Social networking's influences on personal growth

浙江 江 麗

網絡社交有助于我們與比現實世界中更加多元的人交流，提升我們的心理幸福感。過度依賴網絡社交會對我們的性格產生負面影響，從而影響我們和他人建立真正的友誼。

主題語境：網絡社交 篇幅：413詞 建議用時：7分鐘

1The biggest criticism (批評) of social networking is that our young people are losing their offline friends to online friends.In fact, there is a lot of research that shows these criticisms are generally unfounded.Research by Allen found that people are not replacing offline friends with online companions but are using them to support their offline relationships.It also found that our online friendships actually allow us to have discussions with a much more diverse set of people than in the real world and improve our psychological happiness.

2However, there is one part of social networking that is deeply worrying.We find ourselves in a hyper-connected world where people access social media day and night, excited to make announcements about the tiniest details of their lives.Research is starting to show that this culture is negatively affecting not only our friendships but also our character.

3Professor Larry D.Rosen, in his bookiDisorder, presents evidence that social networking is turning us into narcissists (自戀者).He says that young people who overuse social networking sites can become vain, aggressive, and show anti-social behavior in their offline lives.But perhaps an even more disturbing effect is that one of our most basic emotions seems to be disappearing—empathy.This is the emotion that bonds us together; it allows us to see the world from our friends' points of view.Without it, we are far less able to connect and form meaningful adult relationships.

4Sherry Turkle, a professor of social sciences at MIT, suggests that people are no longer comfortable being alone.This is something confirmed by a study where 200 university students were asked to go without social media for 24 hours.Many admitted an addiction to their online social network; most complained that they felt cut off from family and friends.But being alone is a time, Turkle argues, when we self-reflect and get in touch with who we really are.It is only when we do this that we can make meaningful friendships with others.She believes, as is the title of her book, that we are simply “Alone Together”.

5These potential changes in our character are rather disturbing.If nothing is done, our young people could well be in trouble.Therefore, suggestions about ways to encourage our young people to avoid the problems of social networking should be made, so they can develop the kinds of friendships that are required to grow into well-adjusted and happy adults.

Reading Check

1.What does the underlined word “unfounded” in paragraph 1 probably mean?

A.Undoubted.B.False.C.Acceptable.D.Illegal.

2.What does the author mainly want to convey?

A.The Internet culture causes various problems.

B.We are losing some most important emotions.

C.Online friendships do good to offline friendships.

D.Social networking affects young people's personalities.

3.How can we make meaningful friendships with others according to the text?

A.By getting in touch with online friends.

B.By avoiding the problems of social networking.

C.By reflecting and getting in touch with ourselves.

D.By being alone rather than having discussions with many people.

4.What does the phrase “Alone Together” in the text suggest?

A.People are interacting more offline than online.

B.People are physically alone but virtually connected.

C.People are losing offline friends to online friends.

D.People are becoming more social offline due to virtual connections.

Language Study

Ⅰ.日積月累

companionn.同伴；伴侶

diverseadj.多種多樣的；不同的

hyper-connectedadj.超級互聯的

aggressiveadj.侵略的；好斗的

empathyn.同理心

addictionn.沉迷；上癮

social networking 網絡社交

psychological happiness 心理上的幸福

social science 社會科學

Ⅱ.語法填空

Studies show online friends can help with real-life friendships, making people 1.________(happy) and more social.However, 2.________(use) social media too much might cause problems.It can make people act 3.________(selfish) and aggressively, and not want 4.________(spend) time with others in the real life.

Another issue is 5.________ heavy social media users might struggle to understand and share feelings 6.________ others, making it hard to form strong friendships as an adult.Besides, some people may feel uncomfortable being alone due to excessive use of social media, 7.________(make) them miss out on time to think about 8.________(them)and create deep bonds with others.

It's important to teach young people how 9.________(take) advantage of social media responsibly, to spend time with friends in the real life, and give themselves time 10.________ self-reflection.This is important for their happiness and becoming wellrounded adults.