Social Networking

In a world where everyone is connected to technology and different social networking outlets like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter etc, it is becoming more popular for companies to utilize these outlets to reach more people. In an article by Frank Langfitt titled “Social Networking Technology Boosts Job Recruiting,” professional recruiters have “started hunting for job candidates using social networking technology” and claim it is “absolutely the best thing to happen to recruiting.” As reported in the article, Alfred LaSpina was unearthed using LinkedIn. A recruiter was looking through LinkedIn and found that LaSpina had previous work experience that would be applicable to the product marketing manager role, which led to LaSpina eventually applying and getting the job. 

LinkedIn especially, is usually used by students and professionals as a way to connect with all of the people they’ve met or meet new people. Nowadays, LinkedIn has been expanding their services to include job postings where people can apply directly. The platform also allows for live instant messaging and articles to be shared. Services like these are beneficial to society because it becomes like a one stop shop for young professionals and recruiters to reach whoever they need. 

One of the dark sides to social networking is that sometimes when people put too much of their information online, they can be more subject to outsiders obtaining or learning too much personal information about an individual. Social networking can also be harmful because people can use it for the wrong reasons. For example, on Facebook people can be predators or harass people because it is easy to send a message to someone. 

As social networking becomes more and more popular and more platforms are being developed, people become very involved in communicating and connecting with people using these sources. In an article by Hilary Stout about “Antisocial Networking?” it is noted that children would rather talk to each other online than meeting and talking face to face. They are on their phones and computers 24/7 and this can even create lack of communication with family members. “Children used to talk to their friends,” but now they don’t. Communication through social networks can do more than take away children’s time from doing other activities, but it can also harm their communication skills in the future (which can also be considered a detriment of social networking).