Social Networking essay

Today, social networking is widely-spread to the extent that many people cannot live without it. At the same time, effects of social networking on individuals and their behavior are under-researched because this is a relatively new phenomenon which involves many users of internet. In this regard, it is possible to refer to the article “The Many Faces of You” by C.C. Miller, which reveals the influence of social networking on individuals and their identity.
As the matter of fact, today, social networking comprises an integral part of the life of the modern society. People are involved in social networking. They communicate with each other via internet and they create their new identities in the virtual world in virtual social networks. However, the author of the article “The Many Faces of You” warns that the creation of virtual identities in social networks leads to the formation of multiple identities in individuals.
In fact, individuals normally have one identity, which they have developed in the course of their life. However, they can change it in social networks because no one knows them and individuals can create absolutely new identities from the scratch. However, the creation of new identities leads to the formation of multiple identities in one individual, when a person has one identity he or she uses in his or communication with his or her family and another identity the person uses in a social network.
In such a context, the risk of conflicts between different or multiple identities within an individual arises because people can have difficulties with the transition from their virtual identity to the real one and vice versa. Therefore, this aspect of social networking needs further studies.

References
Miller, C.C. (2010). “The Many Faces of You.” New York Times. Retrieved on October 22, 2010