Impacts of Social Networking
Social networking world is a complex and dynamic. Once one starts socializing electronically, he/she become attached to his/her electronic gadgets. Human beings are social species by nature. The dynamic world of social networking is similar to the real socializing world, the world that can affect somebody’s life as well as mind. The Real world socializing may significantly influence human behavior either positively or negatively. Such effects on human character are also seen through socializing or social networking by similar magnitude. Such effects are as a result of feedbacks in the social networking. However, this paper will try to expound on the effects of social networking to the behavior of humans.
In the article “How Facebook Makes Us Unhappy”, Konnikova stands with the argument of Kross that there is an inverse relationship between the level of satisfaction and the use of face book. The article shows that out of several users of facebook, many of them showed low levels of satisfaction. Research further shows that, many people who used the web, felt lonelier and greatly depressed. Their sense of happiness and connectedness dropped. Both Kross and Karut share the same argument that social networking depresses humans.
Sample on his article In a Bad Mood? Your Social Networks Might be to Blame states that, both negative and positive posts or feedbacks affect human feelings. According to Fowler, every downbeat post trigger an extra 1.29 more negative posts than normal among people’s friends. Additionally, every happy post led to an extra 1.75 positive posts among friends. Further, research shows that human being do not just make a choice of the people who have the same character like theirs, but are actually causing their friend’s emotional expressions to change. People in social networking change their reader’s feelings once they post either a negative or positive feedback. Research further shows that, rain significantly impact the tone facebook posts either positively or negatively where negative posts rises by 1.16% compared to the falling of positive posts by 1.19%. Therefore, research clearly depicts that rain influence human behavior negatively.
Kross further argues that, facebook may also cause problems in relationships by increasing feelings of jealousy. The relationship problems may advance further from jealousy to envy if the solution is not found on time. The factor here is the feedback from other people in social networking system. For instance, posting a great dinner picture or posting a picture of a famous celebrity on instagram might trigger the envy or jealous feeling inside the follower or the readers as depicted by Joshua in his article the “Social Networking Makes Us Feel Alone”. He agrees with other researchers such as Kross and Fruhlinger. For instance Fruhlinger states, that “I immediately feel as though everyone but me has an incredibly interesting life.” What fruhlinger feels in this statement is the same envy that Kross talks about. Fruhlingers agrees with Kross on several issues but he includes all social networks as he visualizes social networks as night clubs.\ “We are addicted to the difference potential between what we are doing and what others are up to” (fruhlinger). By the word addicted fruhlinger means that, humans become addicted to social networks. Konnikova in his work, he mentions the ongoing research where, the psychologist Timothy Wilson found out that college students go ‘crazy’ after just a few minutes in a room without their phones or computer. Wilson’s argument support fruhlinger’s idea of addiction to social networking. Fruhlinger argues that, “I have run into peoplemore than once who have sworn off Facebook, Twitter or some other social network. They tell me that they could be happier but I would be will to bet that they still peek in every so often’. It is very hard to detach from the social networks as it needs a focused mind and the ability to enjoy without using electronic gadgets. That is the argument of Wilson when he says that, “one would think we could spend the time mentally entertaining ourselves but we can’t. We have forgotten how” whenever we have downtime, the internet is an enticing quick solution that fills gap immediately.
In conclusion, Social networks have huge influence on human behavior especially the visual part of it. If someone’s picture of his/her nudity is sent online, he/she may fill as though abused facially. As humans we are social creatures eager to be validated from one another for the things we do. That is why our emotional attachment to the social network is inevitable.
Fruhlinger,Joshua. “This is the Modern World: Social Networking Makes us Feel Alone.” Engadget, 25 Jul.2013.Web 25 Apr.2014.
Konnikova,Maria. “ how Facebook Makes us Unhappy.” The New Yorker, 10 sep. 2013. Web.25 Apr. 2014.
Sample, Ian. “In a bad mood? Your Social Networks Might be to Blame.” The guardian, 12 Mar.2014.Web 25 Apr.2014.
