Overview

An issue that I have decided to explore is the concept of free-access social networking Internet sites, such as Myspace and Facebook, as applied to teenagers. These websites are extremely relevant to young people in today’s world, who use them to socially interact with relatives, coworkers, friends, friends of friends, and even complete strangers. What appeals to me the most about this subject is the fact that so much of young peoples’ lives has become engrossed in and dependent on the existence of these websites. They can be used to update social calendars, to notify friends and family about recent updates in our lives, to maintain relationships with others that we have not seen in a while, and to make new connections based on shared interests and pursuits. I use Facebook extensively myself as a way to interact with friends and family, so I find the controversy surrounding this subject particularly interesting. On one side, many supporters of such sites as Facebook consider them a catalyst for conveniently binding people with similar interests and goals together into a single community. Others condemn them as a source of exploitation and the violation of privacy. The question I will strive to answer in my research of this topic is whether these social networking sites are beneficial or harmful to teenagers today, and in what ways.