Reaction to social networking and society

a. One advantage to social networking is the ability to reach out to people you might otherwise not see. People you have lost touch with now can reenter our lives simply by "friending a friend of a friend" and BOOM! you have found each other again. Another advantage is you can reach out to more than one person at a time. You can send a message to hundreds, if you have that many friends.
 One disadvantage is that it has become very impersonal. We do not talk to each other anymore beyond a sentence here or there on these sites.
b. One positive effect is that you are connecting with a wide variety of people. This may impact your career or social life. One negative effect is that we are relying too heavily on it to stay in touch with family and friends. We would sooner send a message on Facebook or Twitter, or post something to their wall, than pick up the phone and have an actual conversation.
c. Businesses are using it to reach out in a marketing sense. Facebook lets a business know what the public's preferences are and will adjust its marketing to those preferences. At my job, we use Facebook to spread the word about Lasik, how good our surgeons are and what is included in pricing. We also get feedback on our customer service.
d.  I think social networking will evolve and even explode more over the coming years. People will rely on it more than just than text messages or even phone calls. Email will not be as useful because you cannot get the instant gratification that Facebook provides. You can also get the response of many more people than with a phone call.