Social Media

                I use Facebook as a useful form of communication.  Though it is often cluttered by useless information, one can still sift through and find the desired pieces.  The hard part is knowing how to use it properly.

                I have “friends” who post a status nearly every hour.  From the reading and my personal opinion this is because they feel that someone is listening and it makes them feel important.  I rarely write statuses and am occasionally annoyed by others’ constant updates.  The best thing I’ve found to do is to barely skim the news feed and only read things pertaining to you or close friends.

                Some of the reading mentioned how people act differently online and how conflicts that were fairly civilized can grow into an all-out war.  I had never noticed this until reading this article but can now think of several occasions when this happened among friends.  It seems that things that should be kept to oneself often end up as statuses followed by more unproductive comments.

                Despite all of this I still consider Facebook useful.  I can easily send mass messages or RSVP to an event with the click of my mouse.  I can follow pages or groups that interest me such as 2011 Group 6 Hixsons, Monsanto Seed Company, or Johnny Cash.  Facebook allows me to contact people that I may not reach otherwise.  Facebook and other social media will be useful in communicating with people as I move towards my goal of graduating and beginning a career.