It seems like someone you know has some sort of social network profile page. Once it was MySpace that everyone flocked to, then all of the sudden Facebook exploded. Now we have Twitter, where even some celebrities enjoy “tweeting” their thoughts. Social networks can be a good thing, but they can also be a bad thing.
Advantages
There are several advantages to being a member on a social network website. One of the advantages is that you will often reconnect with family and friends that you would not have otherwise reconnected with. People have found many long lost friends and relatives by using social network websites.
It is also a good way to keep in touch with family and friends who do not live near you. If you add all of your family and friends to your social network page, it is very easy for everyone to keep up with what is going on in everyone else’s lives.
Finally, you can meet some new and lasting friends by being a member of a social network website. Meeting a new friend is always a nice experience.
Disadvantages
One of the main disadvantages of using social network websites is that it makes you easy pray for an online stalker. Social network sites are not the best places in the world for kids to be for this very reason. A lot of cyber stalking and cyber bullying occurs on most social network sites. There is also the possibility of a sexual predator playing on your child’s vulnerabilities. Children should only be on social network sites while they are being closely supervised.
Social networks can be a wonderful tool in keeping in contact with people that it would otherwise be difficult to keep up with. They can also be a great way to meet new people with the same interests as yours. However, they may not be the best place for children to frequent regularly.
