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
eal - 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 doesnt see many posts from conservatives, he admits.
facebook’s software may be reinforcing his tendency to only see links from people he
social media by martin gysler is licensed under cc by - nc - sa 2.0.
assessment questions

1. \cell phones serve as the main entryway to the internet for teens in low - income families without home computers or broadband.\ how does this quote from paragraph 9 contribute to the development of ideas in the article?

a. young people are more likely to communicate on their phones rather than talk to people face - to - face, which limits them from having
eal world\ experiences.
b. mobile devices allow more people from different backgrounds, such as teens from low - income families, access to the internet and the ability to join online discussions.
c. teens from lower - income families are less likely to be spending time on the internet and thus gain more valuable experiences with a wider range of people.
d. the internet is not as accessible as we think it is and therefore should be free to everyone, regardless of income or status.

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze each option:

• Option A: The quote is about cell phones as an internet entryway for low - income teens, not about limiting real - world experiences. Eliminate A.
• Option B: The quote states that cell phones are the main internet entryway for teens in low - income families without home computers or broadband. This means mobile devices (cell phones) enable these teens (from a different background) to access the internet and join online discussions. This matches the idea of the quote contributing to the article's ideas about access.
• Option C: The quote is about how they access the internet, not about them spending less time on the internet or gaining more experiences with a wider range of people. Eliminate C.
• Option D: The quote is about cell phones as an entryway, not about the internet not being accessible and should be free. Eliminate D.

Answer:

B. Mobile devices allow more people from different backgrounds, such as teens from low - income families, access to the Internet and the ability to join online discussions.