The same article tells that of these types of websites, Facebook is the most popular and 67% of social networking users are on Facebook. Not surprisingly, the majority of the people on social networking sites come from the United States. Australia takes the title of most time spent on these websites though, averaging about 7 hours a month per user. Honestly, that doesn't even seem that high because i know so many college students who are probably on Facebook an hour a day. The United States spends the 2nd most amount of time on the websites.
Although it doesn't seem like that much time is being spent on these websites, it is really scary how the amount has increased in the past year. From December 2008 to December 2009, the time spent on Facebook in the United States doubled and Twitter use rose by 368%. Although I'm in full support of these websites, I think everyone needs to realize that computer interaction will never be the same as face to face interaction, and it is important to get out of the house, move around and interact.
This is a subject that brings much controversy. I personally use facebook, and used to have a myspace, which I deleted. I definately think that these social networking sites can be a good thing, as they keep people who are far away or hard to reach, assesible with the click of a mouse. Unfortunately I think that these sites are incredibly abused by alot of people, and the statistics in this post back up that idea. For many it seems to verge on addiction, and with the increased use of smartphone applications, this trend seems like it will only get worse.
ReplyDeletethis kind of occupation get so much criticism positive and negative. Plus the site like facebook do so much, but still have problem. I enjoy this reading and keep up the good work.
ReplyDeleteI believe people are getting more comfortable with interactions over the computer rather than face-to-face interactions. This is partially due to the amount of technology we are surrounded by. With so many options of communication, why not communicate through the computer? Social networking sites make it easier to do this. However, it may just be a fad we are going through right now. After a while, people may become bored with these sites and not use them as much. I know that this is what has happened to me and a lot of my friends. When we first got a facebook account, we were on it all the time. I will admit that the obsession lasted for a good year or two, but now the interest has faded, and I'm lucky if I get on facebook once a week. I think it is a great way to network, but I don't see the need to be on it all the time, and I'm sure others will start seeing this as well.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, Anna. I think texting, Facebook, and Twitter are a great service for communication, but I think they may completely replace human-human contact. That is sad. Even when I text somebody, and I find out they are not busy, I give them a call. These forms of social networking do provide a valuable service.
ReplyDeleteI understand the need to keep in touch and I understand the benifits to belonging to social networks. facebook is really a good way to talk to old friends or update people on changes in your life. i really don't see how twitter is nessary. it seems a little rediculous to update people on everything you do.
ReplyDeleteTwitter is fun Marc.
ReplyDeleteI love twitter, and facebook. I hardly ever go on myspace anymore. Twitter is best done on your cell phone, just take a quick second and tell the world what you are doing. It's perfect for a nosy person like myself, lol.
ReplyDeleteAnna I completely agree with you that these will never replace face to face communication. I am in no way an avid user of Facebook and never had a myspace, but I do see the other side of this phenomenon. Perhaps social networking sites are actually facilitating face to face communication. I know in my situation at least I have met up with many friends from my past that I would never have hung out with unless facebook facilitated it. Anyway, just a thought.
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