Spanning the Reach of Social Networking Sites

In the article, “Do Problems Associated with Social Networking Outweigh the Benefits?” both authors, Norah Wei Tang and Elizabeth Anne Wood, discuss the accessibility of social networking posts to a large range of people. As a part of her take on the issue, Wei Tang recognizes this feature as a negative point. She cites the example of pictures someone had posted on Facebook that were damaging to Michael Phelps’ image as a way to demonstrate that such a wide variety of people viewing a given post may have negative consequences. Furthermore, she points out that many employers access Facebook and other social networking sites in search of information on potential employees. If users are not careful what they post, they may lose out on many job opportunities in the future or experience other consequences when certain people view the information.

However, Wood sees the reach of social networking sites as beneficial to society and interation with others. She discusses the ability of information to spread to a wide variety of people, spanning not only academics but the general population as well through the use of online networking tools. Students and teachers alike can extend conversation with one another by posting and commenting on classroom topics. Wood explores how social networking sites do not only have to reach acquaintances and friends, as believed by Wei Tang. They can connect mere strangers in a thought provoking and safe manner. Despite varying takes on the issue of post accessibility, both women acknowledge the capability of social networking sites to reach a wide range of people.