have to call one person at a time, and some will not be at home or available to talk when you are. What about an e-mail? “No one answers e-mails anymore,” complains 20-year-old Danielle, “and even if they do, getting a reply can take weeks. On a social network, I just post a comment about what I’m doing, and my friends can post comments about their day. We’re all updated as soon as we log on. It’s easy!”
Not that social networking is all idle chit-chat. For example, when a disaster strikes—such as the earthquake and tsunami that devastated parts of Japan on March 11, 2011—many turn to social networks to find out about the welfare of their loved ones.
Consider the experience of Benjamin, who lives in the United States. “Phone lines were down after the tsunami in Japan,” he says. “An acquaintance told me that he had e-mailed a mutual friend of ours in Tokyo, but he hadn’t heard back from her. At that moment, I picked up my cell phone and, accessing the Internet, went to her social network page. Right then and there, I saw a brief message she had posted saying that she was OK and that she would provide further details later.”
Benjamin continues: “As for contacting my friends who knew her and who didn’t have a social network page, I had to e-mail them individually. It took time to track down their addresses and to write to each one. I received several responses within a few days. One person took about two weeks to respond! Those people were getting so many e-mails from everyone that it was hard for them to keep up. So much time could have been saved by social networking. Within minutes, everyone could have been brought up-to-date!”
Clearly, social networking has some advantages. But are there any dangers? If so, what are they, and how can you avoid them?
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HOW IT WORKS
1. Post a message (status update) on your page.
2. All of those on your list of friends receive your message when they log on to their page—and you receive their messages when you log on to your page.
