In this world, we meet people almost every day. We connect with new people at social events, workplaces, schools, and many other places. This meeting, interacting and connecting is what is referred to as "Social Networking". Social networking is the use of Internet communities to stay connected with friends, family, colleagues, clients or customers. Internet communities like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc.

Social networking had been from time but it was limited and restricted to festivals and social occasions like marriages, conventions, birthdays, exhibitions, seminars, marketing meetings, functions, etc. People get to interact and connect with one another in such social gatherings. However, social networking today has taken a new turn. With the emergence of the internet, social networking has got a new style and a new repute. Now, people connect through different social media platforms no matter where they are in the world.

However, like anything else, social networking has its own pros and cons. Let's take a look at the pros and then the cons of social networking:

Pros/advantages of Social networking:

✓ Online presence: The internet communities provide a platform for individuals to show their presence online. One can post their personal profile which may include their biodata, hobbies, occupation, etc. Through this medium, people get to know you, what you do, what you have to offer and the offer you're open to.

✓ Ability to connect with others: Social networking has made it easy for people to connect with others both far and near. You can connect with families, friends, colleagues, new & old acquaintances, etc all over the globe.

✓ Instant and easy communication: We no longer have to rely on landlines, snail mail and answering machines before we can contact someone. You can now pick up your smartphones or open a laptop and communicate right away with anybody on any social media platform.

✓ Access to News and information: Information spreads faster on social media. You don't need to wait for news on the TV @ 9 pm, you can always find out what's happening around the world on social media.

✓ Means to promote business: Social networking enables business owners and professionals to connect with clients, sell products and services and create brand awareness. On the other side also, it helps job seekers find work and help employees find new staff.

Cons/disadvantages of social networking:

✓ Cyberbullying and peer pressure: The pressure on the internet today is so overwhelming, especially for teenagers and young adults. Many are trying to fit in well and this has caused depression, stress, anxiety, etc. Becoming a victim of online bullying can also cause these effects or even worse. To understand more about cyberbullying, read here: https://cutt.ly/VHbUANv

✓ Privacy issues: Social media platforms give you the option to provide personal information such as name, location, address, etc and your privacy can be tampered with by online scammers, conmen, cyber stalkers, etc.

✓ Too much information: You can get exposed to too much Information than the required. The internet today has a lot of people sharing videos, retweeting links, and posting pictures every second of the day causing a lot of information to come to you at once. Most times, they are unnecessary pieces of information. In addition, there is a lot of false and unreliable information online and it can be hard to tell which is true or not.

Finally, you need to know that the pros of social networking should be what you work towards in getting better in your networking skills and not become victims of the cons of social networking. Social Networking is an essential part of human life. It is tough to live a life without any friends, girlfriends, boyfriends, colleagues, workmates, etc. Social Networking is very important! Use it in the right way!

Thank you for reading through, do well to like, comment and share ❤️.