Week 2 Post 1: Online Social Networking

1). Consider the social constructionist perspective. How do we “build worlds” through communication? Think of some ideas we talk about in our culture that may not exist in other cultures. How do these concepts contribute to our happiness or success (of the lack of these) in our culture?

According to chapter two in our textbook, the concept of building worlds through communication looks at how communication is more than a conversation between two people, but is in fact something by which the human race could not survive without. With communication, cultures are able to share ideas, concepts, and symbols of themselves and the world around them.

One mainstream idea in our culture is the idea of online social networking. This is a humungous part of our culture, especially now with MySpace, Facebook, and LinkedIn, but even before those networking websites e-mail was the way to sty electronically connected. These electronic means of communication affect our culture to great extents, but the majority of the world remains unconnected. LinkedIn for example plays a huge part in connecting people in the business world, affording them opportunities that they have otherwise missed. MySpace allows friends, coworkers, classmates, and even families to post pictures and comments about what’s going on in their lives.