Social Networking

There are very few secrets in the world over. This is mainly due to the fact that social networking has opened up a world where almost every thought going on the web for all the "friends" to see. This phenomenon has caused the family to Split, the marriage to be dissolved and children experience their parents' unfiltered thoughts on a daily basis. Is putting your thoughts out for all to read every day, sometimes hourly, basis for a number of problems for society as a whole, or it has opened a world of freedom of speech and opinion for all? Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard once said: "People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use." Is his idea come to life in the society we have created online? Is social networking to connect people, or pushing our society more deeply into our self-made solitary confinement?

These issues are taken very seriously by many different groups of people. Online bullying has become an overwhelming problem with teenagers and young adults, and in the workplace. Without proper security measures, all you people put in these public areas subject to scrutinized and looked at anyone in the world. Studies have been working on the impact on the amount of time that teens and young adults spend in this online universe in relation to the time they actually spend a peer contact. Is this a way of interacting with others, constructive, healthy activity, or is it just another way to seclude a person and hide behind a computer screen?

All these risks aside, what is it that society is teaching young people in the world? Is it constructive networking tool for businesses and professionals? Or is it time consuming risk factor for their future? Used properly, social networking can be a great asset to the general public. However, employers ban sites from office network due to reduced productivity, are getting angry arguments over things "published", and both men and women are stalking their spouses because of the suspicion of infidelity.

So social networking is actually used for the global society, or Devil in disguise? Scientists continue to work and study conclusions, but, as the old saying goes: "Everything is good in moderation." Using this method as the only social outlet is not only harmful to social skills and interaction, but may cause more problems and stress on the body and mind, if used in excess. Beware of what you put out for all to see. Once it is put in the viral world, it is here to stay.

CJ Mackey is a working mother of three children, balancing on a full time career by taking an active role in their children's lives. It has an advanced degree in engineering and over twenty years of technology solutions for Fortune 500 companies.