The good and ugly side of Social Networking

If you are not hooked to one of the social networking sites, then you are living in the 80’s and should move on with the times. Facebook, Twitter and MySpace are some of the most popular social networks that have obsessed many. For starters, social networks allow one to create a personal profile and interact with other users through chat, applications, micro-blogging and sharing photos. Since most organisations and companies have access to internet, playing solitaire during the lunch time break has become a thing of the past because everyone is hooked onto social networking sites. Interestingly, both boss and employee have fallen prey.If you’re looking for a lucrative business to venture into, then opening up an internet café or selling modems is the way to go. “Lately, there is hardly any space in the cafes since they are usually filled up with people Facebooking and Twitting. Whilst there are so many that love the social networks, there are those that detest them. So, one could be wondering what draws people to the social networks while keeping others away. Social networks are a darling to many since users are given the opportunity to generate their own content through uploading of material, or exchanging, rating and editing of existing media. The media too can acquire information, ideas and opinions from social networks which is helpful during talk-shows and debates. Communication has also been made fast, cheap and easy through the social networks .There is no need to go to the post office and send a letter to a friend in the UK if they are on Twitter or Facebook. You can just send them a message on and in a few minutes, they will have received it at little or no cost. Networking, making friends and getting in touch with friends whose contacts you lost is another reason to celebrate social networks. Sandra Mutes, 21 years, a senior six student on holiday, who lives in Kicukiro, Kigali, says she is particularly hooked onto Facebook. “I’m love Facebooking because I can keep in touch with my friends and make friends with my favourite celebrities,” said Mutesi. Hooking up Moses Ndemezo, 23 years, a third year student at Kigali Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) says social networking sites have been an avenue for him to get contacts and meet the beauties of the land. “All the beautiful chics I have dated since my first year are girls I met on Facebook and MySpace and in fact, I believe I will meet my future wife through these social networks,” adds Ndemezo. However, on the issue of dating on social networks, 25-year-old Kenneth Mugabe says he has had the worst experience. He has a thing for beautiful girls and has always asked some out after seeing their pictures. To his dismay, the girls always turn out different from what he sees on the sites. This calls for a round of applause to Photoshop for the killer looks. “The most awful of my experiences was when I became friends with this girl on Facebook; one could mistake her for Halle Berry. Her looks were stunning, she looked like one of those divas in the soap operas, she was fun chatting with and I definitely asked her out for coffee.” “When we finally met, this time, it was the real girl I had seen in the pictures on her Facebook page, only that she was lame; her one leg was way shorter than the other. I swore never to date another girl off the social networks,” said Mugabe. Business channel Julia Dusabe, 29 years, owns an art and crafts business that she runs at her home where she makes artifacts, earings, bracelets and bangles. Dusabe says social networking sites are one way to market her business “I have met most of my clients, both local and international through social networks. I post pictures of my craft work and jewellery on my Facebook and MySpace pages. “I got my breakthrough on the social networks when my Facebook and MySpace friends from the UK, USA and Australia liked my stuff and started making orders. They pay for the shipping costs and send me money through Western Union. That way, I have been able to pay tuition for my Masters degree at University,” Dusabe explained. “Instead of chatting all day on Facebook and MySpace, you could do something else more constructive like marketing your business, promoting humanitarian causes among others,” she advises. Complacency at work However, social networking sites are to blame for the low input at places of work leading to avoidable mistakes. For example in Rwanda, most Government institutions were blocked from using social networking sites because of a decline in productivity during working hours. Everything including social networking has its set of pros and cons. However, it is up to the users to tame themselves and know when, how and why they should be hooked onto the social networks. Despite the ugly bit, when put to good use, social networking sites can really lighten up one’s day. m.kaitesi@yahoo.com