Module 2 : Social Trends

Social Networking Services

Basically social networking service known as online service or site that facilitating people to interact with one and the other to build social relations in the way of sharing interests, activities, background or even real life connections. Mostly social networking services operate through web-based service, which allow the users to connect and interact over the internet, such as email and instant messaging. As Boyd and Ellison (2007) defined ”social network sites as web-based services that allow individuals to construct a public or semi-public profile within a bounded system, articulate a list of other users with whom they share a connection, and view and traverse their list of connections and those made by others within the system” (para 5). Therefore social networking service provide an area as requirement for each user to fill up, such as personal profile, where in this area usually come with name, age, address, etc; social links, and any other additional services, which can be represent each user to the public. As now most of the social networking services recommend users to upload picture as their profile picture.

The unique side of social networking service is to allow individuals to socialize through the internet. Some of these social networking services have a function like an online community of internet users. The community members can share their own interests in hobbies, religion, politics, lifestyles, business, education, and even health. The way members begin to socialize can be by reading the profile pages from the other members and moreover to contacting them (social networking, 2012, para 3).

Social networking services is go through all around the world this means the users can be connect together from any country and this give the benefits of the users. For example if someone staying at New Zealand and he still can develop an online friendship with the other people or someone in China, India and the other country. With online friendship people might learn the new things, such as new language, culture from the other country, which is a good thing. Some of the social networking services participants are not really trying to find or searching a new friend, instead they already knew them and primarily use social networking services to communicate.

 

The video above briefly explain how social networking help individual or the users to socialize and connect with each and the other.

Brief History of Social Networking services 

Social networking services have been available from long time ago, but it really recognize by social at the 1997 known as sixdegrees.com. It was the first social network services that allow users to create profile, list friend and surf their friend lists. “SixDegrees promoted itself as a tool to help people connect with and send messages to others. While SixDegrees attracted millions of users, it failed to become a sustainable business and, in 2000, the service closed. Looking back, its founder believes that SixDegrees was simply ahead of its time” (Weinreich, personal communication, 2007).

  

Move forward from 1997 to 2001 a number of social network sites start to appear such as AsianAvenue, BlackPlanet, MiGente, livejournal and any others. At that time social networking services are not really famous in the public, until in 2002 friendster was launch to introduce the new way for the users communicate. As the other social networking services help individuals to meet the strangers, Friendster was designed to help friends-of-friends meet, based on the assumption that friends-of-friends would make better romantic partners than would strangers. Friendster showed a lot of promise in the way of enabling people to connect easily at the global network of social relationships, by means that internet all about. But the popularity of friendster faded as the rise of my space and facebook. 

In 2004 facebook been introduced for the students in Harvard college but it is not really known to public as the other social networking services, until at 2006 it really goes to general public. Facebook give the ease for the user to use, easy access to the features, and the other simpler factor. According to Goble (2012) state that “Facebook promotes both honesty and openness. It seems people really enjoy being themselves, and throwing that openness out there for all to see” (para 17). These few reason that keep facebook as the most social networking services well known until now.

Launched in 2006, twitter comes with the new way for people to express themselves in short messages of 140 characters or less. Usually celebrities, politicians and companies use Twitter to keep in touch with fans, constituents and consumers. Different from facebook, twitter only consist of two privacy controls: public or pre-approved followers.

Realizing the power of social networking service Google decided to launch their own social network, which called Google+. It completely different from facebook or twitter , Google+ is the social network that give a social layer of the overall Google experience, Google+ allowed users to enter live video chats with other online friends. Even thought it have a lot of users, Google+ still failed to draw a large number of people away from Facebook.   

According to the chart shown above the percentage of social networking services that been use by the public in 2009. Facebook come first as most popular social site compare to the other.

Source : http://mbcchronicles.blogspot.co.nz/2009/12/social-network-statistics-of-2009.html

How it Effect to Society?

Without any doubt social networking services allow users to have connection with the other people all around the world, either there is friend or someone we do not know. Even social networking services enable users to stay up to speed with what are they doing. Furthermore when the social networking services is famous enough, users can search and track down old friends whom have been lost contact or create a groups page to keep in touch with school or college friends and work colleagues. Not only that, social networks help to bind distinct people and varied cultures with common interest, like start interacting with the basis of some common factors.

Social networking services provide more convenient way for people to socializing. “Users can share their pictures and just by click a friend at nearby or even on a distant corner of the world still possible to see it. Also they can spill out their feeling whether happy or sad. Moreover users can upload videos, note, quotes and so on” (Naina, 2011).   

Social networking services also can be place for some people to promote might as part of their business or the way for them to take public attention. For examples: some actors, musicians or writers use social networking services to create special pages and keep fans informed about everything from latest happen or latest single that will be perform. Social networking services also give opportunity to the people to interact with the artists they admire.

As the social networking services give an effective way for community to bring the world closer, which could be educative and inspiring too. Yet there is still negative effect bothering in the way society communicate or interact by using social networking services.

Referring from Strickland (2010), biggest drawback in social networking services is makes identity theft easier. In order to create a profile on social networking sites, users have to share some information about themselves. The problem is if users do not share any information, none of friends or colleagues can find them in the sites. On the other part when users share too much personal information, it will concern about their own privacy. Someone may mess around by using their identity, which might refer to destroying their public rating, or access to financial information.

Another issue is online bullying can be result in emotional trauma for the victim. As Boyd a researcher of social networks (2009) state “The teenager expresses frustration towards networking sites because it causes drama and too much emotional stress. There are not many limitations as to what individuals can post when online. Individuals are given the power to post offensive remarks or pictures that could potentially cause a great amount of emotional pain to the other individuals”. Depending on the networking outlet, up to 39% of users admit to being online bullied.

 

Video above give an explaination how facebook (one of the well known social networking service) effect the society. On the other hand it also discuss how it give advantages and disadvantages.

Reference List

Goble. (2012). The History of Social Networking. Retrieved from http://www.digitaltrends.com/features/the-history-of-social-networking/

Ortutay. (2012). A Look at Social Network History. Retrieved from http://www.businessweek.com/ap/2012-05/D9URBNF01.htm

Naina. (2011). The Pro and Cons of Social Networking. Retrieved from http://www.buzzom.com/2011/05/the-pros-and-cons-of-social-networking/# 

Strickland. (2010). What are The Pro and Cons of Social Networking Sites? Retrieved from http://computer.howstuffworks.com/internet/social-networking/information/pros-cons-social-networking2.htm 

Mashable. (2011). Social Networking. Retrieved from http://mashable.com/follow/topics/social-networking

Boyd & Ellison. (2007). Social Networking sites: Definition, history and Scholarship. Retrieved from http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol13/issue1/boyd.ellison.html#definition