Social Networking

Social networking sites are gaining increased popularity what seems by the day. The phenomenon of Facebook has now become an everyday part of our lives. While the original idea behind this type of new media was to connect people instantaneously through making use of the world wide web, it seems the purpose of social networking sites has evolved beyond that to encompass other aspects like business and politics. Today, among other things, the uses for social networking media serves as a platform for political discussions and campaigns. There are various groups which one can sign up to and interact with others regarding political opinions and events. The New York Times article by David Carr "How Obama Tapped Into Social Networks’ Power" mentions how social networks are a great and inexpensive way for politicians to promote their party and connect with their supporters, President Obama being a prime example of success in this. Others, are harnessing the rich resources of social networks for research purposes and business innovation. The article "Carnegie Mellon students to exploit social networks to predict success of Internet startups" by Alpha Doggs provides us with an example how social networking sites could be used to forecast successful business models through conducting user questioners. 

While these are only a few examples how social networking sites can benefit the business and political sphere, whether they benefit us our not in their original purpose of connecting people remains questionable. The New York Times article "Antisocial Networking?" offers two different perspectives on the matter. One being, with increased use of social networking sites and mobile devices, actual social contact, physical and vocal has gone down for many young adults and teens. The article states that a study concluded that on average, young people use some form of media like texting or internet to interact with peers for a whole seven and a half hours a day! This seems like a significant amount of time devoted to contact with others, without actually having any actual contact. Children spending more and more time using social networking sites instead of using the time productively or for engaging in social events physically seems to be an evident downside to social networking media. 

Another opinion expressed in the same article however, states that social networking actually benefits society. An example of a young boy who is otherwise shy socially is given, to show how sites like Facebook actually help some young people develop necessary social skills. A second positive example is that social networking media like Twitter can assist in planning events with friends, and is a complement to peer interaction, rather than a barrier.  

Social networking media will likely continue to play a large role in every aspect of our lives into the future. Many business are already using social networking media proactively as a form of advertisement and presence in the online community through creating a Facebook page, etc. Activist groups are also finding a hub on social networking sites since they facilitate communication, and and are a great way to promote a cause since it is easy to capture the attention of many people at once. The development of Twitter is very significant in terms of the evolution of social networking, since it provides real-time updates of information which can be sent out to a mass amount of people. This also makes it a very potentially powerful advertising tool for any business, more of which will grow to use it in the near future.