A Serious Downside to Social Networks

This is the screenshot of my search of "hate" on Facebook.

If you go on Facebook and search the word "hate," you will instantly find 500 groups that hate certain things. Of course, 500 is just the minimum and there are certainly more than 500 different groups. The hate ranges anything from "I hate school" to "I hate it when people ask for extra paper in exams. WTF are you writing?!"

But then you look at the very extreme, and quite disturbing range of that spectrum. There are groups on Facebook and other social networking sites that promote hate, racism, terrorism, etc. for certain people, countries, businesses, practices, religion, you name it! The list is never-ending and it has become a serious concern for many people.

According to the article, "Hate speech infiltrates social networking sites, report says," (by Jesse Soloman) cyber-hate has become increasingly vast and wide-spreading. The Simon Wiesenthal Center for Tolerance released a report titled "Digital Terrorism and Hate 2010" saying that there are about "11, 500 hate-affiliated Web pages, a 20 percent jump from last year's study."

Some of these web pages include directions to computer hacking, bombmaking, etc. The problem is, is that it is difficult to know whether or not these web pages are legit, are if they are just talk. This is known as the "lone wolf effect." This effect alone is what makes social networks and other affiliated sites disturbing sometimes: You sincerely hope these groups are just simply expressing their opinion, but deep down inside, there is a small fear that perhaps the cyber-hate might potentially turn into reality.

What does your Facebook/Twitter say about YOU?

*Source: flickr.com

Lets take a quick quiz...

1. Do you have a Facebook?

If yes, please continue to the next question.

2. Do you identify your religion on your profile?

If yes, please continue.

3. Are you single?

If your answer was yes, then the study done by researchers from Stanford University's Psychology Department would be considered accurate.

Researchers Young, Dutta, and Dommetry did an experiment to study the relationship between the information Facebook users revealed on their profiles to their intentions in doing so (more specifically, whether or not they searching for a romantic partner).

The results?

Young, Dutta, and Dommetry found a statistical significance between these two variables. One of the significant patterns they discovered was that individuals who listed their religion, also tended to identify themselves as "single" as part of their relationship status. The researchers concluded that it is very likely that Facebook users (or users of other social networking sites) "paint a picture of themselves to potential partners," thus revealing more personal information about themselves on their profiles.

*Source: flickr.com

Still not convinced? Well, another study shows that narcissistic individuals are more likely to reveal more about themselves on their public profiles. Shocker right? Not really, but at least the researchers (Buffardi and Campbell of University of Georgia) found evidence.

Last, but not least, a research study was done by Orr, Sisic, Ross, Simmering, Arseneault, and Orr of the University of Windsor to examine shy individuals and their tendency to reveal themselves. The results were interesting to say the least, and certainly unexpected.

The researchers found that the more shy the individuals were, the more time they spent on Facebook. However, despite the fact that they spent more time on Facebook, these individuals had a significantly lower number of Facebook friends.

Of course, more research is being done considering that social networking, despite it supposedly being started hundreds of years ago, is still fairly new (computer and web-site wise). The lesson here is not to say that finding a potential partner or potential friends through social networks such as Facebook is a bad thing. Let's face it, we all seek potential relationships/friendships. But it is to simply be careful in revealing such intimiate details about yourself to the world.

If you would like more information on these studies, please click here for the article "The Psychology of Twitter, Facebook, and other Social Networking Devices."

Now if you will excuse me, I shall delete some of my "friends" on Facebook...

What does Evolution tell us about Social Networking?

I'm sure that before opening and reading my blog, you checked your current social network preference, whether it be Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, or some other dominating social force. If I am wrong, then congratulations! You are one of the very few to do so!

*Source: flickr.com

But moving on to my point. I'll admit that one of the first things I do when I turn on my computer, is to check my Facebook, in hopes that I have a friend request, a message, a comment, or some other notification to remind me that I am still part of the social world we live in.

Why do I resort to such behavior? In fact, why is it that most of us resort to virtual reality rather than reality itself? According to "How social can we get?" social networking actually began during the early years of our evolution (when we were more like monkeys rather than humans). Social networking back then didn't involve computers, of course, but rather grooming as a way of communicating relationships.

*Source: flickr.com

According to anthropologist, Robin Dunbar, hierarchy was important among primates. The knowledge of relationships during this era was what Dunbar suggests was the "birth of gossip." This is why some people suggested that grooming was the "first social networking application." Once groupes or tribes began to increase in size, grooming eventually evolved to language, or spoken word. This evolutionary change has impacted our society immensely, and as Dunbar puts it, "We haven't stopped gossiping since."

Psychological Effects of Texting

If you are one of the millions of people who has a cell phone, most likely you have at least once texted instead of called someone. There are many reasons for this behavior. According to "Insights into the Social and Psychological Effects of SMS Text Messaging," text messaging is "instant, location dependent, and personal" and is quickly becoming the number one option of communication.

With over 72% of people living in Western Europe owning a cell phone, over a billion text messages are being sent each month in the UK. When I hear of a statistic such as this, I think, "Wow, that is a lot of texting!" But according to the article mentioned above, texting could have psychological effects and have a psychological explanation as to why statistics are so high.

Questionnaires were given to to find out about how often a person uses his/her cell phone and aspects of relationship development. The study had 950 participants, with 517 people preferring talking on the phone (termed as the "Talkers") as opposed to 433 people who preferred texting (termed as the "Texters").

The most distinct piece of data about these so called Talkers and Texters is that research found the Texters to be "significantly more lonely...more socially anxious than 'Talkers.'" In addition, Texters were more likely to report that texting affected their relationships with friends and family, as well as helped them develop new relationships.

Now this is where I become confused with this study, so bear with me here.

1. If texters were found to be more "lonely" and "socially anxious," how is it that texting could help them develop new relationships?

2. As mentioned in an earlier blog post, isn't it possible that people, such as myself, text simply because it is easier? Faster? More convenient? If I'm not mistaken, the article even supported that the reasons why texting has become so popular is because of those specific reasons.

Perhaps I am a little biased due to the fact I would be considered more of a Texter than a talker. Perhaps I take into offense that I can be considered more lonely and socially anxious (because in my opinion, I'm not). Regardless, the study fails to clarify whether or not the participants were directly asked questions concerning their loneliness. As I was reading about the study, it sounded more like the researchers were simply assuming that because texting avoids face-to-face confrontation and permits anonymity, texters were more likely to be considered in categories such as lonely and anxious.

I can think of a few reasons why texters, including myself, prefer to text than talk on the phone.

1. Its less of a distraction. In other words, after I text I continue to watch TV, do homework, cook, etc. When I talk on the phone, I find it difficult to concentrate on other things.

2. Easier to send information. For example, if I am giving someone directions to my house, I can text them the directions so that they do not have to write them down.

3. Its quieter. I may be in the middle of something, in which I don't want to interrupt people around me.

4. The receiver may be busy. Perhaps he/she is in class, at work, etc. and they are unable to answer the phone.

5. LAZINESS! Sometimes I am just plain lazy to talk on the phone. After a long day, I don't feel like using my voice, therefore, I text.

The list goes on! While it may be true that some people text to avoid awkward conversations, certainly does not mean that they are lonely. But I certainly hope there will be more research on this subject that takes into account of all the possible factors that can account for the reasons people text. Until that study is done, I will continue to text my family and friends, as well as be socially active as I always am.

*Sources for pictures: flickr

Mobile Technology: Effects on Society

*Source: flickr

Picture this:

You and a friend are sitting in a restaurant, waiting for your food to arrive. Suddenly, your friend receives a phone call and decides to answer it. Two minutes pass by, although it feels like an hour, and your friend is still on the phone. What do you do?

A. Look around nervously, trying to find something in the room to catch your interest

B. Drink your beverage and look down at the table

C. Play with your own cell phone

Your answer is most likely all of the above! According to "Cellphones in public: social interactions in a wireless era," there are different behaviors in which people attempt to make situations less awkward when the person they are with are in another conversation. The same behaviors could be attributed to when a person is by himself/herself as well.

According to my own observations, I think the the behaviors discussed in the study can still be considered valid today. Why? Because I HAVE DEMONSTRATED THOSE BEHAVIORS! I hate to admit it, but I have, and I know many other people have, too. I have been stuck in situations in which a person approached my table and began having a conversation with my friend. To avoid being awkward and feeling left out, I played with my phone and browsed the internet and old text messages. Unfortunately, I STILL felt awkward.

I believe that the sociological terms are interesting, as well as accurate, considering that the terms describe what the situation is about and who the person is. For example, "cross talk" is about how a 3rd person or conversation suddenly becomes involved when it was not previously. Therefore, the 3rd person is "crossing" into another person's conversation.

In regards to an educational setting, it is very seldom I see students using their cell phones for educational purposes. The only time I have seen a student use his/her cell phone for class, was to take notes on the homework as a reminder. Other than that, students use their cell phones for texting, taking pictures, web browsing (mostly Facebook or Twitter), etc. Thankfully, I have not had the opportunity to spy a student using a cell phone to cheat on a test. Let's hope mobile technology does not go down that path.