Social Networking

In regards to my previous post, I found this story on Good Morning America regarding social networking sites and how employers are using them to find their future employees.

Social Networking

Social networking sites have become the highways of our global village. If you are not a member of one of these sites, you may feel disconnected. Or is this true? Is it possible to stay connected without this form of technology? Dana Howe, 20, says it's "impossible" to stay connected. As a student at the University at Albany, she keeps in contact with her family and friends on Staten Island. She used to use MySpace, but since in college, she has switched entirely to Facebook, as "it's what everyone uses."

Are college students the only ones taking advantage of the free networking? My own mother has recently become an avid Facebook user, using it to connect to her old college roommate, elementary school teachers, and a long lost friend in California. Since being on Facebook, she has reconnected with a childhood friend and developed an in depth relationship with this woman.

Facebook is not the only site out there, but it lends itself as the easiest to use. Valarie DiStefano, 20, of Massapequa, says she "doesn't understand Twitter." For her, she would rather use Facebook, allowing her to upload full photo albums and write lengthy responses to friends. As for her friend Brittany Tronolone, 20, of Staten Island, she uses Twitter to "stalk celebrities." Tronolone says it's interesting to see what her favorite celebrities are doing through out the day, allowing her to feel as if she has formed a bond with these famous people.

I think the main advantage to using social networking sites would be the cost. With Twitter, MySpace, and Facebook giving free access to user accounts, connecting with one another is more affordable than ever. The only disadvantage of these sites, are the effects on the young people using them, causing them to become more disconnected, while at the same time, becoming connected. Although the world has become smaller, creating a global village, the youth of our nation has become emotionally disconnected. Instead of calling a friend to make small talk, a quick text will cut the extra information and get right to the point. But without the extra information, we loose a sense of the bond between friends. The extra information can sometimes allow us to become closer.

With the positives and negatives, which is better? Having technology to bring us closer? Or having a lack of technology, to bring our bond between individuals closer?

What would I do in Haiti?

With the recent earthquake in Haiti, relief and aid has been flooding into the small country. Along with help, news teams are amongst the chaos. Anderson Cooper of CNN is one of the many reporters giving coverage of the catastrophe. He recently has caused much debate over the issue of involving yourself, the reporter, in the story. As a young boy was almost beaten to death, Cooper intervened and saved the boy. Rushing him to safety, Cooper became the story.

The question at hand is whether or not I would have done the same. Morally, the answer is simple. In any case, I would want to help someone who is in need of help. It seems like common decency. Journalistic, it does seem to be a conflict of interest, involving yourself in the story. However, in terms of individual stardom, the move is pure genius.

Think of it this way. I am a young reporter straight out of college, working in Haiti. No one knows who I am. While covering a story, I see a boy being beaten to death. I rush in to help, save the boy, and become a hero. In terms of the story, I just created it. In terms of my own celebrity status, I just created it. Overall, it does not help the journalism field, however for selfish reasons, it helps the individual reporter, therefore, I would do the same.

Kevin Carter had this same issue back in 1993, as he snapped a photograph that would later win him the coveted Pulitzer Prize. In Sudan during it's famine, Carter found a toddler struggling to move to food. As he watched, a vulture landed behind the young girl, waiting patiently. After waiting for 20 minutes for the bird to spread it's wings, Carter took the picture and shooed the bird away. The picture captured the anguish in the famine in Sudan, however Carter caught criticism for his choice to stay out of the situation. Carter would commit suicide two months after being awarded the Pulitzer Prize. He hooked up a hose to the exhaust on his car and pulled it through to his window. He left a note.

"I'm really, really sorry," he wrote. "The pain of life overrides the joy to the point that joy does not exist."

More on Kevin Carter can be found at Time.