Social Networking vs. World Wide Web

Alfredo Lopez presents an incredible analysis of the World Wide Web and social networking and how the two are different but related. In this article, it is unmistakable that the pioneers of the web did not have social networking in mind but aimed at creating a platform that would grant every individual freedom of expression and also share information and knowledge with other people. However, with the growing emphasis on the social networking as the primary source of online interaction, the web runs the risk of death. Lopez underscores how social networking enslaves people by denying them an opportunity to share their thoughts and also limiting what gets shared and how it is shared. For instance, Twitter only allows 140 characters, and in Facebook, one is only expected to share a line. With such limited space, people are denied an opportunity to customize what they can share and to enjoy their privacy.

            Lopez’s primary argument is that the web has higher value and thus more important than social networking sites and therefore people should thrive on the internet as opposed to social media. Lopez asserts that the social networks have their space in human interactions but they are not the real thing and the prevalent risk is that social media may replace the web. Lopez notes

Social Networking is a substitute for those communications. That is proving very attractive to hundreds of millions of young people, and it is increasingly damaging the potential of the World Wide Web for, among other things, real social change.

Lopez continues to suggest that there is a difference between World Wide Web and internet. The difference is in the fact that internet is an interconnection of many computers that can exchange information through telecommunication lines while the www is a subset of the internet. In World Wide Web, data can be accessed from a server and viewed by people using software called browser. The ability of the web to provide the ‘hot links’ to other web pages makes it special since one can acquire more knowledge and deepen one’s understanding of a particular matter. Facebook and Twitter deny people such opportunities except the few who use such sites for sharing important and helpful links.  Andreassen (175) reiterates this by stating that social media networks ‘addiction has become an issue of concern, especially for young people’ which has resulted in less time to delve into the web for helpful content.

            The incredible thing about the web is that ‘puts the knowledge and experience of the entire human race at your disposal’ (Lopez). When human beings allow themselves to enjoy such power unleashed over twenty years, they deepen their knowledge and skills also. When people just limit to social networks, they are not experiencing anything new given that the large social websites are functioning on the programming that the web has used for over a century. Shockingly, Lopez asserts that Facebook is just constraining and not as powerful as people perceive it. It only offers alluring convenience by limiting people’s options. Sadly, people have their entire profiles on Facebook and may not benefit from it, but the owners of Facebook benefit greatly from the offered information for marketing strategies. According to Facebook, they work with ‘with a select group of third-party data providers to help businesses connect with people who might be interested in their products or services.

            In conclusion, Lopez asserts that World Wide Web is a powerful platform whose power people can unleash by reducing their dependency on social networking sites and increasing their time on the web. The social networks only offer alluring convenience and also enslave its users by using the users’ information for the websites’ gains. Additionally, the real value and freedom are on the web where free information is available, and there is enough space to share knowledge as opposed to the limited interaction space on Facebook and Twitter.

Works Cited

Andreassen, Cecilie Schou. "Online social network site addiction: A comprehensive review."Current Addiction Reports 2.2 (2015): 175-184.

Facebook. How does Facebook work with data providers? 2018.

Lopez, Alfredo. Social Networking and the Death of the Internet. 8 May 2013. Article . 29 January 2018.