Tang vs. Wood

Although Nora Wei Tang is opposed to the over usage of social networking in our society, while Elizabeth Ann Wood is an advocate, both authors agree that social networking serves as a means of communication between individuals. In her argument, Tang mentions "immediate interaction" offered by the sites, as well as the concepts of instant gratification and being constantly plugged in. Without viewing Tang's negative views that go along with such aspects of social networking, one might think that she viewed it as beneficial.

Wood clearly has a positive tone throughout her piece. She mentions how social networking facilitates intellectual engagement (much like how our class utilizes this blog!) and allows interactive discussion of ideas. These important components of communication are useful as long as a person knows how to effectively operate the social networking sites. I particularly enjoyed the emphasis on this aspect of social networking because Wood was able to counter argue Tang's criticisms by simply stating that it can be wonderful when used correctly.