Managing mobile platform proliferation and Smartphone market Dissertation

Managing mobile platform proliferation and Smartphone market fragmentation - Dissertation Example s Figure 1 Wordlwide Mobile Device Sales to End Users by Vendor in 2Q11 (Gartner, 2011) 17 Figure 2 Top Five Mobile Phone Vendors, Shipments, and Market Share, Q3 2011 (IDC, 2011) 19 Figure 3 Worldwide Smartphone Sales to End Users by Operating System (Gartner, 2008) 21 Figure 4 Worldwide Smartphone Sales to End Users by Operating System in 2Q11 (Gartner, 2011) 22 Figure 5 "Very Interested" App Developers for Each Platform (Appcelerator/IDC, 2011) 27 Figure 6 Fluctuations in the Interest of App Developers in Each Platform (Appcelerator/IDC, 2011) 28 Figure 7 Normalized Share of Smartphone Market (Appcelerator/IDC, 2011) 35 Introduction All major digital technologies and media today are geared up to go mobile, thus making the industry the fastest-growing on a global scale (Ahonen, 2011). Companies in this trillion-dollar industry experience greater growth and cut-throat competition. Product development and market acquisition are continuously occurring as existing markets demand for ne w features and applications, while emerging markets have become more receptive to mobile technology. Digital technologies such as computers, the internet and telecommunications are now on mobile devices. Meanwhile, everything that consumers need from entertainment (games, music, television, shopping) to necessities (banking and credit cards) has found a way to be instantly accessible. As a whole, the industry grew by 16.5% in the second quarter of 2011 as vendors shipped 428.7 million units; and12.8% in the third quarter with 393.7 million units shipped compared to 348.9 million units in the third quarter of 2010 (Business Wire, 2011). As of February 2011, there are 5.2 billion active, fully-paid mobile subscriptions, and 3.7 billion unique mobile phone users since most users own two or... From the research it can be comprehended that in a survey conducted by IDC among developers, they have stated that the most important goal for them is to have as much reach as possible. This may be a challenge in a fragmented market since different devices entail different user experiences. More so, these devices reflect the kind of apps that consumers are interested in. Developers cannot aim to write one software and wish it to succeed in a multitude of platforms and devices. First, consider user experience, target demographics and finally, device capabilities. For instance, the apps most popular in iPhone and Android phones are utilitarian in nature. iPad and Android tablets on the other hand leverage on the expanded screen in creating richer engagement. Proper targeting is important in the mobile developing field. Gone are the days when what only matters are the capabilities of the device. Developers must have a profound understanding of its user, user context, cost-benefit to the user and the company, target device and the limitations of the developer. According to IDC, the 2012 mobile industry will be shaped by new content ecosystems, new demographics and lower price points. Because of the fast changing environment, developers must be always updated with the latest not only in terms of technology, but strategic moves of the big players. These things will affect the development environment in the short term but more so in the long run.

Pervasive Computiong Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Pervasive Computiong - Research Paper Example This essay declares that the basic theory says that microprocessors can be embedded in everyday objects with the intention that they could be able to communicate information. Basically, these objects communicate with each other to carry out operations in support of the user. In fact, one of the basic goals of pervasive computing is to fade away from human observation; however the applications embedded in electronic devices must be down to business. In other words, they must be able to guess the requirements of the users in an attempt to provide them with anytime, anywhere desired information. In addition, both the terms pervasive and ubiquitous stand for "existing everywhere." This paper stresses that the target of scholars and researchers researching on pervasive computing is to build stylish products that can be used to communicate inconspicuously. Furthermore, these products are connected to the Internet and the data they produce is without problems accessible. There are many advantages of such technology based systems. This research will assess such advantages and will also outline some of the major issues in pervasive computing. This paper will also discuss some of the possible application areas of pervasive computing along with some ethical issues of pervasive computing. The pervasive computing can be implemented in a wide variety of departments, yet some of them still have not been identified. Some of the major applications of pervasive computing can be for healthcare, healthcare, environmental, transport monitoring and a lot of others. I have outlined below some of the main areas for the application of pervasive computing: (Tang; POST) Healthcare: Pervasive computing present’s opportunities for the future healthcare management all through the world, for managing and treating diseases, as well as for patient management. For example, new technology based remote sensors and monitoring technology can allow the healthcare professionals to continuously capture and analyze patients’ physiological data. In this scenario hospital and medical staff could be instantly alerted to some noticed irregularities (Tang; POST). Domiciliary care: Pervasive computing based sensors can be embedded all through the home to examine the association and fluctuations inside the ambient situation (for instance variation in temperature) to aware care-workers to some abnormality. In this scenario, the voice messages or visual displays could as well have the power to replace people to acquire medications, as video telephones could offer personal contact with family, friends and careers (Tang; POST). Intelligent transport systems: Pervasive com put

Speech Structures Essay Example for Free

Speech Structures Essay As I listened, what I saw as essential in the understanding of the cases was knowing the name of the case and the state or court that was involved, the procedural history, the facts, the legal issue or issues raised in the case by the defendant and prosecutor, the courts holding, the courts reasoning and the disposition. If one of these items was left out you do not get the whole picture and the dilemma at hand. With out some of these parts it would be hard to follow where one part ends and the other part begins. One person that I listened to that I believe had a good speech structure was her case was on Pennhurst State School v Halderman (1981) which dealt with the Mental Institution and Patients rights. She began by telling us what her speech was about and the things that were found within the speech. She then began by telling us an interesting bit of the history of Pennhurst leading to the case. She had all her information set up according to the directions and also did a good job in transitioning from one topic to another providing the correct information. Out of all the speeches I heard I feel like my own speech could have been better. My speech was on Lawrence v. Texas (2003) which dealt with sex and privacy. I feel like I rushed my speech a bit and did not notice some of my mistakes. I believe my speech needed a tighter organizational structure which would have helped me during my presentation because some of my topics were placed in places they should not have been. During all of the presentations I personally do not think that any one of the students failed to follow directions. I believe that everyone did a great job in writing and presenting their speeches. Some were put better then others and some just like myself lacked a bit of structure. But other then that I believe everyone followed the directions as best as they could. Civil liberties and Constitutional rights After listening to the presentations I learned a bit about our country. I learned that even in our recent times there are still some states that had or still have laws that go against individuals constitutional rights. As well as I learned how each and everyone of these important cases changed the aws and the visions of many people till this very day. What impressed me was the courage that many of these individuals had to stand up to segregation, racism, discrimination, and other horrible things. What also impressed me was in the case of Plessy vs Ferguson and how a guy that was almost completely white put him self out there as black to put a point across since in his community he was considered black because of his one ancestor. He was labeled as â€Å"Creole of Color† and arrested for sitting in the â€Å"white car†. One thing that still sticks in my mind is the case of Thompson V Ok. It is unbelievable how a 15 year old child could commit such a brutal murder with no remorse what so ever and not be sent to death because of his age even though he committed such a heinous crime. After everything the discussions at the end of our speeches were very helpful. They helped in further explaining the situations as well as they helped put current issues into perspective with the cases that we wrote about. It was quite interesting in seeing how these cases formed what we are now and where this country is headed. And for the most part I feel like they are headed in the right direction.

The Business Event Management

The Business Event Management Welcome to the future of Music Event Management. We help in organizing our different Music events with affordable festival. We plan our events base on the purpose of music like music festival. Our music event management services include a complete process of budgeting, event dates, selecting and reserving the event venue, coordinating transportation and parking, developing a theme or motive for the event, arrangement of speakers, decoration of site, catering services, event support and security. We along with our expert teams sit down and make decisions for the betterment of our clients and try to provide an excellent service according to the customers demands. 1.0 Introduction Today, events are central perhaps never before. Increased leisure time and discretionary spending have led to proliferation of public events, celebration and entertainment. Governments now support and promote events as well as parts of their strategies for economic development, nation building and destination marketing. Corporation and business embrace events as key elements in their marketing strategies and image promotion. The enthusiasm of community groups and individuals for their own interest and passion gives rise to a marvelous array of events on almost every subject and theme imaginable. Events spill out of newspapers and television screens, occupy much of our time and enrich our lives. Source: Special eventsGreat Britain-Management,  Elsevier/Butterworth Heinemann. 2006. 1.1 Define of Event Management Event management is the process by which an event is planned, prepared, and produced. As with any other form of management, it encompasses the assessment, definition, acquisition, allocation, direction, control, and analysis of time, finances, people, products, services, and other resources to achieve objectives. An event managers job is to oversee and arrange every aspect of an event, including researching, planning, organizing, implementing, controlling, and evaluating an events design, activities, and production. The festival was traditionally a time of celebration and recuperation which often followed a period of hard psychical labor, showing or harvesting of crops, for example. The essential feature of these festivals was the celebration or reaffirmation of community or culture. The artistic content of such events was variable and many had religious or ritualistic aspects, but music dance and drama was important feature of the celebration. Source: (The policy of study institute 1992) 2.0 Importance of Planning and administering in event management Event planners design, organize and coordinate conventions, conferences, corporate meetings, exhibitions, etc. In fact, there are thousands of events of every scale that need an event planners services. Somebody is always needed to oversee all the details and to ensure that the event happens, successfully. Event planners are responsible for every aspect, from marketing, catering, signage, displays, translation, audio-visual equipment, printing and security. They also take care of participants accommodations and transport. They are responsible for the financial side: setting and monitoring the overall budget for the venture. Political and Union events. Conferences and conventions. Trade shows. Company socials. Meetings. New product launches. Charity fundraisers. Grand openings. Festivals. Parties. Event management and planning is a career that offers excitement and a degree of glamour in return for hard work, a large amount of energy and flexibility, and a high level of organizational and logistical skills. 3.0 The Role of Music Festival Manager An event management professional is responsible for almost every aspect of event, from planning an event to the execution or conducting the event. An event management professional has to take care many operations and processes to organize an event and make it successful which generally include Planning the event, Venue selection for the event, Logistics, Design, Decoration, Negotiation, Media planning, Budgeting for the event, Marketing the event, Ticket sales, Customer service, Managing people, Catering, Hospitality, Time management and Problem solving. The Music Event Manager is the one essential position for any event committee organizing an event. The Music Event Manager is responsible for: à ¢-  The smooth running and coordination of the event. à ¢-  The inclusive and welcoming nature of the event for all. à ¢-  Ensuring that the event complies with all relevant Federal and State laws and local government policies and regulations. à ¢-  Ensuring that all forms are filled out and details lodged with the relevant authority. à ¢-  Ensuring that appropriate permission is received before the event goes ahead. à ¢-  Recording details of invitees and attendees. à ¢-  Ensuring that thank yours are sent to those who have helped in arranging or sponsoring à ¢-  The event and to any special guests. à ¢-  Advertising the event. à ¢-  Budget forecasting and financial control. Event Planning Role of Music event manager starts with planning the event. Event manager has to sit with client to plant the event, in which an event manager comes to know the purpose of the event, type of event, number of attendees, facilities required for the event and the timeline of the event. Budgeting Budgeting immediately comes after the planning of event. Every client has his own budget for the event. A Music event manager has to plan and organize the event within the budget. Every activity after planning the event will depend on clients budget, whether it is venue, food, decoration and gifts or any other part of the event. Venue Selection for the event Once the purpose of event, number of attendees, required facilities and timeline of the event decided, then the venue selection and venue booking comes in the focus. Every venue is not suitable for all kinds of events. Venue selection depends on purpose of event or type of event (i.e. venue for wedding could not same as for the venue of brand promotion or product launch), number of attendees and many other criteria. Good venue selection makes a deep impact on event. Logistics Administering the logistics for an event means planning, booking, outsourcing and monitoring many parts of the event with the help of team. Decoration, kind of furniture required, number of general furniture items (i.e. chairs for attendees), number of special furniture items (i.e. podium for speaker), water, electricity, sound, light, photography and video, menu planning, catering services, lodging and transportation of special guests or chief guests of the event, selection and packaging of return gifts (in many events) and many other activities are included in administering the logistics for an event. Many times, the client preferred theme party. In this case, a Music event manager has to arrange and monitor some additional logistics. Advertising and Media Planning Advertising and media planning are required for many social events (i.e. musical night of renowned singer) and corporate events (i.e. product launch). For many other events, ticket selling is also required (i.e. sports events, movie premiers). A Music event manager has to plan and execute all these activities also. 4.0 Why an action plan is necessary for music festival This stage is to start formulating a Music Action Plan. To be clear, the Music Action Plan is a live management tool that details key project milestones and activity against a timeline it should be continually reviewed and updated as the music planning and operations progress. The music Plan, on the other hand, is a strategic vision and planning document which outlines the event objectives, states the business case and gives financial projections and information over a given time period (often 3-5 years). The Music Plan should be reviewed at key stages as agreed by event partners (most likely at the beginning of each planning stage). It is important to commit our thoughts to paper. This is essential in order to help our understand and share what has to be done, when and by whom. Its also a requirement if we are looking to convince others to invest in our event. Putting together the Music Event Action Plan is a straightforward task that involves listing key activities against a timeline and stating who will be responsible for delivering each element. Critically, it will help us to ensure we have enough time to complete all necessary tasks and help all involved understand their responsibilities. Key activities listed in our Music Event Action Plan may include: > Writing/updating the Music Plan > Identifying event partners and supporters > Recruitment and training > Fundraising activity and deadlines > Budgeting milestones > Key meetings i.e. steering group or sub-committee meetings > Confirming venue(s) > Booking or commissioning program elements > Pre-production/production milestones > Implementing the Marketing Strategy > Live event > Monitoring, evaluation reporting . Use team meetings to update the plan and then make sure that all revisions are circulated to those who are working from the plan. Depending on the size and complexity of our event, we may have separate, more detailed Action Plans for different work areas or departments. For example, we may have one for marketing, one for production, one for fundraising, etc. Its a useful approach to be able to show the entire activity timeline and also to be able to break it down into departments. We may have project management software to help put us together our plan, but if not, a simple activity/month table is useful. Below is a basic template that we could easily replicate in Microsoft Word or similar packages. We have included some sample entries to get us started. As appropriate, we can expand our Action Plan by providing the necessary detail. The point is that it has got to work for us and our event. This chart may be identified why is it necessary for our event. Development of Music concept or event bid Feasibility Study Cost and benefit of events Events resource and infrastructure requirements Decision to chease Decision to proceed with new event Established of organization structure Conduct situation of analysis Creation of control system Development of evaluation of feedback process Source adapted from Getz (2005) Techniques that can be used to monitor progress in music festival The Event Managers role includes ensuring that the music event runs smoothly. A key role is to communicate with all officials and volunteers to ensure that their tasks are being carried out. Always check off the time-line of tasks and duties before and during the event. As tasks are interrelated, it is essential that they are completed in the time planned so as to keep the whole process on track. It is the Music Event managers responsibility to ensure this is done. It is good practice to set regular meeting dates and times for the various individuals and subcommittees to report. Keep minutes and records of all meetings and follow-up on tasks between meetings. These records will be used for monitoring and coordination as well as for the final evaluation, event reporting and input to planning for future music events. Computer programs or work flow charts for project planning and management are also useful for music event monitoring and record keeping. Continuous monitoring is essential for successful events and provides early warning if things begin to deviate from the plan. The earlier any deviations are noticed, the greater the chance of dealing with the situation before major reorganization is required. The more slack time between critical tasks, the more options for adjustment. If the plan needs adjusting because of over-runs of time or resources, the main options open to the Event Manager and the event committee are to: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ find additional resources (eg recruit additional volunteers or seek more funds) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ reassign resources to shorten critical tasks (eg move volunteers or finance from one task area to another) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ reduce costs and/or reschedule key tasks (eg drop non-critical tasks or move non-critical tasks to another time). 5.0 The importance of monitoring or evaluating each stage of planning cycle in music festival The music planning process is an ongoing cycle that incorporates a series of different stages. The outcomes of one stage may change the next stage of the plan. One way of thinking about the stages involved in the planning cycle is: Assessing the context- What need to be done? Detailed planning-who, what, where Monitoring and evaluation Agreeing the outcomes What difference do we want to make Agreeing action How will we go about making difference Setting indicators how we will know we made a difference Each stage feeds into the next, making planning an ongoing activity which is closely linked to evaluation. Planning with communities needs to build upon where the community is now, taking time to identify strengths, opportunities and priorities, and it needs to go at a pace that suits the community. Sometimes earlier stages of the planning cycle will need to be revisited and adapted based on the changing context. 6.0 The importance of time management in music festival Time is one of the most important factors in life. Once time goes it never comes again. Once a thing is done it is done it cannot be changes. One cant go into the history nor change it. Time is as important as money one should spend it carefully. Here are some of the reasons why time management is so important for music festival. 1 Time is limited Time is limited one cannot store or save time. In during the period everything is to finish in music festival. 2. Too many things to do Time is limited but the things to be done are many. One need to maintain a proper schedule and choose the right time for the right activity. Time management helps to choose the things to be done. Time management helps to manage more time to do the things which are more valuable and important to do in music festival. 3. Time management helps to finish the different task in less amount of time- Time management allows to allot good amount of time to different things and get the different things done. By using time management one can plan and organise his activities properly in music festival. 4. Make us conscious about time Time management makes us conscious of the time we have and the different things we have to do in the available time. By being conscious about the available time one used the time more carefully in music festival. 5. Change music festival activities Time management changes music festival activities. People like different music to different symphony by time management. Now music festival has arranged all in one activities. Time management is very important in music festival because all the festival activities has to finish during the festival period. 7.0 Methods Used to Evaluate Success of Music Festival Radio advertising should be predominant for the repositioning- our target audience are large radio listeners, and respond well to this media. Internet the target audience very technologically aware and a viral e-mail campaign with a well developed, interactive, website is essential to increase awareness. In addition we should have a campaign through printed media- there are many specialist magazine aim at the target audience and we should use these to promote sales. (See below) Music festival Manager such as posters should also be used and Sales promotion Sponsorship and PR 8.0 Conclusion Manager is there to work in event. It is all about planning, planning and more planning. It is more significance on the company festival manager. It is necessary to change new horizon of music festival. Because people needs new quality of music festival. We can say for arranging any company follow our music festival and also important to develop organizer activities. This is important for company festival manager to change new horizon and creativity in new path of organization. An event manger organizes all the festival activities and preparing event atmosphere in his decision.

Dreams in Song of Solomon, Narrative Frederick Douglass, Life of a Slav

Dreams in Song of Solomon, Narrative of Frederick Douglass, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, and Push    In 1776 it was stated that our country was based upon one simple truth, "That all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Though stated with a poetic justice, this statement did not hold true for all U.S. citizens. Many citizens were held in captivity, versus freedom, unable to pursue those "inalienable rights." After two hundred years of inequality, Martin Luther King, Jr., would provide one of the most vocal positions regarding the lack of equal rights owed to African Americans. In his 1969 Lincoln Memorial speech, King would historically state, "I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream, that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed - we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."    Like most Americans, African Americans have developed several variations of the American Dream. Many African Americans find that their dream differs from the traditional American dream in that there is no immediate success. Sometimes it consists of equality via liberty and/or literacy, while at other a simple desire to know self through historical connection. Dreams of this nature have been a major underlying theme of African-American literature since the 1800's.    In the mid-1800's Frederick Douglass began sharing his story of slavery with what was then considered the "North." Douglass realized his dream early in life and worked to achieve as much of the dream as possible. As he explains in The Classic Sla... ...e up the great African-American literary tradition describing the quest for the dream of equality, and in that, exercising their inalienable rights.    WORKS CITED Brent, Linda. Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. The Classic Slave Narratives. Ed. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. New York: Penguin Group, 1987. Douglass, Frederick. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. The Classic Slave Narratives. Ed. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. New York: Penguin Group, 1987. Gates, Henry Louis, Jr. Introduction. The Classic Slave Narratives. Ed. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. New York: Penguin Group, 1987. ix-xviii. Graff, Harvey J. The Literacy Myth: Literacy and Social Structure in the Nineteenth-Century City. New York: Academic Press, 1979. Morrison, Toni. Song of Solomon. New York: The Penguin Group, 1977. Sapphire. Push. New York: Vintage Contemporaries, 1996.

Study of Southwest Airlines Essay -- Business Management Studies SWOT

Study of Southwest Airlines 1. What three things impress you most about this company? One thing that really impressed me about Southwest was their ability to maintain high profits and maintain a high customer base even after the September 11 attacks and 2002 recession. Another impressive attribute is the fact that they can keep their prices very low and affordable to customers. The last thing that really impressed me about Southwest Airlines was their management system. Their motto that employees are equal to upper management seemed to me a risky approach, but for Southwest it was a very brilliant and profitable idea. 2. Do a SWOT analysis. (See Exhibit 1 for analysis) STRENGTH * Major profitable airline company since September 11, terror attack * Lower prices than competitors * Friendly service * Short air travel between two cities * Upside-down pyramid management system * Plenty of daily flights * Entertainment for passengers WEAKNESS * Only flies to 29 states * Cannot compete with larger airline companies * Does not utilize a hub system * No first class seating * Smaller seats compared to larger airline companies * Only uses Boeing 737 Airlines OPPORTUNITES * Slash Prices even more to eliminate competitors * Add first class compartment * Expansion into new geographic region * Add flights in areas where rivals were cutting back service * Expand airline fleet to fly longer distances * Add longer, non-stop flights THREATS * New entrants * Increased rivalry * FAA rules and regulations * Government Regulation * Land-based travel such as Amtrak and Greyhound * Other airline companies duplicating Southwest Airlines? strategy 3. What grade would you give Southwest management for the job it has done in crafting the company?s strategy? I would give Southwest management an A grade, for the reason that Southwest Airlines is described as an upside-down pyramid. The upper management is at the bottom and supports the front line employees, who are the experts. This is Herb Kelleher's unorthodox leadership style, in which management decisions are made by everyone in the organization, not just the head executives. The company is described as not having much of an emphasis on structure; instead, employees are encouraged to think freely without constrai... ...mselves and stress the quality of these frills (such as roomier seats). Others, through use of flight hubs, are the only ones who can economically serve remote customers. Another weakness of Southwest Airlines is its preference for Boeing 737s. Being limited to one type of airplane leaves them with little flexibility when the model receives a bad reputation or a critical flaw is discovered. Such would be a costly venture for this company, who has used only one type of airplane, and in the face of a dire situation would face a costly venture of finding replacements or counteracting bad publicity. A possible threat is that since Southwest Airlines' strategy has proven so effective, it will be duplicated by its competitors to a point where it would lose originality. This could result in competitors offering low rates to the areas covered by Southwest and beyond, making Southwest Airlines' range and limitations more obvious. It would be very possible in the near future where a big company, with its hubs (something Southwest does NOT have), would basically introduce Southwest Airlines' low-cost model to a wider market, encroaching and outdoing Southwest Airlines.

Facebook the Negative Effects Essay

Thirteen-year-old Megan Meier hanged herself after being cyber bullied on MySpace by Josh Evans—not a real boy, it turned out, but a creation of neighbors. According to Oprah.com, Social networking has become a part the daily lives of Americans both young and old. The digital age that America finds itself in has made online social networking a top resource for communication. It is the ultimate test of ego, a new social acceptance, a place of danger, a growing addiction and obsession and over the past six years; social networking sites have become a social and cultural phenomenon. In the words of Noel Sheppard, It creates electronic relationships and makes it easy for a â€Å"friend† to misrepresent themselves under the â€Å"protective umbrella of anonymity†. It places distance between people who could communicate in person but instead choose to communicate online. Although social networking sites are increasing interactions among friends and family, it is decrea sing the quality of human interactions in real life. Social networking has facilitated communication, commerce, and information distribution. However, the downside to the social networking has become the topic of recent studies because of the rise of digital media and the ways the computer has penetrated human society. Popular social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace, have caused many children to become obsessed and addicted, resulting in being incapable of having real conversations with people, to a larger effect, it is harming their health and work ethic in classrooms and the average teen now spends on average nine hours per week on social networking sites. This accumulates to 18 days out of the 365 days of the year. Those 18 days spent sitting on a chair in front of an artificial communicating device, an average person could walk from Los Angeles to San Francisco and back. Due to social networking sites, young teens are encountering alarming and harmful changes in their brains, and constant exposure to buzzing noises and bright lights, can cause shorter attention spans. Moreover, social networking sites are not only are harming the brains of children but it is resulting in low grades and low self-esteem. Furthermore, teachers are noticing that their student’s work is suffering because they constantly spend time on social networking sites rather than focusing on their homework. According to BBC News, 58% of teachers said that their children’s spelling was becoming worse and worse as  they enter the â€Å"digital age.† Spokeswoman Janie Burt asserts that â€Å"Rather than relying on life experiences, educational travel and face to face interaction with others, children are becoming obsessed with social networking sites and this is shaping their attitudes instead.† Online communicating is shaping our society into socialization, depression, and incapability to establish real life relationships. The distinction between genuine friends and acquaintances is becoming blurred. Users are spending time maintaining relationships with people with whom they do not really care. Cyperbullying has become more proliferated through social networking sites than emailing and text messaging. According to Procon.org, statistics show that 17.3% of middle school students have been victims of cyperbullying. Victims, often teens and young children experience lowered grades, self-esteem, and symptoms of depression. Social networking sites reveal personalities that are more â€Å"polished† and â€Å"bolder† thus creating a veiled stranger. Alex Gilbert, a teacher of creative writing, was puzzled that his friend- â€Å"a particularly masculine-type dude†- who is interested in metal bands and motorcycles, posts videos on Facebook of â€Å"uber cuteâ €  kittens (Sheppard 2). Topics discussions like these that are on social networking sites are not subsistent for real life conversations. Social networking also allows passive-aggressive behavior. Virtually anything can be said behind a screen. Furthermore, social networking sites have evolved into a social acceptance, a basic necessity for the common American and you can even be seen as rude or unprofessional to ignore this new evolved media. Because real personal socializing has decreased, people are becoming socially isolated and even parents and couples are spending less time with their loved ones because they use internet social networking as a tool of communication. One 35-year-old woman even discovered her husband was divorcing her via Facebook. Conference organizer Emma Brady was distressed when she read that her marriage was over when her husband updated his status on the site to read: â€Å"Neil Brady has ended his marriage to Emma Brady. Facebook, the most widely used social networking site has over 90 million users in the United States and over 300 million worldwide. Certainly, social networking sites are increasing interactions among friends and family, but it is decreasing the quality of real personal interactions. Social  networking sites were not developed to help people connect and improve their lives, but rather, so companies can make money by advertising to them. A statistic from procon.org states that advertisers in the U.S. spent almost 1.4 billion dollars to place advertisements on social networking sites in 2008. Social networking sites also have an effect on politics. In the presidential election of 2008, candidates campaigned to voters with many different types of sites. On November 3, 2008, the day before the Election Day, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama had 2,379,102 Facebook fans while Republican candidate McCain had 620,359 according to procon.org. This illustrates the effect social networking can have on all aspects of social and even political life. As online communication gradually destroys our society, the problem is not only the tools we use to communicate, but it is what we choose to expose online that can be harming. Based on an article written by Melissa Ridenour, a poorly responsible driver crashed his car and posted on his Facebook wall â€Å"I’m not an alcoholic, I’m a drunkaholic† which later that very information he posted, was used to prosecute him in court. Sharing your personal information on social networking sites can create higher risks of robbery and invasion of security and privacy. In just recent cases, police, colleges, and schools are supervising MySpace and Facebook pages to obtain personality behaviors and conduct. Due to this, thousands of social network site users have lost their jobs or failed to launch new ones. What we choose to reveal online can be easily seen by predators. Such personal information is all that is needed for your identity to be stolen. According to procon.org, in February 2009, MySpace identified 90,000 sex offenders with profiles on the site. A statistic from the Internet Safety Technical Force says that 43% of online sexual solicitors were under the age eighteen and 30% were between eighteen and twenty, while the other nine percent were over the age 21. Thirteen-year-old Megan Meier’s death was not caused by a real person, but by an artificial world of social networking that creates danger, isolation, and harm to every element in society. Although proponents of social networking argue that online interaction connects people with friends and family around the world, society has turned social networking sites into toxic time carnivores. When balanced on a scale, social networking is  overweighed with negative effects. Like millions of users worldwide, Social networking has become part our daily lives but we cannot let it sink our society into the trap of the digital age.