Social Networking

My dad always tells me that cells phones will eventually destroy any means of personal communication. Any time we're together and  I spend more than just a few seconds looking at my cell phone he makes a comment about how rude it is and how eventually no one will know how to truly communicate with other people face to face. In a way, I could see how he is absolutely right.

For my Educational Technology class at HSU, I was required to do a reflection in my blog on the effects of social networking. In this article it refers to social networking as an alone-together pursuit. It talks about how if you just look around you will notice friends having lunch together or walking together but never once taking their eyes or fingers off of their electronic devices.

Another article goes on to say that using social networking sites such as facebook and twitter can actually be harmful for us because we will eventually lose our language skills and have trouble with public speaking.

Even though social networking has the potential to be very harmful for our communication skills, it was actually created for the sole purpose of helping people communicate. But, like everything else in life, good things come in moderation.

Social networking is good for keeping up with friends or family members that you may not have the opportunity to see on a daily basis. Social networking is a great tool for building relationships. But, social networking should never replace person-to-person communication altogether.

I really enjoy social networking sites such as facebook, twitter, and instagram because it allows me to send a daily hello to my family half way around the world. My daddy and stepmom, along with the rest of my entire family, live in the Netherlands. Phone calls are limited, and visits are even more limited. So, being on social networking sites gives me the opportunity to show them what is going on in my life.

This is a picture of my Daddy(lives in Europe), me, & my Dad(stepdad) at my sister's wedding!

This is a picture of my Stepmom, me, My Daddy, and my Sister the day before her wedding in December! They came all the way from the Netherlands! It was a great weekend!

And here is a random little picture of my sister's wedding! This is my little American family! :) Mom, Sacha, Me, and Dad!