There are those who say that social networking sites have had a detrimental effect on individuals as well as society and local communities. On the other hand, while I believe that such sites are mainly beneficial to the individual, I agree that they have had a damaging effect on local communities. There are many reasons why I think so.

With regard to individuals, the impact that online social media has had on each individual person has clear advantages. Firstly, people from different countries are brought together through such sites as Facebook. Before the development of technology and social networking sites, which began to appear around the early 2000s, people rarely had the chance to meet or communicate with anyone outside of their immediate circles or community. Secondly, Facebook also has groups which offer individuals a chance to meet to participate in discussions with other people who share common interests.

On the other hand, the effect Facebook and other social networking sites have had on societies and local communities can only be seen as negative. Rather than individual people taking part in the local community, they are instead choosing to take more interest in people online. Consequently, the people within local communities are no longer forming close or supportive relationships. In addition, society as a whole is becoming increasingly disjointed and fragmented as people spend more time online with people they have never met face to face and with whom they will never meet in the future.

To sum up, although social networking sites have brought individuals closer together, they have not had the same effect on society or local communities. I firmly believe that local communities should do more to try and involve local people in local activities in order to promote the future of community life.