Sites like facebook and myspace are manipulating teenagers social patterns.

Now, you may look at these social networking sites as part of a generational thing. But if you do you may want to think about the effects that sites like facebook and myspace have on teenagers in high-school. Thousands of high-schools are signed up to a social networking site and allows many people to connect to each other. How does this affect people that go to school? In a lot of ways.

Sites like facebook and myspace are designed to encourage people to get together. It just seems wrong for people to put their information in a public place regardless of whether other people can see it or not. It allows for people to stalk you. You can also get in trouble for what you say in sites like these. What you say could cause a fight in school or perhaps a hurt friendship or relationship.

I think that people should talk less to other people they don't know online and more to people in real life. If they want to raise their awareness of real issues in the world they should join a news forum or a news discussion group in their area. They won't be able to learn much from being on a social networking site. I don't see why these kinds of sites even exist. People need to get out of the house more, and, add less people to their friends list.

Interaction with the real world is better than interaction on the internet in a fake setting like in a social networking site. I think that these social networking sites are making people so antisocial that they don't want to talk in school or in life. You won't become social by talking on facebook and myspace. You could fake being social on those sites but in reality you have to face other people. I think that these sites are messing with the development of the newer generation's brains.

And you are on an internet conspiracy forum talking with people you don't know. MySpace and Facebook are just social networking sites. That's it. How about Yahoo chat rooms? Instant messengers? It's the computer age. We can network with others with similar interests, just like you are doing right now, right?

I don't see how this is manipulation in any way.

reply to post by Earthscum

I go here because I am interested in conspiracies. I don't seek connection or actual friendship with other people here in real life.

People on myspace and facebook are talking to each other there. What I am saying is that these people become so used to talking online and socializing and sending messages to people and adding people online that they forget how to talk when they're around people. A lot of people on social networking sites will add anyone who they feel like. They seek connection. They want more friends. It's just that I think these sites are making people less likely to socialize with their friends in real life. I'm not being a hypocrite I'm just saying that I think those sites harm the development of young teenagers. I've seen what sites like myspace and facebook can do to people. I used to know one person who believed they were in contact with a celebrity on myspace. It's sad really.

In my opinion, I really wish I had social networking sites when I was in school. I don't think I would've turned out to be quite as antisocial as I am now.

One thing you may want to look at is how many of these kids are actually meeting new friends to hang out with, instead of the 'lame old ones', so to speak. It could be a benificial thing. There are kids that are kind of stuck in groups at school, and have no real way out. They get in trouble with these 'friends'. These are friends from the neighborhood. Now, they get to meet new people from other schools that are nearby that have similar interests that they couldn't explore with their current friends.

That's just one scenario. Obviously, this could be reversed in a given amount of circumstances.

Also, look at the fact that you get to post your personality online. You like spongebob? Someone else may like spongebob, too. If you are on a social network, someone else may find you and you can discuss your favorite episodes. Our band has a MySpace page, and we have found alot of people that like our music. We get to tell them all, at their leisure, that we have an upcoming show. So, they show up, and some may recognize eachother from our friend list, and they get to talking.

Honestly, I think you are focusing on just the downside of this. We could use the same arguments for any number of social networking solutions. If you post personal info online, you can be stalked. If you post bad comments about someone, they aren't going to like it, and will most likely find out, but it's no different than if they say something in school, and word gets around. It's just the way life is, social networking makes it more apparent.

If you think about it, people that are antisocial to begin with can actually become social in some way... in a way they couldn't before. Otherwise, they tend to stay home, become known sociopaths, and don't talk to anyone at all. I'm antisocial, and the networking sites don't hinder me at all, really. In fact, they help me. I get to make new friends from different countries, and I get to learn more than I could before. It's alot faster, and easier than penpals, the earlier form of social networking.

you also have to take in to consideration that many people older then teens and kids are on social networking sites ill be 28 next month and my wife is 33 and we have a myspace page to keep in touch with our friends and family espicely me sience my friends and family is rought 600 miles away sience i moved to be with my angel. you want a real conspiracy about social networking sites? there used by corporations and goverment agencies for data mining . there is your real conspiracy.

I don't think social networking sites are that bad either. Most of my good friends live in another state, since my family has moved around a lot. But thanks to Myspace and Facebook, I can now keep in touch with them more easily. And I've also found friends I used to know before, but fell out of touch with, that I now talk to.

Sure there are other ways to keep in touch, like writing and talking on the phone. But using the social networking sites on the internet are more economical in the end because the internet is used for such a wide variety of things, that it just works out better. Instead of paying for all the other stuff like phone costs, and all that (because talking on the phone can be pretty costly), you can talk to people through social networking sites. Does that make sense?

Although, if you have friends that live close by, of course it's probably better to meet up. And I think it's a nice idea to write a letter to your friends when you can as well. But there's still nothing wrong with using Myspace or Facebook or whatever. I suppose the main concern should be about balance?

Everything affects what teenagers do, and if you're just now realizing this, then I feel nothing but pity. Maybe it also slipped past you that teens are also affected by the music they listen and what their hobbies are? How about you grab a random parenting magazine and read up on these and more SHOCKING REVELATIONS!!!

To be honest, I am a teenager.

When I was 13 I was introduced into the world of myspace and didn't think that much of it. I started off with a few people that I wen't to school with, and then that gradually grew. Not only has it helped me to meet new people who are similar and also live close to me but it has also helped me with social skills, crazy, I know right.

But on the flip-side, not only do you meet new people on myspace, you get to listen to your favourite bands, and other bands that are only just starting off and you can see when they are touring, what they have planned and even blogs that they have written.

I really don't see the problem with having your own profile for everyone to see on the internet. As long as you don't abuse the purpose of the "private" option, it is just a simple way to stay in contact with your friends. Why should we let a few people who are stupid enough to give out personal information ruin a site that has 78 million registered users.

And really, what's the difference to having a pen-pal, and having a buddy on myspace?

Facebook's a data-collection site for the CIA/FBI. I understood that when I signed up. However, I have 10 brothers and sisters, 22 Nieces and Nephews and a LOT of friends spread all over the country. I can ask my third sisters youngest daughter how her Lit test went in two minutes and know soon after the answer to my question. That's the ticket for me.

I don't play Mafia Wars.
I don't post hundreds of pix.
But, I keep in touch with the people I care about much easier than without it.

That's my opinion.
Cuhail

reply to post by Frankidealist35


It's a natural juggernaut of evolution that you will not be able to stop or impede in any way. As much as you might dislike it, it will not stop...it's the natural progression of technology and sociology and will run itself out to its natural conclusion, be that conclusion bad or good.

I have a younger cousin, who is 16. This all has a lot more to do with texting on a phone, but also can be applied to talking on the internet. I have witnessed him text his girlfriend while she was sitting right next to him. I
actually hardly ever see him not texting. He told me that he texts to about 10 different girls, who all like him. Kids can text and say whatever they're thinking at the moment without even thinking or caring about what they're texting, or who they're sending it to. I think that this can and does lead to many unresolved issues, loss of friends, fights, breakups,etc. I think that people feel more okay with saying hurtful things, or things they wouldn't normally say in person, to other people while texting. This is why you see a lot more assholes on the internet than outside the internet. Speaking to someone and texting someone are two entirely different things. I don't think many people realize this. I've noticed that the younger people today are hard to have a conversation with when they're not on a computer or txting on a phone. I can see that a lot of younger people are growing up to be socially inexperienced and awkward. They don't even have to really think while texting to people. I've also noticed that there's no real emotion behind most of what's being sent to each other. There's hardly ever any real laughter going on when they say "LOL" to each other. The same with "I love you'. I really don't think that my cousin, who is sending that to all his little girlfriends, really understands or cares that he's saying that he loves them, and what that means. He's able to basically play with their emotions without caring or even realizing it. I'm sure you can see where this simple thing can lead to other wrong or even worse things. There's nothing wrong with keeping in touch with family and friends, but I can definitely agree with what the op is saying. I believe that it's going to eventually cause more harm than good.

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To finish that up...

The same with "I

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Im 37 and I have a myspace page and a face book account. Its how I keep in contact with friends from around the world. Recently fellow Marines contacted me that I knew from 15 years ago. How awesome is that? I think they are great sites and you get out of them what you put into them. You don't have to put all your info on them to meet people. Just your name. If you get people stalking you how is that different from them stalking you in real life? I would rather have someone stalk me on the net and not really know where I live than a real life stalker.

I apologize for all the mistakes I'm making. I'm new to this site. For some reason it wasn't letting me type the rest of what I was saying in the above post. I fixed it though.


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