Pontificia Universidad Javeriana

Carolina Rodrguez
Pro/Con essay

Social Networks: The pros and the cons

Social media is changing the way we communicate and the way we are perceived, both positively
and negatively. Every time you post a photo, or update your status, you are contributing to your own
digital footprint and personal brand. (Martin, 2012) Nowadays, social networks have become an
important aspect of our development as human beings and everyday more and more people are
spending much of their time on those networks than ever before. However, opinions about the
advantages and disadvantages of spending so much time on social network are clearly divided. While
social network lovers state that the time spent on these tools help us keep up with all the activity
happening around the world and spread social movements that can change the world, others argue
that these platforms turn people (especially young people) into procrastinators and also reduce faceto-face interaction.
On the one hand, spending so much time on social networks may lead to two positive effects. One of
them is the easy access to information that help us be informed about pretty much everything. This is
evidenced by the fact that millions of people were able to see the United States presidential election
debates held for this year, through social media like Facebook. According to an article written by
Wired website, 3.2 million tuned into Twitters live stream, and Facebooks live broadcast partnership
with ABC News now has 7.4 million views, which shows that any of those people (including myself)
had to turn on the T.V or the radio if they wanted to watch the debate because it was live streamed,
there, on the social networks. The second of the effects is the awareness that social networks can
raise about social issues resulting in a huge impact to society. An example of this is when many
people used the social media to organize protests and collect donations and supplies for the unarmed
black teenager killed by a white officer in the United States. Through social networks people shared
their feelings about the incident, organized walkouts and showed support for the victim (The 5 biggest
social media movements of 2014, 2014)
On the other hand, much time spent on social networks can head to two main negative effects. The
problem with all of these platforms is that people get so entertained/addicted with their Facebook or
Twitter accounts that they start avoiding doing their tasks (Procrastination).Greg Hochmuth (software
engineer and co-creator of the Network effect) said in an interview for the New York Times website
that Once people come in, then the network effect kicks in and theres an overload of content. People
click around. Theres always another hashtag to click on, then it takes on its own life, like an
organism, and people can become obsessive. This shows the little self-regulation that people have

regarding social media, nowadays. Apart from the above, people is starting to grow apart from their
families because they spent almost all of their time on social media. These days, is very common to
see family meetings where the teenagers are stick to their phones with little or no face-to-face
interaction between them, this also happens between friends. A study called Clicks and Cravings
(done with U.S citizens) showed that more than 29% of social media users are on a social networking
website while eating or drinking at home. About 32% of them text or socialize on a mobile device at
meal time and people between 18-34 years old tweet, Facebook and text during mealtimes at a
higher rate of 47%. Statistics are not needed to show that these situations are real and getting worse
every day, especially in first world countries where the majority of the people have access to devices
that ease the ingress to social networks.
To conclude, it is clear that Social Networks have its positive and negative sides. It all depends on the
way we use them and the use we give them because at the end of the day Social networks are just
tools, so it is up to each one of us to determine whether they are good or bad. Personally, I think
spending so much time on social networks brings more disadvantages than advantages because
even if we think we are connecting with many more people, what counts for me is real interaction that
can only be done in face-to-face situations.

References
Youtube debate viewership proves the power of digital. (2016) Wired. From
https://www.wired.com/2016/10/youtube-crushed-tv-total-debate-viewership/
The 5 biggest social media movements of 2014. (2014) The wall street journal. From
http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2014/12/03/the-5-biggest-social-media-movements-of-2014/
Cant put down your device? Thats by design. (2015) The new York times. From
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/06/technology/personaltech/cant-put-down-your-device-thats-bydesign.html?nlid=20136690&tntemail0=y&_r=0
Clicks and Cravings. (2012). United Fresh Show. From
http://www.unitedfreshshow.org/files/clicks_and_craving.june_lee.pdf

PONTIFICIA UNIVERSIDAD JAVERIANA

B.A. IN THE TEACHING OF MODERN LANGUAGES - LOW ADVANCED ENGLISH
EDITING CHECKLIST SELF-EVALUATION
NAME: VIVIANA CAROLINA RODRGUEZ GONZLEZ

DATE: November 4th,2016

The purpose of this activity is twofold. On the one hand, it intends to raise your awareness
regarding different aspects in your essay, and on the other, it aims to help you evaluate your
paper trying to go beyond the linguistic and textual features.
You may need to work alone. Read through the criteria to edit your paper and check if your essay meets
them. You may need to write on your draft, or take notes in your notebook so as to make future
amendments, if necessary. If you have other comments, you can include them; they can be important too.
I.

BEYOND THE LINGUISTIC AND THE TEXTUAL

YOUR AUDIENCE
1. Who is your intended reader?

___ The course teacher___ Someone else. Who? ______________

__X__A general audience (Any person can read the text and
understand your points of view/feelings)

2. Did you consider your reader when you wrote the essay?

__X__ Yes _____ No

3. Did you think about possible counter-arguments that your

audience may have when reading your text? Did you include
concession ideas?

Underline any sentences that you included thinking that your reader
may have counter-arguments.

4. What type of connection do you want to establish with your

reader?
* How do you address the reader throughout the text?
* Are you consistent in the way you address them? No

_____ Close __X__ Distant

YOUR PURPOSE
5. What is the main purpose of your text? (e.g. convince,
persuade the reader)
6. Do you use enough rhetoric elements and arguments to
achieve your purpose?

I give a suggestion to the reader only at the end of the text.

Write your main purpose: To Present the advantages and

disadvantages of spending so much time on social networks
__X__ Yes _____ No

Your ideas
7. Are the ideas clearly presented?

__X__ Yes _____ No

8. Are there any ideas that can be developed, explained,

changed, or omitted? No

Write an example: ______________________________________

_____________________________________________________

9. Are your ideas sufficiently supported by details (facts,

examples, and quotations) or arguments?
* Are the ideas relevant to the text?
* Do they support your points of view?

__X__ Yes _____ No

__X__ Yes _____ No

10. Did you express your points of view and feelings in the text?

Highlight any sentences where you expressed your ideas or

feelings.

11. Did you include ideas from other sources?

* Do your ideas stand out in the text? Or are they eclipsed by
other peoples thoughts?

Underline the ideas that are not yours, i.e. that you took from other
sources.
Check if there are more borrowed than personal ideas.

12. Did you explain or clarify any words that the reader may find
difficult to understand in the context of your text?

_____ Yes __X__ No

SITUATEDNESS
13. Did you situate the issue of your text in a place and time?
14. Did you base your ideas on your own social/cultural context,
or are they taken from other realities? They are taken from other

__X__ Yes Place: U.S.A Time: Nowadays

____ No
Circle any sentences that are based on your own social/cultural
context.

realities

II.

FORMAT AND ORGANIZATION

15. Is the format correct?

Did you write a title? Is it attractive? Did you indent the

paragraphs?

16. Does the essay have an introduction, a body and a

conclusion?
INTRODUCTION
17. Do the general statements
* give background information?
* attract the readers attention?

__X__ yes

_____ no

What kind of introduction did you use? Funnel

Does it stimulate the readers interest in the topic? yes

18. Does the thesis statement state a clearly focused

main idea for the whole essay (the point you want to
make, defend, or attack)?
BODY
19. Does each body paragraph have
* a topic sentence that states a reason and supports
your main point. Yes
* good development with sufficient supporting details
(facts, examples, and quotations) and strong
arguments? Yes
* unity (one idea per paragraph)?
* coherence (logical organization and transition words)?
Yes

__X__ yes _____ no

Highlight the thesis statement in the text

Underline the main idea in each body paragraph.

List one supporting detail/strong argument from each body
paragraph.
Cross out any sentences that break the unity.
List the transitions between each body paragraph:
_____ yes

__X__ no

20. Were the body paragraphs organized in order of

importance?
CONCLUSION
21. Does the conclusion
* restate your thesis and summarize your main points?
* give your final thoughts on the subject of the essay?

III.

__X__ yes _____ no

__X__ yes _____ no
What kind of final thoughts does the essay have?
My opinion

GRAMMAR AND MECHANICS

22. Are quotations used correctly? Yes

Check each quotation for commas, capital letters, and

quotation marks. Use APA style be careful with plagiarism.

23. Did you proofread the text for punctuation, grammar,

and spelling mistakes? Yes

Check for any punctuation, grammar, and/or spelling errors.

Circle any that you have questions about.

IV. SENTENCE STRUCTURE

24. Does the essay contain a variety of sentences types?
Yes
V.

What sentence type is used most often?

Circle one: Simple Compound Complex

OTHER COMMENTS:

Adapted from: Oshima, A., & Hogue, A. (1997). Introduction to Academic Writing. New York: Longman.