Social networking is becoming the new way to communicate. People are no longer just calling their friends to catch up; they are on Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter. Social networking sites are one of the many ways to keep up relationships and spreading the word. There are however positives and negatives to social media. Many people are against social media, saying that they think it is not safe. I believe the positives of social networking sites do outweigh the negative aspects of social media. There are many positives to social media, and social networking sites. Yes I do believe that the positive aspects of social networking sites do outdo the negatives. The positive aspects of social media are that social media is the new way to communicate. Facebook and Twitter create a site that you can call your own, it allows people to develop social skills, create your own identities, and improve your social skills. Social networking sites allow you to have your own voice, share your ideas and opinions, and are a great way to express yourself. The only downfall of social media is that it can be dangerous at times. I still think that social media is for the better and even though there can be safety issues, you have to know how to be safe while online. Security is a small glitch to social media. However social media sites, like Facebook and Myspace, do make a person more vulnerable. Vulnerable to spam, other people’s opinions, and your own words. In most cases your own behavior can get you into trouble on social media sites. For instance if you write something your not supposed to on someone else’s page, or get tagged in a picture, or video, of you in a bad situation. You also can get into trouble if you are not smart about what you give out to other people. The downfalls of social media are aspects however that can be avoided. The unavoidable aspects of social networking are the possibility to get spam, and other people getting a hold of confidential information. The fear that people are having today is that more and more people are changing their settings on Facebook and Myspace. They are allowing more and more people into their networks, thinking they could meet someone new. Despite not really knowing whom they are. This is a big risk that people are taking. This uncertainty is very risky and is putting yourself and your personal information out there. These challenges of social networking are a constant problem, but should be avoided at all costs. I think with time more people with figure out that they do still have to keep certain information private, and if it is hacked they will figure out how to make their privacy settings more secure. With these negative aspects of social networking and social media, it sounds like all of us should just stick to calling people, and meeting face to face. But you can’t let the negatives overpower the great components of social networking sites. We even have facts to prove that the positives do overturn the negatives. With Facebook having over 500 million users, and Twitter growing so rapidly. This is our future. People do need to accept it, or they will have to become educated on how to use social media later, when you can’t refuse to put it off any longer.