Question

due december 13, 2025 at 11:59 pm
anti - social networks? were just as cliquey online
laura sydell • 2011
for some people, online social networking sites help them make new friends and keep in touch with old ones. for others, social networking sites may be reinforcing existing biases and limits new social experiences.
as you read, identify the author’s claims about the influence of social media.

1. social networks such as facebook and twitter are helping people keep in touch with friends and family. but just how social are those networks? are internet communities simply “real - world” cliques moved online?

dwayne aikens uses facebook to stay in touch with people he already knows — friends and family who, for the most part, share his political views. aikens lives in oakland, calif., and runs a nonprofit that focuses on health and fitness.
“a lot of my friends are democrats and liberals,” aikens says — and his facebook newsfeed reflects that. he doesn’t see many posts from conservatives, he admits.
facebook’s software may be reinforcing his tendency to only see links from people he agrees with: when facebook displays your “top news,” it’s guessing what you’re interested in seeing based on how often you have clicked on a particular friend’s entries in the past.
social media by martin gysler is licensed under cc by - nc - sa 2.0.
assessment questions

1. part a: which of the following best describes a central idea of the text?

a. the majority of people actively seek out others with different or opposing views because they want to be challenged about their ideas.
b. social media sites should be given more credit for the power they hold, especially in the entertainment industry.
c. due to the design of many social media platforms, people are more likely to stay within their “real life” social cliques and interest circles while online.
d. internet users should make a daily effort to reach out to people outside of social media and meet in person.

Explanation:

To determine the central idea, we analyze each option:

• Option A: The text doesn't suggest most people seek opposing views; instead, it implies the opposite (staying in familiar circles). Eliminate A.
• Option B: The text focuses on social behavior, not the entertainment industry's credit for social media power. Eliminate B.
• Option C: The text (e.g., Dwayne Aikens' example, Facebook's software reinforcing existing connections) shows social media design leads people to stay in real - life cliques online. This matches.
• Option D: The text doesn't discuss meeting in person outside social media; it's about online behavior. Eliminate D.

Answer:

C. Due to the design of many social media platforms, people are more likely to stay within their "real life" social cliques and interest circles while online.