Social networking…

I’ve been in South Africa for a little over 5 years now. Since I've been here I’ve started to exploring social networking sites.

I use social networking to keep in touch with family and friends globally. And, obviously to have my say in the world.

Facebook and Twitter are probably two of the biggest runners in this very competitive area of social interaction.

Some say that such networking breaks down social relationship and can actually cause depression (if you only ever see your friends with smiles on their faces, having a good time; you may well feel that your life is incomplete!).

I’m not going to argue with the expert studies that have come up with such thinking. I do however have to say that I, for one, enjoy the positive elements of social networking.

I enjoy hearing from my family and friends; hearing and seeing what they’re doing. Coupled with this, is the opportunity that’s afforded to me to share my faith and some of the things that are speaking into my life.

Do I see any negatives to all this social networking stuff?

Well, yes I do. I think we can spend to much time using such things as facebook. I check in with facebook throughout the day, I know that it has become a bit of a time consuming pastime!

I wonder how school teachers manage with the ease of access children have, to login to the various different social networking sites out there. I get distracted by twitter updates, do school children?

Yes, there are negatives involved in the use and continued growth in social network sites. We do have to except however, that such pastimes are here to stay. Maybe we need to start disciplining ourselves in the use of social networking sites, in the same way we do with such things as, television viewing, and game machine usage.

I believe with such a discipline in place, facebook, twitter and the various other sites offering socialising options can be a very enjoyable addition to life.

What do you think?