Social Networking

The technologies of social network provide convenience for us. People can contact each other regardless of places and time. We have mobile Facebook in our cellphones. We can message friends and comment friends' postings immediately. Social network decreases the distance among people, and group people together. I often use WeChat. I can group my parters together under the same account and discuss our project. We do not have to spare time to meet together if we have different class or job schedule. We send documents via the social app instead of printing out. The convenience of WeChat is not only good for individuals.In some countries where WeChat is popular, the government departments have official WeChat accounts. They use the account to release prompt news for their citizens. People can know about the news immediately. For example, the traffic department reports the traffic status for drivers. The drivers can avoid the traffic jam and plan the faster route. In some way, if the drivers in big cities can know about the prompt traffic status, it can alleviate the traffic pressure since many vehicles are running on the roads in big cities. According to the article In India, Using Facebook to Catch Scofflaw Drive, it says that Delhi police use Facebook to fight against dangerous driving.They have a Facebook page which is used to post the pictures of drivers who violate the traffic laws. The police use those pictures to issue tickets to drivers. Although social network is helpful and useful. The privacy is the concerned issue for every one who is using Facebook or other social network, and the disclosure of privacy is the "dark side" of using social network.  No one like to let strangers or unfamiliar people see the personal postings. As the article Facebook Privacy is so Confusing Even the Zuckerberg Family Photos isn't Private, Randi Zuckerberg complained that she was not sure how a stranger get her family picture which she only posted in Facebook posted in Twitter. We don't know when we release our privacy  to strangers by just posting a picture or writing some words on the social network. Strangers or unfamiliar people will get your phone number and email addresses if you fill it out in your proflie in your social network accounts. You may receive junk calls and spam emails fill up your mailboxes. In future, I believe people will use social network to text friends rather than texting from cellphones and rely on social network at work such as sharing  information and live video conferences.  The social network may be also use to be business platform. People may tend to buy and sell products through social network instead of shopping in malls.