In both of these articles, there is a clear distinction on their views on social networking: Norah Wei Tang who is against the promotion of social networking sites and Elizabeth Anne Wood who supports the ideal of social networking because of its implications to lend to higher education and free exchange of ideas. Essentially, Wei Tang asserts that the use of social networking sites is superficial and that many of the 'friends' that one has, are really just strangers that one wouldn't usually associate with on a regular basis. And in addition, by having access to the internet so readily as a college student, it is easy for one to constantly be connected to a social networking site and have serious time management issues when trying to do other tasks at hand. Yet, on the other hand, Wood exemplifies how social networking "facilitates intellectual engagement." There is a plethora of blogs and other social online authorities that are educational and engage the public in intellectual conversation. Also, one can see how there are applications on social networking sites that are used for online projects, collaborative projects, and study groups.
Despite the vast differences in opinion and evidence portrayed by the two authors, there are similarities. In both articles, they emphasize how the lives of those who use the internet revolves around the use of social networking sites. Wei Tang assumes that most college students are using these social networking sites constantly and need to update it throughout their day. She even asserts that the ones who are more heavily influenced by social networking sites because they are so dependent on being involved that it could cause anxiety or depression from one day's absence. Wood also assumes that with the vast use of the general public on the internet, everyone's use of the social networking sites is what allows the intellectual engagement that Wood is trying to support. By having so many people that are using the social networking sites, it is becoming a more commonly used function of the internet by the younger generations. Both authors emphasize how social networking sites are what are used by the majority of the college student body and are consistently being used each and everyday.
I agree with your points. These social networking websites are causing younger generations. I personally think that there are many students that are sucked in with these systems and wasting their time. Though socializing with friends are ok at the same time, when they spend too much time on this, their grade may go down due lack of studying. It is very necessary for us to step up and find a way to use time wisely and help students stop from using these programs.
ReplyDeleteI like how you gave a very intellectual and detailed explanation of the differences between the two articles in the first paragraph. It set up the rest of your argument very well. The vocabulary that used to write your entry is very sophisticated and intellectual as well, so it helps get your point across more effectively. In the second paragraph your topic sentence is very good, making the accurate assumption that most people only see the differences between the articles, when really there are some similarities lurking beneath.
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