Don't let social networking destroy your life. - Staff Messenger
Facebook, Twitter,
Tumblr, maybe even Myspace (is that even still a website?). Some people have
one profile; some people have twelve. Of the 800 million Facebook users, over
50% of them log in on a daily basis. What’s especially evident is that the use
of social networking sites is definitely on the rise.
22% of teenagers log
on to their favorite social media site more than 10 times a day. While it
sounds like a bit of a compulsion, just think about all of the times you check
your Facebook: before school, riding the bus, during your least favorite class,
during lunch, after school (some people report spending at least 8 hours a day
on Facebook alone). The percentage is rapidly growing.
You might be
surprised to know that 38% of Facebook users are under the age of 13. I myself
can’t think of a reason why a 12 year old would need a Facebook… maybe they
need to upload photos of their new crayons or Edward Cullen. Despite the eerily
large amount of 12 year olds on the internet, they aren’t the largest
demographic.
While 47% of adults
use social networking sites for business, finding childhood friends, checking
up with family, advertising, or stalking their children, they still remain
significantly less than the percentage of teenage users: 73%. Studies have
shown that teenagers primarily use the internet for talking to their friends or
significant others. While it definitely lowers the possibility of I don’t know,
maybe making an effort to communicate face to face in real life, it can help
organize plans or events. Unfortunately, 88% of teens have seen someone be mean
or cruel to another person on a social networking site, further proving that
the internet is taken way too seriously.
Besides the
ever-popular Facebook, other social networking sites have seen some recent
growth as well. There are approximately 50 million Tweets sent per day, at
about 600 tweets per second. Twitter used to be in 22nd place on the
top 25 used websites list, but now places in 3rd. Myspace, the
previous top social networking site still remains number two at over 810
million daily log ins; Facebook is number one at over 1 billion.
Even as
the majority of social networking is done purely for own personal
entertainment, Facebook has had a significant impact on the economy; providing
more than 700,000 local businesses with active pages advertising their
products, sales and special deals. The creators of Facebook have made it
possible for you to donate to hundreds of charities, raise funds for causes, or
waste your money on Farmville. But nevertheless, teenagers will most likely continue
to viewit only as a means to cyber stalk potential significant others or harass
peers they don’t like.