A commonality shared by Tang and Wood

In the article “Do problems associated with social networking outweigh the benefits?” two authors weigh the benefits and the problems associated with social networking sites. Norah Wei Tang argues against social networks; social networking sites “appear to be harmless” but actually create many troubles. Tang claims that these sites not only interfere with college life by taking away too much time and energy but also puts students at a risk of being too obsessed with the sites. Also, she notes the difficulty of monitoring the permanent online information usage. On the other hand, Elizabeth Anne Wood has more favorable attitude towards social networks. She argues that these sites can be used very effectively in learning because they provide information “commons”, from which students can share and obtain valuable information. She states that social networks tools can be well incorporated into classrooms for better learning.

However, despite these very contrasting opinions, both of the two authors acknowledge that social networks offer grounds for free and easy exchange of ideas and thoughts with others. Wood is definitely in favor of this quality of social networks. She states that “social networking lets many more people –who otherwise might never meet- learn from one another. She also gives examples; she was able to exchange thoughts with her intellectual role model using Twitter. Tang also mentions that social networking sites allow people to connect to each other and exchange thoughts. Although she goes on to argue that social networks build only superficial relationships, she does realize that updating posts, comments and any other sharing of information can be done quickly and easily with internet access.