Look at Us Now ; Since the Turn of the Millennium, a Tidal Wave of Social Networking Sites and Reality Tv has Washed Over Society, Forever Altering the Way We View Our Culture . . . And Ourselves

Summary

---

In the past 10 years, we've witnessed the rapid rise of social networking sites and a concurrent explosion of reality TV. As the decade winds to a close, it's a good time to explore how these cultural phenomena affect us. Have we become better connected? Are we more aware of the foibles of the human condition? Or are we increasingly self-absorbed and obsessed with fame?

Earlier this year, San Diego State University associate professor Jean Twenge conducted a poll of college students and found that 57 percent of respondents said their peers use social media sites in ways that smack of self-promotion and narcissism. These would be the folks who check their Facebook page multiple times an hour and use Twitter to let their friends know they ate a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch.

See the full content of this document

Extract

---

Look at Us Now ; Since the Turn of the Millennium, a Tidal Wave of Social Networking Sites and Reality Tv has Washed Over Society, Forever Altering the Way We View Our Culture . . . And Ourselves

"Within the last 10 years, first MySpace and then Facebook really changed the way people communicate," said Daniel Panici, an associate professor of communication and media studies at the University of Southern Ma...

See the full content of this document

---