Social Networking Websites: How it Works
The Industrial Revolution has made a large impact on our society today. With the creation of the computer our world has completely morphed. We have gone from working with our bare hands to working with robots. Today, our world has become so advanced in technology that we have a tendency to want everything in a fast pace. We don’t like to wait for things. As technology advances, so does society. We have a constant need for newer technologies and advances in programs. People today can not even fathom the idea of not having a computer. If you do not own one, you will struggle in life, everything is done on the computer.
Computers have provided us with many advancements in society, especially socially. Communication is key to our world and technology provides us with useful tools to do so. Walking down the city streets today, 9 out of 10 people will have some form of media technology whether it be a cell phone or a computer of some sort. Theres a good chance that a majority of those people are engaging in social networking sites or thinking about it. “A social network is a social structure that maps out the relationships between individuals.”(Roos 1) Basically everyone who makes a social networking site has a possible tie to any single person who also has a site. Its one giant web broken into layers connected by ties to other layers. Those so called layers would be considered social “groups”, and the ties would be the connection to the social group. The ties to groups are endless, it really is a small world. Some smaller networks might be defined by families, friends, where one lives, where one works, where one went to school, hobbies and interests and much more.
Believe it or not, social networking is the base of many persons social interactions. It helps individuals create a space where they can organize their social capital. They can have as many relationships as possible, whether they are close or distant. To physically have one thousand friends and be able to interact with them daily is nearly impossible. In a virtual world it is common to have over a thousand friends and be able to interact with them everyday. Interacting with one thousand people daily seems boarder line insane, but its possible. The simplicity of being able to reach people at real-time is utterly amazing. People are drawn to this convenience and create accounts instantly. Many people are not aware of the rules and regulations of social networking, but they don’t care if its easier it is simply for them.
Convenience is key in our world, which is what social networking sites are providing us. Social interactions are at our fingertips. Today the most common way for a college student to keep in touch with their friends is Facebook, a social networking site. The reasons are obvious as to why these sites have become so popular, they are simple. All one has to do is create an account to the social network they prefer and they have entered a world of endless interactions. In the past,when physically engaging in conversation, the standard questions to approach a stranger are as follows: whats your name, where do you live, where do you work, where did you grow up, what school did you go to? Today all one needs to know is your name. After that information is revealed one most likely will type that into one of their networking sites and see if that person has a page. Chances are they do, so if one is willing to accept that person as a friend much information is revealed. It is up to each person to reveal as much or as little information as they prefer.
When one creates a site for a social network, they are putting themselves into a world where they can not hide. Many think other wise but by law anything posted on the internet may be revealed at any point in time. Applications, friends, posts, adding/ deleting friends, surfing friends posted sites, relationships, and browsing are just a few options one can do on these sites. One of the more popular sites was MySpace in the year of 2004. A majority of MySpace users were young adults. MySpace was the big thing in highschool, if you didnt have a page you didnt exist. This site was a way for these teenagers to express themselves in a way that they never have before. Aim and AOL had nothing on MySpace. The layout of this site aloud users to set a default picture, which represented themselves. The fact that they were able to choose what ever picture they wanted to express themselves as was exciting. Finally, people were able to show their true colors being able to post pictures of their favorite actors, musicians, and upload songs. This world of MySpace really revolutionized expression. It also really brought out the designer in everyone being able to create your own layouts.
As social-networking sites go mainstream, the demographics are shifting. “By August 2006, more than two-thirds of MySpace visitors were over 25 years old, with more than 40 percent between the ages of 35 and 54.” (Roos 1)By the blink of an eye, users jumped from MySpace to Facebook. The reasons were clear, Facebook finally allowed users outside of the college network to join. People were curious and wanted to see what it was about. As MySpace was more about expressions of the individual user, Facebook focused more on the networking aspect. College students used the site to keep in touch with their colleges. Now, Facebook has evolved and people use it to stay connected to people all over the world. The times are changing.
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