Social networking on the Internet

　　We owe much to the development and expansion of the Internet. It has enabled one of the main technological and cultural revolutions in recent history: the emergence of social media. Over the last 10 years, online social media have grown extremely fast and become central to the lives of hundreds of millions of people. Social platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, Pinterest, Instagram, and Google Plus allow us to communicate with family, friends, and people that we would have never had the chance to meet regularly. Some social media such as LinkedIn and Meetup are becoming important tools for our work and business networking. However, although many people spent considerable part of their lives interacting with social media, others refuse to engage with online social networking. Let's dissect some of the benefits and dangers of social networking.

　　The pros of social networking

　　Social networks allow us to keep in touch with people that we meet at different points in our lives and reconnect with old friends that we may have not seen in years for various reasons. Online social media help bridge previously insurmountable physical distances. Before Facebook, it was difficult to follow what your friends were doing. You could write emails, and before that letters, but the sense of proximity that people get by reading comments and things friends share and seeing their pictures on the social media is something never achieved before. Instant messaging services, such as Whatsapp, and conference call software, such as Skype, add to this new feeling of proximity with people that may be leaving thousands of miles away.

　　Social networks offer their users the capacity to get almost immediate access to information about things happening elsewhere. When something important happens in the world people often find out almost immediately through social media. Just by spending five minutes on your Twitter, Facebook or Reddit feed you can learn about global social, cultural and economic events and trends.They even allow to shame the politicians and other people that have done or said something unethical or wrong.

　　These platforms also allow for global interaction with people from different backgrounds. Before social media, interacting with people from distant places was almost exclusively the privilege of those who could afford travelling. Now through social networking sites we often engage in discussions and can establish friendships with people very different from us. Some social media even facilitate people meeting face-to-face. For instance, networks such as Couchsurfing allow you to live for some time with people you might have otherwise never met. Likewise some social networks specialized in dating help people meeting others and often establish long term relationships.

　　Thanks to the social networks some people and small companies can gain visibility for their products and creations without having to invest much in advertising. Social networks can also very effective ways to find a job, a business partner or an employee.

　　Finally, social platforms, such as netivist, help to promote public participation and civic engagement. People have new means to express their views and defend causes they find worth fighting for. Protest movements around the world, such as the Arab Spring, the Occupy Movement and the European Indignados employed social media for the mobilization and organization of protesters. At the same time, the use of social media, such as Twitter or Reddit, by Obama during his campaign for the White House is a good example of how politicians and citizens can interact more directly to the benefit of political participation and democratic processes.

　　The cons of social media

　　However, social media may also have  some negative effects on our lives and the way people interact. First of all, it is argued that social media may insulate us from the people that surround us. Although these platforms make communication easier and more flexible with those far away, they can have the opposite impact on our relationships with the people we live with. Who has not been in a family or friends' reunion, where everyone is just looking at their smartphones or tablets rather than speaking to each other?

　　Social networks serve to disseminate information, but the validity of this information cannot always be verified. Thus, social media can be used to spread rumors, propaganda, and misleading information. Sometimes this information can have negative impact on the lives of people. Apologies and rectifications tend not to reach as many people and travel as fast as flashy erroneous information. Harm is not always undone or compensated.

　　Social networking distracts us. Social media have become a source of entertainment but also a means of procrastination. With people often checking Facebook, Whatsapp, or Twitter every five minutes, it is likely that their productivity at work diminishes. We are constantly bombarded with notifications from social media. Many of them are of no use to our lives. Worse even, in many cases social media may turn into an addiction or obsession with negative psychological impacts on our lives.

　　Privacy is also at risk because social media. Pictures and videos of everyone are circulating through the internet. Even if we try to be careful, there is no way we can prevent other people from posting pictures of us or our families on Facebook, Twitter or other social media. How many times have you found yourself removing a tag from a somewhat inappropriate picture taken at a party? Social media are also making it more difficult to separate our professional and social lives. We end up being "Facebook friends" with colleagues, and in some cases this may backfire.

　　Social media platforms store too much information about us. Potentially this information could be used by governments and corporations to control us. Most networking platforms extract large amounts of information from their users. It is difficult to understand the terms and conditions of use of the platforms, usually captured by long and extremely technical legal documents. Moreover, this information collected about us is not always secured. There have been notable cases in which hackers have managed to steal information about thousands of users.

　　Finally, these platforms have become fertile grounds for offences and crime. Many people suffer stalking and bullying through social networks. This has led to dramatic cases where users have ended up committing suicide. Social networks have also been used to collect information about victims by kidnappers and burglars. Many terrorist organizations recruit members and raise funding through social media.

　　重点搭配和句子摘抄：

　　development and expansion of the Internet: 互联网的发展和扩张

　　the main technological and cultural revolutions : 主要的技术和文化革命

　　emergence of social media: 社交媒体的出现

　　have grown extremely fast and become central to the lives of hundreds of millions of people: 已经极快的成为数亿人的生活的重要（部分）

　　常见的社交网络细节罗列：

　　Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, Pinterest, Instagram, and Google Plus

　　communicate with family, friends: 与家人、朋友交流

　　had the chance to meet regularly: 有机会经常见面

　　are becoming important tools for our work and business networking:

　　越来越重要的工具为了我们的工作和业务圈子

　　spent considerable part of : 花了相当大的一部分

　　to engage with online social networking: 加入在线社交网络

　　keep in touch with people : 与人保持联系

　　reconnect with old friends : 联系老朋友

　　bridge previously insurmountable physical distances: 跨越之前不可逾越的物理距离

　　the sense of proximity : 亲近的感觉

　　Instant messaging services: 即时通讯服务

　　offer their users the capacity :给他们的用户提供xxx的能力

　　get almost immediate access to information: 几乎立即获取信息

　　Just by spending five minutes on your Twitter, Facebook or Reddit feed you can learn about global social, cultural and economic events and trends

　　allow for global interaction with people from different backgrounds.

　　只要花五分钟在Twitter、Facebook或Reddit的最新消息上就可以了解全球社会、文化和经济事件和趋势， 并能让你与来自不同背景的人交流。

　　interacting with people from distant places was almost exclusively the privilege of :  与遥远的地方的人交流是几乎完全的特权

　　engage in discussions: 参与讨论

　　establish friendships with people : 与人建立友谊

　　facilitate people meeting face-to-face: 促进人们面对面的见面

　　networks such as Couchsurfing allow you to live for some time with people you might have otherwise never met:

　　网络如Couchsurfing让你跟可能从未见过的人生活一段时间。

　　specialized in : 擅长于xxx

　　establish long term relationships: 建立长期的关系

　　gain visibility for their products and creations : 获得对其产品的视野和创造

　　to promote public participation and civic engagement: 促进公众参与和公民参与

　　new means to express their views and defend causes they find worth

　　fighting for: 用新手段表达自己的观点、捍卫他们认为值得为之战斗的事业

　　employed social media for the mobilization and organization of protesters

　　: 使用社交媒体动员和组织抗议者

　　insulate us from：使我们与xxx隔绝

　　make communication easier and more flexible : 使交流变得更容易、更灵活

　　have the opposite impact on our relationships with the people : 负面的影响我们与人的关系

　　in a family or friends' reunion: 在一个家庭或朋友的聚会

　　Social networks serve to disseminate information, but the validity of this information cannot always be verified:

　　社交网络服务于传播信息,但不能总是确保这些信息的有效性。

　　spread rumors, propaganda, and misleading information: 散布谣言、宣传和误导信息

　　have negative impact on the lives of people: 对人们的生活有负面影响

　　flashy erroneous information: 庸俗的错误信息

　　become a source of entertainment : 成为娱乐的来源

　　a means of procrastination: 拖延的一种手段

　　productivity at work diminishes: 工作效率降低

　　are constantly bombarded with notifications from social media: 不断地收到社交媒体的通知

　　turn into an addiction or obsession with negative psychological impacts on our lives: 变成一种瘾或痴迷并给我们的生活带来负面的心理影响

　　is also at risk : 处于危险境地

　　circulating through the internet: 通过互联网传播

　　removing a tag from a somewhat inappropriate picture : 在有点不合适的照片里删除一个标签

　　also making it more difficult to separate our professional and social lives:

　　也使得更加难以分离我们的职业和社会生活

　　store too much information : 储存太多的信息

　　extract large amounts of information from their users: 从他们的用户那里提取大量的信息

　　the terms and conditions of use of the platforms: 平台使用的条款和条件

　　long and extremely technical legal documents: 长并且非常技术性的法律文件

　　There have been notable cases in which hackers have managed to steal

　　information about thousands of users.

　　在有些知名案例中,黑客成功窃取成千上万的用户的信息。

　　become fertile grounds for offences and crime: 成为罪行和犯罪的肥沃

　　suffer stalking and bullying : 遭受骚扰和欺凌

　　This has led to dramatic cases where users have ended up committing

　　suicide.

　　这导致了戏剧性的情况, 也就是用户最终自杀。

　　collect information about victims by kidnappers and burglars: 收集关于绑匪和窃贼的受害者的信息。

　　recruit members and raise funding : 招募成员和筹集资金