Social Networks: Opening Statement

Are online social networks (Facebook, etc.) overall more harmful or more beneficial to society?
     
     Social networking are harmful to our society. Social networking means sitting in front of the computer for hours and hours, connecting with people. Why is this considered more beneficial? Children are so used to social networking that they have forgotten that they  could spent time interacting with people face-to-face. Social networking may allow people to create new relationships with others and reconnect with family and friends. Even improving communication skills. Is it true that it is really improving communication skills? Communication means talking to people face to face. Talking on the computer will not help you communicate with others in real life. We are not practicing when we speak behind the screens. The real way to practice your communication skills is talking to people face to face and getting the time to know more about them in perso7n. Social networking has entice people to spend more time on the computer rather than doing something more productive. "Teens spend an average of nine hours per week on social networking sites." If social networking expands even more, teens will spend even more time on the computer and spending less time interacting with others in person.
    
      Even though social networking sites allow people to message each other, posting blogs about themselves, uploading pictures, and etc. It doesn't mean that others won't get their hands on these information that you posted. Some of these information can even be used against you. Even though you might have deleted information that you have posted, people have ways to retrieve it. Information posted can lead others to stalk your personal life and steal your identity. Even though the information that people post might seem real to you, they might be hiding their real identity. Social networking have no way to verify who they claim to be. Is this really safe. Even though we get to meet people in using social networking, they might not be the person that we think they would be. You will have no idea if they are telling the truth and who they really are. Without knowing the person that you are communicating with, it leads people to be in danger. 


     Social networking has allowed cyber-bullying to happen. It is when people bully you online instead of in person. This is a real problem because at times you might not know who is sending these hate messages to you. It will let a person feel unconscious about their safety and leaving them in danger in public. Cyber-bullying makes it easier for people to bully an individual because the victim might not know who you are. "A 2009 study found that 17.3% of middle school students have been victims of cyber-bullying. Victims often experience a drop in grades, decreasing self-esteem, and other symptoms of depression." In fact, it has also caused others to suicide because they feel insecure about themselves. Does this mean that social networks are beneficial, when in fact it means that people have a chance of hurting others? It has lead others to have brain disorders and even feel bad about the,selves. 


     In conclusion, social networks are note beneficial to our society. It means less time socializing with people face-to-face and spending less time with family and friends. It also leads people to feel insecure and letting themselves out in the open being bullied by others. It has let cyber-bullying causing people to feel insecure about themselves. 


Cites:
http://socialnetworking.procon.org/

ASTI Constitution

This was something interesting that i found on Carly's Blog that was particular interesting. It talks about how bullies also have feelings and reasons for bullying others:

People say bullies want to be loved. In order to raise their own self-esteem, they have to lower others'. I think bullies may be treated the same way elsewhere, where they are accustomed to that kind of attitude and then learned to use it towards others. There are many reasons for bullies to want to hurt others, including staying popular, and raising self-esteem. Many dramas start with people judging each other when they know barely anything about one another. It is hard not to judge people, but we should keep an open-mind to different people.

In Carly's analysis, she states that bullies also have feelings; they also want to be loved. Even though they bully others in order to raise their self-esteem, in the inside, they might feel guilty by their actions. I believe that bullies are not bad people and we should not hate on them. I think that we should talk to them and get to know them more. Bullies might have been bullied before and that's why they bully others. They don't want to get themselves hurt so they hurt others instead. They don't want to feel left out from the group and they want people to know them, such as becoming popular so that no one would hurt them. Judgement is also a problem because if we judge we will learn to exclude others.

This relates to the second rule of the ASTI constitution: Include, don't exclude. Even though everyone might hate bullies, we should try talking to them about how you feel and understand more about their feelings. We can try to change their personality, and they will soon learn that bullying can hurt others feelings. You might also help them with their problems and help them find a better solution. This also relates to building mutual respect according to the fourth rule of the ASTI constitution. If we get to know them more, we will find out that they are not that bad.

In others words, judgment always leads to ungrateful things because we mostly make wrong assumptions about others without getting to know them. I agree with Carly that we should be more open-minded. We should try to know them first before deciding if you like them or not. This relates to the third rule of the ASTI constitution: accept others for who they are. We are all different people and none of us are the same. We are unique in our own ways, and getting to know people that are different from you is more exciting that hanging around the same people everyday. Sooner or later you might learn something new about them. We should accept people for who they are because not every one is the same.

By following the ASTI constitution we will get to understand others more and not to make assumptions that are wrong. We should never judge people for who we are because how would you feel if people judge you. I think that we should think before we act and put yourseld in the postition of that person so that you could understand them.

'Just Kidding' and 'Ganging Up'

'Just Kidding' and 'Ganging Up'
From Odd Girl Out: The Hidden Culture of Aggression in Girls by Rachel Simmons

     I don't think that I have ever been part of an alliance that made someone feel bad or been harassed by a larger group. Even though I have not have experience these things, I have seen someone being harassed by a group of people. It was not a very good sight and it was very sad. I felt bad that o could not help that person though. I felt very scared for that kid that was being harassed and I could understand how he could have felt. I wanted to help very badly, but I was scared that they were going to harass me back.
 
      I think the other options to these situations is telling the principal about it. If that person doesn't do so they might get harassed for a long time. Try talking to them to tell them to stop, and if that does not work, they should try consulting someone about it. As for the alliance, I think they should treat people nicer. They harass other kids and think that it is funny, they should do something instead of hurting others feelings.

      I think people bully others because they want others to think that they are powerful and strong. They want to let others know that they are weak and they are not able to hurt them. I think people also bully others because they feel bad about themselves, so they hurt others instead to make themselves feel better. Bullies don't want to look weak and in the inside they feel that they are below everyone, so they find other things to make them feel better. They also bully people to gather people on their side and make them agree with them when they are dealing with an enemy.
 
      What makes them want to hurt their peers? I think the thing that makes them want to hurt their peers is they want them to feel that they are not weaklings. They want them to feel that they are all the same no matter where they stand. Or their might be in a situation where one side is especially mad at the other and they want to get people to agree with them. Their might be other things that make them hurt their peers, but I am not really sure about it because I was never in this situation.