Cyber Bullying

Smith, L. (2013, April 14). Social media - the dark side. Retrieved from http://mikiakiak.blogspot.com/2013/04/why-cyberbullying.html

The Internet is one of the greatest inventions of mankind it has lead everyone to share knowledge and allows everyone to connect with each other. But also where there is good, there is bad, where there is light, there is darkness. Social Media is a tool used to connect with others such as, friends, family and acquaintances. Sadly some people use it to ruin lives, although sometimes it doesn't happen intentionally it happens none the less. Cyber bullying is one of those intentional and unintentional ways of ruining someone's life. Many of those who cyber bully might think "Oh it's online so there's no harm to it." Wrong! At first, there is no physical harm but mentally; psychologically it hurts the intended victim. After the psychological pain there are physical pains in which might lead to suicide.The link that I posted above is the link to another classmates blog, who talks about the dark side of social media. It's good to know both extremes of social media; it has it's good points and it's bad points.

Police using social media to catch criminals.

Steve, M. and Joseph, K. (2013, April 14). Social media sites a treasure trove for police. Retrieved from http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/social-media-sites-a-treasure-trove-for-police-1.1472634 

 Here is a very interesting article that I found about social media; according to thetimes-tribune.com police and law enforcement are using social media such as Facebook and twitter to sniff out criminals. This goes to show that people now are more apt to sharing their personal life online that some content may be connected to a theft or a much more serious crime that has happened recently. And not only theft and other major crimes but also probation violators are sometimes caught on social networking sites breaking their probation. Such a case is mentioned on the article of a man who was forbidden to own firearms had posted picture onto his Facebook of him and his five year old son holding rifles. Times-tribune also talks about the so called "dark side" of social networking and the term is perfectly correct for it. Many fights have started on social networking sites such as Facebook. These fights can sometimes lead to fatal injuries or death and what started it was just some post on a social networking site. This article is a very interesting read, as a person who uses Facebook people do post things without thinking.

Looking for a date? Well log onto facebook and find one. Social Networking and Relationships

Morgan, M. (2013, March 27). Social media impacts real relationships. Retrieved from http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865576858/Social-media-impacts-real-relationships.html?pg=all

For those looking for the romance, here's an article that everyone should read of they love the mushy stuff. Although it's not really the kind of love novel that many may be seeking but it gives a bit of insight on how social network sites such as twitter are giving a new era of relationships. Relationships back before social networking was available was more of a local and face to face sort of relationship. Now you can be anywhere in the world and be able to find someone that's not from your local area. For example: one couple can be in Seattle the other can be New York. "Out of 50 couples married in the U.S. in 2011, at least one met through a social networking site, according to The Wedding Report." (Morgan, 2013) The article also talks about the dangers of anonymous intimacy online; of course with all good things there is a darker side. Anyone can post anything, on any site, anytime online; this means that it could be falsified if not careful. Online relationships is a double edge sword, the good part is that it connects you to nearly everyone in the world so you have a bigger view of things. The bad part is, what they post is not what they truly mean. The link above is a good read to see how our society's new way of dating has been shaped by social networking.

Social Media, Gaming, and Education?

West, D. (2012, 04 24). How blogs, social media, and video games improve education . Retrieved from http://www.brookings.edu/research/papers/2012/04/24-education-technology-west 

Here is a short article from brookings.edu about social networking and it's effects on education. Pretty short but it talks about the good points on how blogs, wikis, and social networking in general has improved peer-to-peer reviews. Instead of having one person inside the classroom reading what you wrote, you can post it on Facebook and ask all your friends to peer review it, or post it as a blog. Then there is the teachers and professors making blogs themselves, some teachers would probably use blogs to post important class notes. Also here is a very good example of a way of using facebook that contributes to education and also random facts, about science. 
 https://www.facebook.com/TheDailyScience
There are many innovative ways in using the social networking sites for educational use, just most people don't use it in such a way. 
 

Use of Social Networking and Social Media in our Society today

Social networking: "are social networking sites good for our society?. (2013, 03 22). Retrieved from http://socialnetworking.procon.org/

The website shows insight on how social media and networking has changed our society. It shows data on how much time we spent (by minutes) on social networking from last year, 2012, and the year before last. Very informative website showing the pros and cons of social networking and as well as the age percentage of users that use social networking. In fact at least 59% of internet users have at least one social networking website account, and 56% of the people using a social network is female.("Procon.org, 2013)  Good source of information if you have ever wondered about the statistics of social networking and the pros and cons. Also there's a little about business on there as well