Benefits Of Online Social Networks

1185 Words5 Pages

The use of online social networks has become highly integrated in our lives, as they provide an interactive platform for people to share personal, and professional information (Lannella, 2009), and faciliate interaction, communication and collaboration with others (Zhu et al., 2013). This paper aims to highlight the benefits and dangers of online social networks as a platform for communication and interaction, using the Hyperpersonal Communication Model as the base for our analysis. Benefits of Online Social Networks Ease of relationship development The hyperpersonal nature of online socal networks makes it easier to develop relationships. Research has shown that interacting over online social networks can be as effective as face-to-face …show more content…

This shows that the Internet might be just another platform for relationships rather an entirely different space that is always distinct from real life (Parks & Floyd. 1996). Online Social Networks for Professional Uses LinkedIn, an online social networking site, focuses on professional information, encouraging users to construct an abbreviated Curriculum Vitae (CV), and to establish “connections” (Grudin & Skeels, 2009). It enables people to build their personal identity online to find job opportunities, discovering sales leads, or to connect with potential business partners. Online social networks facilitate the editing, discretion, and convenience, and the ability to tune out environmental distractions and re-allocate cognitive resources in order to further enhance one’s message (Walther, 2006). In short, it facilitates the effective use of both selective self-presentation and message composition. A thoughtfully crafted LinkedIn page can communicate a professional first impression to potential employers or clients. It allows people to highlight their best achievements, and build trust and credibility through their …show more content…

One common characteristic of victims is their high romantic beliefs, particularly on the idealization of partners. Experiments show that the victims are more likely trust online personas of authority figures (e.g. army generals, successful businessmen, diplomats, lawyers, etc.), and that women found them attractive. As a result, authority figures are highly popular on dating sites (Whitty, The Scammers Persuasive Techniques Model, 2013). After cultivating relationships with the fake personas, the victims in Whitty’s study showed signs of being more likely to be persuaded by the scammers whom they felt they shared common interests with. They also imagined a positive future with the personas in the early stages of the relationship. It resulted in a higher probability of them sending money when the scammers asked for them to do so. In another study on online dating scams (Whitty & Buchanan, The Psychology of the Online Dating Romance Scam, 2012) found that after the truth was exposed, some victims suffered psychological trauma from the loss of both the money and the

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