Social Networking

There are days that I wonder to myself, what is the purpose of social networks? Why does it seem like everyone is a part of one? And why should I care? Do I really have to put my face in a book, make bird noises, put all of my pictures in a bucket, clumsily fall down an incline, and so on? I was seeking answers, and I found one answer back in 2011 at the end of the school year.



It was an average day in my neighborhood. I was at my friends' place not too far from mine. We were laughing, playing video games, watching television, and just having a great time. Then I noticed that my friend's brother was really focused on the screen of their laptop. I asked hi what he was doing, and he said, "I'm reading something a friend of mine's posted on Facebook."

Now, this astounded me. I didn't even know that a child his age could use Facebook (he is a couple of years younger than me, but I'm a teenager, so you should see what I mean). My mom has had a Facebook for a good amount of time at this point, but I didn't even consider getting one myself. I suddenly realized that if children his age had Facebook  than people my age definitely had one. So I went home, and asked my mother if I could have a Facebook account  She hesitated a little, but after I gave her my reason for wanting one (to keep in  touch with my friends), she allowed me to have a Facebook  I am happy to say that I have used my account for good, and I enjoy using Facebook, but I still didn't entirely know what it was... specifically.

A social network seems pretty self explanatory: It is a network used for socializing virtually. Some of you may be familiar with the movie The Social Network (starring Jesse Eisenberg from 30 Minutes or Less, Andrew Garfield from the over-rated The Amazing Spiderman ... and yes, Justin Timberlake, from In Time), which gave you a dramatic visual of how Facebook began. However, before Facebook, there was MySpace. Now, the only reference to MySpace i have is, yet again, my mother; I barely remember what she used it for. I believe she did some blogging as well (about awesome things, I presume). Then she found that MySpace was becoming obsolete, and that Facebook was "the now" or "in this year".

At first, she wouldn't give in because she thought it was lame. I learned from her not to follow the mainstream too much. Eventually  she decided to make an account, and she didn't really have any problems with it. Friends and family are able to "friend" one another, look at each other's interest, send each other messages, and so on, and so forth. There really doesn't seem to be that much of a limit to what you can do.Which is why it seems so fantastic!!!

On the contrary, there are a few malicious outcomes to Facebook, and it all starts with: ADDICTION. If you become the type of person to check your Facebook every 5 minutes just to see nothing's changed, you can develop a low self-esteem. You can play too many games on Facebook and find yourself slicing fruit that slides across you screen for hours, or sling-shooting cute birds with a short temper at hiding pigs with big eyes all night (the game is too easy, and in the end, there really isn't that much purpose to it. Trust me... I know). Oh, and don't even get me started on cyber bullying!! That goes for any social network.

Anyway, not so long ago (maybe a couple of months), I decided to get a Twitter account. It was actually the mother's day of 2012 (I don't exactly have a date for you). My mother and I were watching the season finale for Survivor (I guess it was season 24. I kind of lost count), and the screen was flashing Jeff Probst tweets that were pretty hilarious. I decided to get one so I can follow my favorite celebrities and read about what they are doing, and stuff like that. It's not stalking or anything. They posted it, so...

That's all I really use it for. I also wanted it so when I become famous one day, a bunch of people can find me (you may see that on my page, it says that "this is my official twitter") Other than that, I really don't see the purpose in it. All you can do is take a picture of a sandwich you're eating, add the caption "delish. LOL :)" to it, and tweet it so other people can re-tweet it and ark it as their favorite. Or you an let people know that you're " 'bout to hop in the shower", and others can comment, "don't forget the soap! LAWL ^_^".

At the end of the day, these social networks are good for keeping in touch with friends and relatives, and letting them know your business. The ones that I just mentioned are just the mostly known ones, but there are tons of others. Like: Google+, Instagram (another network I don't understand), YouTube, and the ones that the average person probably never even heard of. They all have their own purpose, so go out there, and find which one is right for you. Or you can avoid the mainstream and send out some snail mail... or call people... with your phone.

(Follow me at @HtheGr8t)