How virtual space strengthen or weaken people's communication

The rise of Internet provides a great source of information available, yet it has obscured the differences between print and broadcast media. The early 2010s saw a new trend of mass media known as social networks that incorporate all of media platforms that brings about a huge influence in everyone’s life. However, the influence contains both the positive and negative side effect where ongoing debates still discuss about how social networks either strengthening or weakening people’s communication.

Social network has revolutionized itself and fostered three core social benefits. First and foremost, social networks enlarge the socialization sphere. By using social networks including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn for example, users own broad opportunity to connect with their friends, family or loved ones and be able to broaden their network and embrace different cultures by accessing to the mass and multi-cultural people. Users can also use social network as an educational platform to upgrade their knowledge and understanding about current issues happening around them. It’s convenient, fast and inexpensive which students can easily get accessible and coordinate ideas exchange with their friends comprehensively. Second, social networks perform outstandingly in business sector. It offers a great space for affordable advertisements and able to reach to the right target customers. Aids to its benefit, social networks have intelligent tool to measure the feedback from the customers so that the company or firms are able to understand the market needs better. Lastly, social networks have also extended its power to link with politics. Through social network, citizen can exercise their freedom of expression. It has served as a public platform for people to embrace their civic engagement despite the fear oppressed by the government and continues to perform as a great mean to mobilize people to participate in mass movements. Arab Spring movement in the early 2011 showcases a great example of how successful of the power of social media was employed by youths in Arab countries to overthrow their tyranny government.

Although social networks provide significances to society, one should never forget about its impact on human communication too. One of the major disadvantages draw upon social network is when virtual life blends with everyday life. Most oftentimes, social networks attract users to spend most of their times to surf their sides. This, on the other hand, disconnects the relationship with off line world and losing productivity at their workplace and concentration at school; for example. Another drawback can be seen through losing personal privacy. Like other social networking sides, Facebook and Twitter are free to access. However, these sides target advertisement as a major source to earn their revenue. What they do is to collect information from user profiles, analyze those information and finally sell those data to the advertisers. In this case, if users are not cautious and keep revealing their personal information, they are at risk in facing identity crimes and stalking.

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