So, Is Facebook good?

As I discussed in my previous blog (Analyzing New Media) there is an ongoing question about whether or not Social Networks have a positive or negative influence on the general public. This argument can go either way so I wish to use this blog to explore both sides of this issue.

The great thing about Social Networks and blogs are that they give the common everyday person a voice in this ever expanding world. It gives people a way to publish their ideas and influence the world, or whoever is listening. Due to the fact that their are 12,900 different social networks and 25-40 million active blogs in the world  it is very evident that new media is HUGE. This consequently means that mainstream media is downsizing.

Looking at the negative side of social networking is the question of whether it in fact has value. First, you cannot really trust anything you read on a social network or blog because there is no way of seeing if the person is or isn't a credible source. Most posts on the Internet are bias or opinionated in one form or another.

It is also believed that Facebook is a waste of time and does not really offer the world anything beneficial. Teenagers spend hours upon hours sucked into Facebook and all of the social norms it has created. It is also really dangerous what teenagers decide to put on Facebook for the whole world to see. In this video clip Barack Obama cautions students on how social networks can be dangerous, and how all students should be cautious about what they put on Facebook when looking for a job.

Analyzing New Media

With the new media age of social networking sites, blogs, and the internet it has become very evident that media as we used to know it is drastically changing. It used to be that the encoder (a newspaper or TV news network) would be the primary source of information for the public. This source was held accountable for what they said to their audience so therefore they were a trustworthy and reliable resource.

The people who work in newsrooms are professionals who have real experience and an education in their field, so therefore they are sure to get there facts correct and portray them in the right way. In this age the encoder had a very large audience and the public were generally well informed.

The issue today is that with all of the social networks and blogs on the internet virtually anyone has the power to broadcast what they believe, regardless if it is based on fact. Today we are the encoder and we are able to publish what we say through blogging, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

Unfortunately, this is dangerous because now an amateur who could be biased, wrong, or just unprofessional has the power to broadcast whatever they want to the worldwide audience. In this article they discuss the similar issue about how journalism can possibly survive the internet age while still having lasting quality.