Do social networking sites hinder or help us?

Social media has been in the spotlight recently, both for positive and negative reasons. 

There is nothing more annoying than when you're sitting with a friend, telling them your crazy stories from the weekend, and they are completely absorbed in their phones. They're scrolling through Instagram while you're trying to have a conversation with them. 

Social media has been in the news a lot lately, whether it be bad or good news. But no matter your opinion, we can all agree it is taking over our society. It started with younger people, but as the trend grows older demographics are catching on. Facebook has been said to be "taken over by old people." (I have to admit, this is kind of true). 

Those who are against social media say that it can hurt our relationships because it eliminates a lot of face-to-face interaction. By constantly messaging people on Facebook, or @ replying them on Twitter, we aren't taking the time to actually hang out with them in person. 

Social networking sites have also been associated with poor performance in school. We've all seen the people in class--or been the people in class--who browse Facebook and Pinterest instead of listening to lecture. Students are too distracted by their phones or computers to pay attention in school, and this can hurt their grades.

However, people on the other end of the spectrum disagree. Advocates for social media believe that social media actually helps us make friends, and leads to more face-to-face interaction. People can make plans to hang out with friends in person online, instead of just solely communicating on social networks. Facebook can also create new friendships through friending new people and talking to them. Social networks can help people conquer their social phobias and make them more confident. 

Supporters of social media also say it can help students with school and jobs. Students can share information with each other on websites like cluster flunk, which are divided up by each school and class to make finding what you need easier. Also, websites like LinkedIn have contributed to people getting jobs. More and more employers are looking online to hire people. 

There are strong arguments on either side of the social media debate, and I have no doubt the argument will continue for years to come. But social media is a powerful thing that isn't likely to stop growing anytime soon.