Critical Review of an article- "What are the pros and cons of Social Networking Sites?' By: Tan ...

1. Introductory paragraph

1.1. The article entitles "What are the pros and cons of social networking sites?" written by Strickland, J. reports on the advantages and the disadvantages of social networking sites.

1.2. Firstly, social networking sites allow users to connect with other people.

1.3. Besides, people can use social networking sites to network professionally.

1.4. Furthermore, people can organise an event and invite friends more conveniently through social networking sites.

1.5. Social networking sites can also be used to promote an article's or actor's work.

1.6. Another advantage of social networking sites is that they can act as application platforms.

1.7. Moreover, social networking sites may even get a person out of jail.

1.8. One of the cons of social networking sites is that identity theft can be carried out easier.

1.9. Another con is that people can be scammed to download malicious software (malware).

1.10. Lastly, social networking sites are both overwhelming and addictive.

2. Body paragraph 1

2.1. I agree with the point that states that social networking sites allow users to make connections with other people.

2.2. -This is because social networking sites are easily accessible as they are normally free to use, therefore people are extremely active on social media. -Also, this is due to the fact that everyone including the older generation can easily create a social networking site account as there are no specific requirements needed beforehand. This allows them to actually search up long lost friends and even have reunions with them.

2.3. -Number of social network users worldwide from 2010 to 2021 (in billions) 2018 states that 'In 2017, 71 percent of internet users were social network users and these figures are expected to grow.' -According to Older Adults and Social Media 2010, a survey done in September 2009 showed that half of social networking users aged 50 and above have been contacted by someone that they have lost contact with. Also 64% of social networking users have actually searched up old friends to get in touch with them again.

3. Body paragraph 2

3.1. I also agree with the point that social networking sites are both overwhelming and addictive.

3.2. -This is because social networking sites contain updates from a lot of different people as people update their status constantly, therefore it is time consuming to keep up with news from specific people that you know. -Other than †hat, people might actually use a large amount of time on social networking sites and lose sight of the priorities due to having time management issues.

3.3. -According to York (2018), 60% of Twitter users tweet at least once a day to update their statuses. -Daily time spent on social networking by internet users worldwide from 2012 to 2017 (2018) states that people spent an average of 135 minutes on social media per day, which is an increase from 2016 where people spent 126 minutes daily in the previous year.

4. Body paragraph 3

4.1. On the other hand, I disagree with the point that Social Networking Sites may get a person out of jail.

4.2. -Although it is true that James Karl Buck took to social networking site Twitter to inform people about his arrest, his release was due to the people contacting the authorities almost instantly after reading his 'Arrested' tweet. -Thus, his university were informed quickly and they were able to take action by hiring a lawyer for him, which lead to the Egyptian officials releasing Buck not long after they arrested him.

4.3. -Buck (citied from Simon 2008), admitted that he was only released because of the 'power of the network he had as an American.' His translator, Mohammad Maree was only released three months after even though they were arrested together because of his nationality.

5. Conclusion

5.1. I think that the time spent on social networking sites should be distributed wisely as we should be clear about our priorities and not spend too much time on it.

5.2. In conclusion, I agree with the points about social networking sites allowing users to connect with other people and at the same being overwhelming and addictive. However, I disagree with the point the social networking sites may get a person out of jail.

6. References

6.1. Daily time spent on social networking by internet users worldwide from 2012 to 2017(in minutes) 2018 Retrieved April 24, 2018 from https://www.statista.com/statistics/433871/daily-social-media-usage-worldwide/

6.2. Madden, M (2010) 'Older Adults and Social Media'. Retrieved April 24, 2018 from http://www.pewinternet.org/2010/08/27/older-adults-and-social-media/

6.3. Number of social network users worldwide from 2010 to 2021 (in billions) 2018 Retrieved April 24, 2018 from https://www.statista.com/statistics/278414/number-of-worldwide-social-network-users/

6.4. Simon, M (2008) 'Student 'Twitters' his way out of Egyptian jail'. Retrieved April 24, 2018 from http://edition.cnn.com/2008/TECH/04/25/twitter.buck/

6.5. York, A (2018) '61 Social Media Statistics to Bookmark for 2018' Retrieved April 24, 2018 from https://sproutsocial.com/insights/social-media-statistics/