What are the downfalls and benefits of social networking?

Exploring why social media is such a trial…

Social networks have become a double-edged sword. Last year, during the World Cup in Russia, a few people lost their jobs because of the power that social media has. There was the case of a regional manager that worked for one of the principal airlines in Colombia and who lost his job because of a video that he uploaded on his Facebook account during his visit to Russia. The video showed the Colombian fan drinking an alcoholic drink (the liquor was sneaked into the stadium) with a few of his friends at the Colombia-Japan World Cup match. This cost him his job. While his Facebook post was intended in good humor, it quickly went viral — by the end of the game, “binoculares” was trending on Twitter in Colombia — and Colombian authorities did not take kindly to the idea of a video encouraging the stereotype of Colombians as smugglers (Kennedy, 2018). This case goes to show how important it is to know how and how not to use social media. Social networks can have many advantages on a personal and business level as long as they are used correctly.

The following are some of the benefits of Social Networking.

1. Through social networks, such as LinkedIn, we can generate job opportunities. We can potentially get in direct contact with the leaders in an industry.

2. Through social networks we can ask questions about issues that concern us.

3. Social networking allows us to meet and connect with people from anywhere in the world. Social networks provide instant communication and offer the opportunity to share information with people from any part of the world and with which we shared some type of interest.

4. Social networks are e great tool through which we can be recommended by other contacts.

5. Social networks are great tools for sharing knowledge and information. We can participate in forums and online consultations with related professionals.

6. We can use social networks to not only keep our resume online, but social networks have also become our best letter of introduction. Many companies look for potential candidates in professional social networks like LinkedIn.

In terms of the downfalls, more than drawbacks or disadvantages, one could say that the misuse of social networks can have negative consequences. I believe that social networks themselves are not necessarily good or bad. The issue is that if they are not used responsibly the disadvantages of social networks can be very damaging both personally and professionally.

Some of the disadvantages of social networks are:

1. Social networks are used for scams and identity theft

2. Because of the information we share via social media, people can have access to our personal data in a matter of minutes.

3. A person can be defamed easily and when the information spreads easily this can be very damaging to the individual (like the Colombia person I mentioned before). A negative rumor about an individual can reach many people in a short amount of time.

4. Lack of social interaction is another disadvantage. People who rely heavily on social networks can lose touch and reality. Some people become very disconnected from society — this sometimes leads to mental and health problems

5. Some employers can use our social media sites to monitor our behavior. For instance, we could potentially lose our job if our employer finds out via social media that we are searching for another job (even if we are not).