The Essence of America and Social Networking

“What is the essence of America? Finding and maintaining that perfect, delicate balance between freedom ‘to’ and freedom ‘from.’” ~Marilyn vos Savant, in Parade

Living and growing up in the United States of America, I have been cultivated to think a certain way; by my peers, my elders, and my environment. I love my country and I take pride in what we have accomplished and what we stand for. This does not, however, mean that I believe that everything we do, as a nation, is necessarily “right.” But something that stood out more to me, throughout these past months, was a sort of “state of mind” feeling that often overwhelms a country and sways it one way or the other.
In the days of British rule and discontent within the United States of America, those with discontent sought power in numbers by holding mass meetings in towns and pubs throughout the 13 colonies. While the idea is still the same today, most activists or groups of individuals seek power in numbers through social media networks like Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, blog sharing sites, and C-Span, a cable network that acts as a public service to provide public access to the political process (Klapper, 2009). These internet sites often house countless articles or opinionated pieces of writing that individuals can view at any time. On most occasions, people do not seek the information to “broaden their viewpoints” and in fact search for articles that agree with their views or causes. When these ideas are shared within social-networking sites, people are not only influenced in large numbers, but are often swayed in a short matter of time, as communication has become extraordinarily fast.
Although social networking is available to everyone, it is usually the younger generation that fully exploits it. These are the adults who were raised with internet readily at their hands. For the 2008 presidential election, more than a quarter of registered voters between the ages of 18 and 30 said they obtained information regarding the election through social-networking sites. Two days before the election, Obama had more than 2 million supporters on Facebook versus McCain’s 600,000 (Anonymous, Are Social Networks good for our Society?). Obama also received roughly 70% of the votes from first time voters. Obama’s campaign called for a somewhat different approach to politics, at least one that was different than the previous 8 years. His campaign held him up on a pedestal to improve society and make everything great- if it wasn’t for the feasibility of each plan. The younger crowd, however, does not see that; “Each new generation is incrementally ignorant of the past and the great causes that inflamed the masses.” (Anonymous, Will Idealistic Youth Save the World?, 2009). The younger crowd does lean towards idealism, which is found pre-dominantly throughout Obama’s campaign and presidency, and through social networking sites, they are able to seek a great number of individuals either alike, or moldable.
Because we are not only connected within our borders much more readily, Americans have begun to see a change in the operations of the rest of the world. In Iran, a country that has been progressively distinguishing itself from the rest of its Middle-Eastern neighbors, internet communication is expanding rapidly and the government is suffering. The greater access to the digital world poses a serious threat to authoritarian regime in Iran; the government is almost forced to crack down. What technology means for a country like Iran is hard to say. If Iranians had full access to the internet without censorship, they would be given a great freedom, however, this is not the case, and the internet is still somewhat censored (Forgione, 2010).
So what does this mean for our society? Social networking sites do have significant pros and cons. In 2009, during the protests on the Iranian election, protestors used Twitter to circumvent government control over phones and the media. Social networking is also known to connect family and friends and to improve relationships. Social networking does have its flaws though. Sexual predators are also free to roam the web, although MySpace reports that it does not allow sex offenders to maintain a MySpace account (so long as they’re found). The use of social networking sites also has significant impacts on children including personality and brain disorders not limited to the inability to hold a real conversation, limited attention spans, the need for instant gratification, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and self-centered personalities (Anonymous, Are Social Networks good for our Society?).
Works Cited
Anonymous. (n.d.). Are Social Networks good for our Society? Retrieved from Social Netoworking Pros and Cons: http://socialnetworking.procon.org/
Anonymous. (1998, March 10). How Americans View the Government. Retrieved from The Pew Research Center for the People and the Press: http://people-press.org/report/95/how-americans-view-government
Anonymous. (2009, May 9). Will Idealistic Youth Save the World? Retrieved from City-Data: http://www.city-data.com/forum/great-debates/644108-will-idealistic-youth-save-world.html
Forgione, M. (2010, May 3). Blog Spot. Retrieved from Michael Forgione's Weblogs for students, faculty, and staff: http://blogs.umb.edu/michaelforgione001/2010/05/03/the-pros-and-cons-of-technology-the-internet-and-its-social-and-cultural-revolution/
Klapper, E. (2009, March 17). Facebook Pages and Government: Best Practices. Retrieved from Social Government: http://www.socialgovernment.com/2009/03/17/facebook-pages-and-government-best-practices/