To Tweet or Not to Tweet?

Despite the title this isn't just going to be about twitterings. Sorry if I disappoint.

It seems to me that lately social media isn't just being used as a great tool, but for a great deal of other things as well.
Twitter and BB Messenger are being blamed for aiding the recent UK riots.
Personally I don't think that Internet sites and instant messengers can be blamed, but the people who use them can.
On the flip side to this, the same sites were also used to gather crowds of people to help clean up the mess left behind.
This to me seems to be a great primary example of the two sides to this argument.

I personally love sites like Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads and this here blog site. I find it a great way to keep in touch with friends, increase the knowledge of my interests, indulge my liking for gossip, and try to build myself a platform for my (fingers crossed) writing career.
And everyone knows it’s a great way to advertise yourself or your product. It's free and instantaneous.

I also think that it helps those with less confidence, those who find physical interaction slightly harder. It allows them to speak freely and express themselves without fear of being laughed at. (To their face at least.)

Now I know there are plenty of 'againsts' in this argument. Not everyone on the World Wide Web is as they seem, that's why you should treat such virtual 'friendships' with trepidation, and never give out any personal details.
And I am also aware that there are many horrible things like cyber bullying, and some people can get too caught up in their online life to focus on the one they should actually be living.

However those are just the few, these are issues exactly like ones we have in 'real' everyday life. We will try our best to stamp them out, although I don't think we will ever be rid of them. (As much as that statement pains me, there will always be bullies).

And why should we constantly taint something that is bursting at the seems with knowledge and enjoyment. I think the social media age can be a scary one, but there is so much about it to embrace.

I am a twitter, facebooker, goodreader and blogger. I'm out and proud.

Now let us take caution to the wind, and let us fly.