There are many social Web sites that help us connect with other people, find old classmates and even express our ideas. Even though social networking has a positive side, like any social events, networking has its negative side as well.
In this essay I will explain the pros and cons of social networking, and how they relate to emotion, motivation, gender, and sexuality. I will use Facebook as an example of networking to explain the impact it has on motivation, emotion, gender, and sexuality.
Facebook is the number one networking of our time because it connects people through photos and chat. Not to mention, every cell phone and IPods have the Facebook application already installed. Furthermore, I will explore the positive and negative side Facebook can offer to its users.
Facebook has allowed me to connect with family members I do not see very often and find those I could not find in the phonebook so to speak. My motivation for connecting with people is shown in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, the third level, “Belonging and love needs: to affiliate with others, be accepted, and give and receive affection” (Huffman, 2009).
On the other hand, the user has to be extremely careful about the information he or she is going to post on this networking site. According to the director of APA’s Ethics Office, Stephen Behnke,” psychologists have special ethical issues they need to think through to determine how this technology is going to affect their work” (Martin, 2010).
The depth of your emotional connection to new friends in Facebook, can negatively impact on your “real world” relationships. Online relationships can be unreal, within a context of “perfection”; the two people talking on any social network, create different ideas in their mind about how the other person seems to be and “how well” they treat them. These emotions can led to comparison between the “network friend” and “real life relationships”.
Users are motivated to use Facebook for many reason, including the motivation to find friends and family and make new friends. Also, incentive from other friends to join Facebook, push the person to open an account and socialize online.
Many serious relationships start on social networking site. For this reason, I believe if a person was in a committed relationship in the “real world”, this would definitely be cheating. Very deep thoughts and feelings can be shared through online chatting, which is the same way a “real world” relationship starts as well. Not to mention, inappropriate pictures would replace physical contact with each other. According to Huffman (2009), “ Cybercheating”, like traditional infidelity or adultery, erodes trust and connection with the spouse or partner” (Huffman, 2009).
While both men and women are often engaged in online relationships, I personally believe women are most likely to develop an online relationship because they can express themselves better through writing. In fact, “for many years, researchers have noted that females tend to score higher on tests of verbal skills” (Huffman, 2009). Nevertheless, motivation to start an online relationship, is the same for men and women.
Facebook like any other social networking site, allows users to connect with people all over the world, as well as finding those who would not be easy to find in a conventional way. Despite the positive facts, online social networking can mislead us to believe an online friendship is as real as “real world” relationship. The motivation for men and women to use online social networking can most likely be an outlet for sexual and deep feelings they are unwilling to discuss with their partners.
References
· Huffman, K. (2009). Psychology in Action (8th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
· Martin, S. (2010). The Internet’s ethical challenges. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/monitor/2010/07-08/internet.aspx
