Quotation:
“This is in many ways a wonderful thing. There is strength in weak ties, as the sociologist Mark Granovetter has observed. Our acquaintances – not our friends – are our greatest source of new ideas and information. The internet has let us exploit the power of these kinds of distinct connections with marvelous efficiency,” (pg. 5).
Comment:
A text to self connection I made was the idea of weak ties. When I was younger, social media seemed like a way to make as many friends as possible. Having more followers meant you would get more likes and that was supposed to make you feel important. However, as I got older, I realized that I did not know half the people that follow me or that I follow, so I sorted through the accounts I actually could recognize if I saw them in person. This isn’t quite the point this article is making, but it is a connection to how little some account users think about the people they let see their content.
A text to world connection I made was the power of connection. If people agree on a topic, or they are hoping for the same outcome, it creates a strong bond. This is true for good and bad situations. Dictators use manipulation and scare tactics to create a common goal. However, most positive goals do not use those kinds of tactics. They may be influential, but they usually do not use scare tactics.
This article used numerous examples of organizations and groups that came together for a common goal; the Woolworth Four sit-ins, N.A.A.C.P., (civil rights movement), The Red Brigades, the mujahideen in Afghanistan, etc.
This article explained how well social media spreads information and helps people connect. It also explains the truth of the power in numbers. The more people that have joined an organization or group, the more apt other people will be to join it. Whether it may seem more reliable, more interesting, more influential, people will join for many reasons. Hopefully those reasons are good ones.
Question:
Do you think social media is safe for people who do not have knowledge of the dangers of connections? If someone uses social media for the first time and finds a website that leads them to some negative organization, do you think they would be more convinced to join if they were not on social media at all?
