Response to Ricardo's question

“In your research there is a sense of negativity towards the use of SNS and its affects, would you say that in your finding SNS have all negative effects? Explain.

            I would agree that in looking over this review there is a bit of negatively toward social networking sites. As I was writing the review of literature it definitely made me more aware of some of the negative aspects and consequences of social media websites and online self-presentation. There has been a lot of research done that looks into the more psychological end of what happens when we create a certain image of our lives online or are witness to others lives as social media allows, and can have negative effects. This also ties back into Jessica’s question, as a negative consequence of  social media sites would definitely be fear of missing out, which is fead by Facebook. Beyond that there are a lot of other issues with decreased self-satisfaction in looking at other people’s lives so much, and how seemingly perfect they may appear.

However, there are certainly not exclusively negative effects. What first comes to mind as a benefit is the way social networking sites facilitates communication between people who might not other wise be able to. These websites also promote the maintenance of connections and the formation of new friendships. They allow one and other to be more up to date with and involved in our fiends and families lives. Additionally, social networking sites can increase one’s rate of self-disclosure which further promotes making connections and friendships, as well as increases their social capital. Therefore, while that can also have negative implications, it is certainly not to say that social networking sites have all negative effects.

Trepte, S., & Reinecke, L. (2013). The reciprocal effects of social network sites and the dispositions for self-disclosure: A longitudinal Study. Computers In Human Behavior, 29(3),1102-1112.