It’s a survey among people with various age groups and how much they use social media, how do they use it, and how much it has an effect on their lives. Interviewing people with different statuses, we found that it did vary from the same age group and at different age groups too.

First we interviewed two freshmen students at LAU age groups between 16-18; Lara Tahini and Sherihan Yatim. Lara the 17 year old, uses Facebook as a tool on social media, “im addicted to Facebook, if I have free time all I do is spend my time on it. I love to see the pictures and see the status updates, and notifications.”  Lara also uses Skype for contacting her parents in Africa, she says that social media is very beneficial for communication is very easy and cheap.  As for twitter she didn’t know what it is and she always hears about it but never that interested to search or has an account. ‘For me Facebook is so much fun and better.”

As for Sherihan 17 year old was very eager to say that she did have a Facebook, Twitter, Skype accounts but didn’t use any. She said that Black Berry is much better its faster communication wise and keeps you in contact with friends and family 24/7. As for social media, “it’s useless it is a waste of time, it takes away the social life of the person, it is much better to BBM where you can carry it around all the time.”  

The second age group where between 20-25 two LAU students Farah Shami a Radio/TV/Film major second year and Lama EL Haqhaq a journalism major third year where extremely opposite.

Farah used Facebook for the updates keeps her posted to her interests like singers or actors and even news. She said social media is very important in ones life it’s the only source of information that we can get very quickly and stay updated. “Especially my major I have to stay posted to new technological tools and to hear about plays … these things are demanded for my major.” Also TV is very essential to her she watches segments and her story that benefits her personally like the latest video clips. As for twitter she didn’t show that interest she didn’t consider that having an account would change her life style or enhance it. She also uses Skype for the free calls that she can contact and talk with her friends and family. “In general I can’t live without Facebook its part of my life as for the other tools online I use search engines like Google but that’s  it I haven’t made it yet to twitterJ>”

Lama a journalist major was active on social media. She is a blogger she has followers, she uses twitter, Facebook, Foursquare, Linkedin, “I use all these tools, I even have them on my phone I carry it where I go. Social media has changed my life a lot from bogging to saying what I want to express my view point to tweeting and being updated to the latest news being talked around me.” It’s a very important medium it broadens your connections and keeps you posted to new things and this helps us in the community that we belong to. “

Our last age group was between 29-39 years old. We had an interview with Dr. Yasmine Dabbous an assistant professor in journalism at LAU, she uses the Facebook and reads blog but that’s it. “I don’t have an account on twitter, I don’t use Facebook that much, some use it for entertainment, and I just don’t have time to waste. According to keeping my students up-to-date I use TV and read news papers online and listen to news to provide my students with everything they need. It’s just that I’m not a social media person.”

But she also believes that social media has a huge impact on our lives it benefits the students more and more and especially those majoring in journalism for the speed of information, and social media as a medium is complemented with traditional media like TV and news paper they both run together and they are both there to stay.

Dealing with these various aging groups I was surprised to see that the 17 year- old weren’t that much interested and the 35 year-old too. But alas social media has changed a lot of lives starting with mine!!

It’s a very important medium for information, it keeps the person up-to-date. As for people who consider it a waste of time and takes away the social life, what about the BBM service doesn’t it do the same??

I guess that those who aren’t introduced to blogs twitter, foursquare, word press, Tumblr…. Is just a matter of time until you realize that it is important?  People still aren’t that aware of how much twitter affects one’s life as a medium of information.

I was once away from these tools but once introduced it changed a lot of things, at least I can know what is happening around. In this medium “social media” there is no wrong and right as ling a person stay updated and knows how to stay posted in every day life issues and news.

“I was once an ignorant and having twitter I learned how to read.” TR

After a documentary we sew in our #Lausocial class, I got to wonder who we are really encountering with on facebook, or any other social media medium. The documentary called”CatFish” talks about a person building a relationship with another girl that doesn’t really exist, rather a woman who is sick( I can claim to say ) she’s married with 3 children, flirting around a guy as old as her son, and has over 99 fake accounts on facebook. Online relationships are that (if to happen) of scary ones, you might never get to determine the person he/she sitting behind the PC pouring out lies. While offline relationships can be more sincere in that you get to interact emotionally and physically with the person sitting in front of you. One of the most important things when to establish a relationship is the body language of the person and the eyes; but still the question keeps asking itself can you really determine when some one is lying or not?

In anything in life human beings love to impress, whether at a date, job interview, meeting, the whole point is to put on your best outfit and mask yourself around people, but that is considered accepted as long as no harm is done. But when someone lies about stuff and creates people from the imagination and build relationships on false unrealistic matters this person is considered to be a fraud and needs serious medication.

Online relationship matter a lot from offline ones. But to create a halo of you is there, but when you interact face to face you can get to know a person more than just looking into a PC and have a conversation. Looking into someone’s eyes is much better and efficient than looking into a PC, shaking someone’s hands is better than typing, observing one’s reaction to certain things is definitely more honest than waiting for a reply.

For me with my very humble point of view I consider offline relationships is more honest and sincere and this I can say from experience, interaction is what this whole matter is about to detect lies and know at least a person is really on facebook or he’s/she’s on fakebook.

Always go for eye to eye matter and when things are almost open and true then electronics and online conversations can take place.

But you guys should go and try out this plce its next to Falamanki , the decor is very cosy and the food is great , and the best part that the menu includes sushi

Gowalla such a waste im so sorry to say so but its always good to try new things to know the value of the other.:):)

I thought he’s someone more appealing than what he is. He’s Mark Zucherburg the inventor of a wide social network used by almost all the world’s population “Facebook.” When I got to know who is Zucherburg in real life rather than movie I was a little bit disappointed, in the movie we saw a character that new what it wants, persistent to create something new, and to be a jerk with his girlfriend. He is smart, witty, and always knows what to say. While watching Zucherburg in 60 Minutes, there was confusion, he didn’t really seem appealing to what he did in real life. I expected a more confident, calm person. In a lot of moments I saw fear, and a bit of lying in what he had to say.

What I’m trying to say that Mark in the movie “The Social Network” sounded more honest to what he did than Zucherburg in real life.  In the movie I was 100 percent with Mark what he did, he didn’t steal the idea from the twins, and he developed what we all use these days the Facebook, while in real life Zucherburg didn’t look quite appealing to even convince us that he has the right of owning this huge social network.

In both cases we owe Mark Zuchergurg a huge deal of thanks for it wasn’t for him facebook didn’t exist, whether he’s appealing or not!!! He did create something that made communication very easy.  

I have faith in one of the closest people to my heart and that is my cousin Mohamad, for one day I believe he will be able to do something of the sort. He’s very smart when it comes to PC’S and the way they process, and he’s always active on searching for new technological things. Lets just hope he’ll make it to be another Zuckerburg.

This is the movie social network, such a string movie to emphasize such a big social network got created. And the many problems that we as users heard that the creator is getting sued.

On acting level the, Mark Zuckergurg, the main character in the movie and the inventor of the social network The Facebook , was marvellous. His attitude his wittiness and the way he acted so smart was what attracted me most to continue to know about the whole process.

There’s nothing i didnt like about the movie, David Fincher director of the movie, knew exactly what kind of rythym the movie should be. Its young and fresh and fast just like facebook. The speed in the movie is what attracted me most , this twist of speed of movie and the speed of info conveys how we really are in real life.

The story in real life was that of interest to many people , so when it was introduced as a movie it was out of curiosity for us , the audience to know what happened behind this huge network that we are using. It got us thinking on a personal level that for every success  stands infront of it alot of enemies who wanna put you down.

The sense of humor, the lightness of characters completed the real thing, it was a very creative work and it wouldnt be such a success without the main character’s improvisation.

The social Network is a must-see movie, one that broadens us not to know how Facebbok was created but also to know how things go in real life and reflect them personally.

The dialogue was very easy to comprehend using our daily language. The way embedded messages went through the movie that held so many meanings .

If you didnt see it ; do so cuz u”ll be missing alot

-define your company’s social media strategy                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

-HOPE is not a strategy

-stop thinking “campaigns” and start thinking “conversations”       

-ask for help if you need it

-and because I’d hate to see you miss it

these where the tips that Mohamad Shawash gave on social media.

Naeema Zarif another interesting speaker who talked about Creative Commons and how interesting it can get with a diplay video. Its about sharing anything you want from pictures to videos to writings this way the whole world will share too with you. The video also explained more about all rights reserved and how you can have your own copyright on whatever you post on CC . Her explanation was every interesting and what is important i was intorduced to this new medium i never knew about and found it really interesting and worth know about it. “welcome to a new world where collaboration rule ,” was the aim behind the video and the lecture that@ Naeema Zarif later continued with .

another very interesting blogger was @Johnny El Hage who introduced us to his blogging in the lebanese language. At first it was kind of weird to me, but then when Johnny started explaining and i got to read his bloggs its amazing.Using the Lebanese language in blogging gets you to know what the message really is and there’s nothing better than reading something with your own use of language . Thank you Johnny for this great opportunity as Lebanese, to use the language and convey it in messages that we can know of directly and instantly.