Resolved: That, on balance, social networking Web sites have a positive impact on the United States.

-My opponent has asked me to give the sources for my contentions, which I have previously provided. However, before my opponent can request for additional information, he himself must first fully reciprocate his requests. Moving on to refute my opponents contentions... 1."Information put on social networking sites can have far-reaching negative ramifications..." -My opponent has not given any sources to support this contention, so it should be voided. Moreover, this has a positive impact on the United States because it becomes an incentive to use the social networking sites with respect for others. When an individual has to learn the potential consequences by receiving them, it is much better. 2. "Social networking provides a major distraction for students and employees alike..." - That is an individuals choice, and the social networking site neither forces them nor hypnotizes individuals into wanting to waste 233 million hours of their time [as you so eloquently stated.] -You still have failed to give a citation for these statistic. 3. "Sexual predation is a big risk in using the social network sites..." -Once again, you didn't give an accessible source for the Crimes Against Children Research Center at the University of New Hampshire statistic or your FBI source. Moreover, the resolution states "social networking Web sites." This is referring to the intended usage of them from creation. Therefore, [because they were not created to have underage users, or have sexual predators prey on the naive,] it is not the fault of the websites, but their irresponsible users. 4. "Also a major issue is cyber bullying..." - Again, the site was used in an inappropriate manner so it should not be blamed on the social networking site. Thank you for the link. However, the statistics do not specifically state social networking websites. However, it does say "Savvy students are using Instant Messaging, e-mails, chat rooms and websites they create to humiliate a peer." As a result, these statistics do not belong in this debate. 5. "83% of adults who use social networking sites have downloaded unknown files from other people's profiles, potentially exposing themselves to malware as a result." -I would like to remind you that did not give an accessible source. Moreover, you said "Unknown." Individuals should remain responsible for themselves, and downloading unknown files is not at all responsible, which once again leads me to proclaim that social networking websites should not be held accountable for something like that. 6."Identity theft is a big issue in social networking sites as people place their personal information on Social networking sites." - In everything in life, there is a rule of thumb. Placing extremely sensitive information is by no means in accordance to the rule of thumb concerning social networking websites. Social networking websites should not be held accountable for something like that. To my own contentions: Source for definitions: [http://jcmc.indiana.edu...] 1. Economically positive [http://www.surepayroll.com...] [http://uk.reuters.com...] "When SurePayroll asked small business owners if they believe online social networking has a place in the business world, 55% said yes." That is more than 50%, leading me to conclude that they are good for businesses. ["It is no longer just an outlet for personal use -- it's rapidly becoming a must for business success," says Rohrer] John Palfrey [Professor of Law and Vice Dean, Harvard Law School] and Urs Gasser [Associate Professor of Law, University of St. Gallen]. Born Digital. New York: Basic Books. 2008. p. 103. "Technology companies have a strong incentive to keep young people safe online. The most popular online environments, such as social network sites, make money from advertising. These companies want to keep their young customers on their site for as long as possible, and they want them to visit as frequently as possible, so that they can present them with advertisements, which in turn pay for the operation of the site. The safer the young people perceive these sites to be, the more time they are likely to spend there. The same goes for sites for young children, except that in this case it is the parents who appreciate safety online and allow the children to participate. In many cases, the people who work for technology companies want to keep people safe because, as parents themselves, they simply want to do the right thing." - You stated, "First of all, this claim is not backed by a statistic. Similar to one of my opponent's contentions in Round 1, in order for us to weigh this impact, we need to have a sense of the relative impact that this is having. Without these statistics, we are forced to judge from an uncertain viewpoint. In addition, these "effects" that social networking sites have are not unique. They can be replicated with phones, IM, chat rooms, fax, email, etc. The exchange of communication that my opponent describes could just as easily have been done with any of the aforementioned methods, rendering this actual impact little-to-none." However, [http://www.isafe.org...] "Savvy students are using Instant Messaging, e-mails, chat rooms and websites they create to humiliate a peer. No longer can parents count on seeing the tell-tale physical signs of bullying—a black eye, bloody lip, torn clothes. But the damage done by cyber bullies is no less real, and can be infinitely more painful." Nowhere over here does it talk of social networking site. Therefore confirming "Resolved: That, on balance, social networking Web sites have a positive impact on the United States." -You did not give an accessible source to you refutation containing statistics. 2. Political impact [http://www.boston.com...] "Also, when evaluating the impact of this, one must also consider that an extra method for a politician to campaign that is useful once every four years does not have a large impact in the grand scheme of things." When this positive impact of the social networking websites is compiled with the others, it goes to show that the impact is more than positive. "Some election specialists and campaign officials believe the early voting dates may lower turnout among college students, but the candidates are trying to counter that by using... social networking sites like Facebook to stay tethered to their supporters." 3. Enhancement of our democracy [http://www.law.cornell.edu...] -I was not referring to the legality of social networking sites, but rather the fact that they stand for all America is. As they do that, they also enhance our democracy. 4. Social impact [http://online.journalism.utexas.edu...][http://www.eharmony.com...] -On average 236 Eharmony members marry everyday. This is just one site which goes to show that social networking websites obviously have a positive impact on the United States. "Resolved: That, on balance, social networking Web sites have a positive impact on the United States." As the Pro [Affirmative] representative of this debate, I have obviously proved that the social networking websites have a positive impact on the United States. As a result, I feel that I have won this debate.