1. AFFIRMATIVE TEAM
SALUTATION
DEFINITION/TERM
The 21st century's great and popular topic is social networking. Few sites are becoming part
of our daily normal life. In my view, these sites are not just to connect with friends and
family, these sites can be used as a great tool to students in particular.
Whereas schools create groups, web pages, forums and communities on the most popular
sites like Face book, Twitter, LinkedIn, flickr and Bebo. They post latest updates and
necessary information about their companies. Websites like Facebook and Twitter effect
our lives negatively, positively, and a lot more than we think. We all have our different
causes for liking social media, but we don't always realize the important effects they are
having on our lives.
A social networking service is an online service, platform, or site that focuses on facilitating
the building of social networks or social relations among people who, for example, share
interests, activities, backgrounds, or real-life connections.
A social network service consists of a representation of each user (often a profile), his/her
social links, and a variety of additional services. Most social network services are web-based
and provide means for users to interact over the Internet, such as e-mail and instant
messaging. Online community services are sometimes considered as a social network
service, though in a broader sense, social network service usually means an individualcentered service whereas online community services are group-centered.
Social networking sites allow users to share ideas, activities, events, and interests within
their individual networks.
2. Therefore as a leader of Affirmative Team I would like to bring forward a new motion which is:
In which based on the argument that I will present later on, will convince member of the floor
as well as the Opposition Team that today’s motion should fall.
FIRST SPEAKER
SOCIAL NETWORKS ARE DOING MORE HARM THAN GOOD
The impact of Internet on our life becomes more and more significant and undeniable. Life
without Internet is definitely very troublesome and inconvenient. The invention of Internet is
just like the discovery of nuclear energy—it is the result of the rapid development of science
and technology—it can be good or bad thing for human beings, depending on how we use it. It
can be good if we use it prosocially or positively, and it can be bad if we use it immorally or
antisocially. There is no simple way to stop science and technology development, but the
teaching of a positive and moral attitude in the use of Internet is imminent and necessary in
education nowadays.
In regards to that, social networking is a tool used by people all around the world. Its purpose is
to promote and aid communication. However, this type of technology might be doing more
harm than good. It is not only changing how we communicate, but how we interact with each
other in daily life. With the rise of websites such as Facebook, social networking may be on the
verge of replacing traditional personal interactions for the next generation.
Traditional interactions will continue to be at risk if we don’t realize the effects of our social
media. Social networking affects our lives in many ways, including our communication, selfexpression, bullying, isolations, friendships, and even our very own sense of humanity.
Social networks, such as Facebook, were created for the sole purpose of helping individuals
communicate. There are many other reasons that these technologies are used, but
3. communication is still the number one. Many people use these networks to talk to their friends
in other cities, states, or even other countries. There are many situations that do not allow the
use of telephones; this is why social networking is preferable by many. These networks not only
allow communication between friends, but allow you to meet new people. Similarities and
common friends can create new bonds. Indeed, these networks are becoming the modern way
to make friends. These new friends communicate through these networks. However, standard
communication is not the only way this social technology is used.
With the constant use of these social technologies, less people are communicating in person.
Many people are becoming anti social and more isolated due to the lack of personal
interaction. It is becoming easier to go through life with less personal confrontations and
conversations. Many people are becoming used to only conversing through their computer.
This trend has continued and lead to an, “Interesting number of developing adults that function
well in a keyboard setting while failing at human interaction” (PC Magazine Online 2). The
failing of human interaction is a horrible result of this new technology. Without person-toperson interaction we will lose our language skills and have trouble with public speaking.
Normal debates and confrontations will be made more difficult due to the inability to read one
another’s body language. This is not healthy for our development because “Humans are social
animals who need to have regular interaction with others to experience the full benefits of
socialization and lead a balanced life” (PC Magazine Current Issues 2).
This kind of anti social behavior is degrading towards our society because it is necessary to be
personable. If we continue to be isolated than all of our communication skills will drop lower
than they already are. These new communication sites were made to improve communication,
not destroy it. These social networks allow an individual to have thousands of “friends.”
However, these supposed “friends” are really no more than strangers. On these web sites we
allow strangers onto our page for petty reasons, such as having the same taste in music or
movies. We spend more time with these people online, when we should be spending time with
our real life friends that we’ve known for years. This lack of dedication to our real life friends
leads to shallower friendships. Many people care for their Facebook friends, but they don’t
4. even know what their lives are like. This is a common occurrence in online friendships now.
Many don’t even realize that they have ruined their other friendships. Why do we do this to
ourselves? Why do we create connections with people who we don’t know, or even care
about? It all stems from, “an underlying fear of being alone that eventually leads an anti social
behavior.
2ND SPEAKER
SOCIAL NETWORKING harmful to us as a whole and to our humanity
This fear of being alone is why we allow ourselves to act against our brains and our hearts.
Friendship is about being there for each other and being able to tell each other about important
issues. It is not about who comments on Facebook quicker. Indeed, the constant use of this kind
of technology is harmful to us as a whole and to our humanity. When we contact one another
through these sites we are limiting ourselves. When you use networks like Facebook, “you’re
representing yourself on a database. Then you live according to that database. You fill in
checkmarks saying this is what I’m interested in, this is who I am, this is the music I want to
hear, and you become a caricature of yourself”. This kind of representation lowers us and our
humanity.
We are known only as what we write on our pages. Our humanity is what lets us be ourselves.
We have the right to control what we say and do, “We invent ourselves, and we invent our own
taste. We decide what friendship means, and furthermore, we intend to make a living because
we’re not subordinate”. This is what makes us who we are and communication is a large part of
that. If we stop making our own choices than we’ve lost what it means to live and be human.
We should be able to tell each other about ourselves in person and make real friends. These
social networks have damaged many things, but they cannot be allowed to harm our humanity.
Although many people around the world use social networking, it should only be used as a tool.
Social networking aides long distance communication greatly but there must be a stopping
point. It cannot become our main form of communication and interaction because it leads us to
what so called “Anti Social Behavior”. There are positives to this new technology but nowhere
5. do these positives outweigh the negatives. If we continue overusing the aid of these sites, then
it will keep effecting our communication and self-expression in person. There is nothing that
can substitute for personal interaction. Social networking is the problem and we must eliminate
its overuse for the sake of our future meaningful social communication.
