Communication Tool or Time Waster
Communicating with others is a natural human instinct and is a crucial part in satisfying one of psychologist Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs known as, the need to belong. So it should be to no surprise that in today’s technology driven society, communication has never been easier. Just by logging in to the internet, you can connect with your buddy who lives a few streets over or one of your family members hundreds of miles away. A big reason why communicating with others is easier is because of the rise of social networking websites. According to the class lecture on social networking, a true social networking site is defined as one which must allow users to construct a semi-public profile, allow them to communicate with others you share a connection, and give the user the ability to view the entire network. Networking has become such a popular trend that people spend more time on social networking sites than any other website when on the internet. One of the more famous and flourishing social networking sites today is Facebook. “Facebook usage among the US college students has reached over 90% (Martin, Grasmuck, Zhao, 2008, p. 8).”
Due to its high penetration rate, several studies have been made in regards to how Facebook can have effects on users. Although social networking sites are designed with the intent to let you connect with peers, studies show it has effects on aspects outside of communication. One effect is teacher credibility among students based on their Facebook profiles. Students perceive their teachers who disclosed more information about themselves on their Facebook with higher levels of trustworthiness and caring qualities (Hew, 2011, p.6). By knowing personal information about a teacher, students might feel a stronger connection thus, being able to trust them and see their teacher’s caring humanistic side. Even though students thought favorably of teachers who disclosed more, there was no significant correlation with regard to teacher competence (Hew, 2011, p.6). Another way Facebook can affect students in the classroom is on their actual academic performance. “Researchers found that Facebook users had significantly lower GPAs (M =3.06, out of 4.0) compared to non-users(M =3.82). Facebook users also reported spending fewer hours studying per week than the non-users (Hew, 2011, p.6).” In addition to the negative effect social networking has on students, it was said in class lecture that companies who do not block social networking sites are 1.5% less productive. Overall, social networking has a huge impact on not only students perceptions but the overall work efficiency of its users.
Social networking provides a lot of benefits, but can provide certain effects on the user. On one hand, social networking sites provide entertaining asynchronous communication with many different individuals. On the other hand, it is shown to negatively affect people’s ability to work efficiently. To conclude, social networking sites are a great tool to stay in touch, but create effects on its users in that they help shape their opinion of others, as well as drastically lower work efficiency.
Hew, K.F. (2001) Students and Teachers Use of Facebook. Computers in Human Behavior, 6, 662-667
Ross, C., Orr, E., Sisic, M., Arseneault, J., Simmering, M., Orr, R. (2009). Personality and Motivations Associated With Facebook Use. Computers in Human Behavior, 8, 578-586
Cherry, K. (2011). The Five Levels of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. About.com, Retrieved from http://psychology.about.com/od/theoriesofpersonality/a/hierarchyneeds.htm
