Clayton Pangelinan’s Analysis of Possible Causes

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Using the “Ways In” activity “How can I analyze possible causes or effects?”, Clayton Pangelinan sorted through the notes he had made doing preliminary research for his essay “#socialnetworking: Why It’s Really So Popular.” He began with the vague idea of examining the popularity of social networking, which he could establish easily with information he found from the Pew Research Center — a solid source. The Pew Research Center also offered reasons for the popularity of social media based on polling; its research suggested that staying in touch with friends and family and connecting with people with shared interests were the main reasons people use social media. But Pangelinan thought these reasons seemed too obvious and wanted to delve more deeply.

Following is the list of possible causes and a few sentences he wrote analyzing each cause. Notice that in a few cases he refers to research he has already found.

Possible Causes Analysis of Causes
1. We have the technology for it now. The Pew Research Center shows how social networking increased hugely in all age groups in 2005–6. We had to have Web 2.0 to create interactive use; without the technology, it simply couldn’t have existed. So I will establish that the increase exists with a useful chart from Pew, and then I’ll examine why social media is the form interactive behavior has taken.
2. People can connect with the lives and activities of friends and family. The phone increased our connections, and e-mail did too, but not until people joined social media did they have a chance to be in touch daily —sometimes hourly — with everyone they cared about all at once. This is an obvious cause. You can share what you want with friends, acquaintances, and followers, and learn about their lives, too. It’s interactive rather than read-only. (Research To Do note: Find Matthew Lieberman’s article recommended by my professor about why our brains are “wired to connect.”)
3. People can shape how their lives look and how other people see them. When people post to social media, they can revise what they write to create the impression they want. However, some people post really spontaneously, so I don’t know whether this is a valid cause. Interview friends? This would be a more hidden cause.
4. People can reach more than one person at a time. You have a larger audience when you post to social media. It’s not like writing a letter or making a phone call — you can reach countless people all at once. This is a continuing cause. Appeals to people who want attention? Narcissists?
5. People can satisfy a desire for celebrity. Could use Andy Warhol’s 15 minutes of fame. Find examples of people who are clearly posting so they will get attention (Padme). Other examples?
6. It is a way to keep current in the world. Can be a way to be “up” on current events without having to read newspapers, magazines, and books — too time-consuming? Twitter, for example, provides snippets of news that keep you up to date on what’s happening right now. You can choose your own topics — politics, movies, animal rights, climate change, cartoons — it’s all out there — and get different perspectives on the same sites. Some sites attract only one kind of perspective, though, and that might be a drawback — but keeping current is still a cause.

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Pangelinan decided he couldn’t use all of these causes because of the time and space limits for his essay, so he decided to concentrate on humans’ need for connection, their curiosity about other people’s lives, and the desire to be the center of attention. He began with cause 1 because it was obvious that the technology had to have reached a certain point to allow social networking. He merged causes 2 and 3 because they were related and he knew these causes were valid from his own experience; he was sure he could find good examples to support them. He then developed cause 4 into a significant portion of his essay, folding in cause 5 because you can’t get fame without an audience. Narcissism is a strong word that would generate strong opinions, and he thought some people might find it surprising. Finally, he dropped cause 6 altogether because he could write a whole essay just on that cause, and he found causes 2 through 5 more interesting.