Social Networking psychology
In the information super highway it has become apparent that a lot of “stuff” will be become fads, while other “stuff” will revolutionize the way we live, interact with one another and even how we conduct business. Social Networking Psychology is exactly the stuff dreams are made off. Online communities have been formed; information sharing has become increasingly easy, bringing its own challenges for society. In the almost death of consumerism that hit the world economy over recent months, the madness surrounding social networking is still thriving. Within this blog artcile I will try and look at what social networking is, what the benefits are on individual, organizational and societal level, and also discuss the disadvantages. I will be looking at what role psychology plays on social networking and finally discuss the future of social networking.
What is social networking?
In essence social networking is a way for individuals and companies to connect with one another.
Social Networking can be seen as an association of people / organizations drawn together, normally by either web, mobile phone or other devices to form social groups that share a common interest. The common interest can be short lived (hobby), can be work related (share of information) or it can bring family / friend members closer (interaction). The concept of social networking is not new – people have always been social creatures that strive to interact with one another. What the current social networking genre is doing is simply providing a meaningful tool to do so, in most likely format, the World Wide Web.
Social networking can include both individuals to join a group – referred to as “traditional social networking, where membership is free, or it can be for a specific belief, hobby etc. that requires registration, registration fees and access to a specific online community.
People can also create their own social networks online, by creating specific groups. Social networking has certainly created new ways to communicate (either by mobile phone or online) and a new way of sharing information.
The use of social networking now runs in the millions of users. There are hundreds of social networking sites available. There should be no doubt around the massive usage of social software / networking.
According to Digizen.org Social networking can be defined as: “Social networking services can be broadly defined as Internet- or mobile-device-based social spaces designed to facilitate communication, collaboration and content sharing across networks of contacts”
Social networking can also take on the pure form of social sharing of information, aspects like Wikipedia (the world largest resource of information) and blogging websites allow people to express opinions and provide other internet users with direct information. Whether this information is indeed correct is debatable.
A prime example of social networking and what is all about, and what impact it has, was given by Alfred C. Weaver & Benjamin B. Morrison on computer.com when they said: “The mass murder at Virginia Tech on 16 April 2007 provides a poignant lesson concerning the functions of social networking. As this tragic event unfolded during the early-morning hours, university officials communicated via conventional police radios and telephones. As the scope of the tragedy became apparent, students and peers notified each other via e-mail. But students at other schools used Facebook to ascertain the status of their friends attending Virginia Tech, aided by VT students annotating their personal pages with comments such as "I'm all right," "I'm safe," and "I'm coming home. See you soon." This is a perfect example of using the Internet as a way of keeping updated with a network of friends, a function that the younger generation is readily adopting”
The history of social networking.
The human race always had the need to interact with one another on a social level, and this is build into our psychological makeup as hum beings.
The history of internet social networking can be traced back to the history of the internet at large, since it provided us with the opportunity to interact with one another on a social level by means of logging on to the internet. The first computer systems interlinked with one another was a program entitled “apranet” according to Wikipedia, which linked the University of California, Los Angeles and the Stanford Research Institute on October 29, 1969 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Internet).
The first socialization network groups were already up and running in 1985 to 1995, with aspects such as “the well” and “geocities”. Personalised homepages like blogger revolutionised the concept even further, and became acceptable in a grander society at large. By simply linking people to certain groups via email addresses (on Microsoft Outlook as an example) groups were created that supported information sharing with one another.
Between 2002 and 2004, mainstream social networking became a reality with software programs like “Friendster”, “MySpace” and finally “bebo” . In 2004 Facebook was realised and was open in the US for college student communities, allowing other social networks to link into Facebook, provided application sharing. Thus social networking became the largest and fastest growing sites in the world, not limited to particular geographical followings.
Social networking began to flourish as a component of business internet strategies around 2005, and various social networking software is currently available that caters for all sorts of needs within the internet community.
How does a social networking work?
Your relationship to others in the social network can be measured by degrees of separation. Your friend is one degree of separation away from you. Your friend's friend is two degrees of separation away from you, and so on.
According to Wikipedia, social networking works by in general, social networking services allow users to create a profile for themselves, and can be broken down into two broad categories: internal social networking (ISN) and external social networking (ESN) sites, such as MySpace, Facebook, Twitter and Bebo. Both types can increase the feeling of community among people.
However, whether specialised or generic there is commonality across the general approach of social networking sites. Users can upload a picture of them; create their 'profile' and can often be "friends" with other users. In most social networking services, both users must confirm that they are friends before they are linked.
The social status of a person is normally displayed by the social network software, this indicates what the person is doing.
Wikipedia further goes to say that: “Almost all social network have a set of features which are considered essential to qualify as a social networking service, namely: the ability to set up and customise a personal 'profile', an ability for members to comment, fine granular control of who sees what (privacy settings), ability to block an unwanted member, have own page of personal (blog like) entries or notes and individual picture albums, ability to own, form or be member of a Group or Community within the network and increasingly the ability to include "Social Apps" or "Gadgets" which can create 'viral' like online contact and spread of information.”
Each social network software will have unique features of its software that typically speaks about what the software is trying to achieve, or speaks directly to the type of user that will use the software. For example Facebook and my space both have “wall” functionalities that allow status updates, where as mXit has direct chat rooms where users can interact with one another. The complexity of the various ad-on services the software offers comes from either the public demand, or product enhancements.
The stigma around social networking.
Is social networking the new way for narcissistic individuals to interact on the internet, or is it a genuine tool in assisting us to reach out with one another? The reality is that fake social networking profiles do exists, and it can be considered a new form of identity theft. Privacy is becoming a scarcity within social networking. In the UK, new legislation is being considered to ban the use of social networking to scan possible recruits before they are being interviewed. In fact if a job seeker is not careful their identity could be “analyzed” by possible future bosses checking out their personal detail before they are being recruited.
Social networking has a dark side that can stifle creativity and foster narrow-mindedness if you’re not careful. What is meant with this is that one is inclined to only interact with people similar to us, instead of interacting with people exactly the opposite as ourselves. What social networking tend to do is foster like-mindedness with similar like-mindedness, an in effect not expand our opinion / views or paradigms.
The stigma around social networking – i.e. that it is only used by the younger generation is a highly over generalized statement. People of all walks of life is making use of social networking of some sort, otherwise there would have not been so many individuals on the various social network platforms.
The benefits of social networking for the individual
The benefits of social networking are similar to that of normal networking (i.e. non internet/ mobile) Social networking site can be a good way to make connections with people with similar interests and goals. Social networking sites offer individuals the opportunity to create a positive self-image. New support structures may be created on social networks. Knowledge can be shared easily and freely.
According to tcipguide.com the benefits of networking can be summarized a either connectivity or sharing.
Connectivity refers to the connection between individuals and the sharing refers to the sharing of information.
The benefits of social networking for the organization
The benefits of social networking for the organizations are multitude. It allows the organization to build a new customer base, build an online reputation and can be a low cost, high impact marketing mechanism
According to Liza Merritz on the temple.edu website a symposium was held to determine the exact benefits of social networking
The following benefits were highlighted:
• Social computing and networking can enable organic and bottom-up innovation (as opposed to the traditional top-down model of organizational hierarchy).
• Blogs and wikis and applications such as Facebook and LinkedIn are the most-used social networking tools.
• Most of the organizations represented have no plans of using virtual worlds, such as Second Life, in the near future.
• Blogs are universally adopted by people across all industries.
• IT-based industries tend to use wikis, RSS, tagging, social networks and media sharing more than non-IT based industries.
• These tools are very beneficial, but only people who claimed more experience with these tools tended to be more cognizant about the risks of these technologies.
• Large organizations are more likely to use these tools for both internal and external use. On the other hand, smaller organizations are more willing to use these for external uses, such as communication with customers.
• Organizations are still not sure how best to manage or regulate these technologies. Companies are also concerned about information leakage and legal liabilities arising from social computing and networking usage.
New product development is also on the fore front of social networking. Companies are making use of social networks to gauge what their customers are wanting, even assisting companies to create that elusive personalised experience so many are lacking. New product development is also taking shape in forms like Lincoln who have several company “campuses” that create virtual classrooms where new technology can be openly discussed and new ideas on “what the customer wants” can be utilized. Example of this is the recent production of the Smart car – who posted on the internet anybody being interested in designing a car to simply log on the internet and provide them with detail.
Social networking in organizations can also be beneficial to produce encapsulated groups within the organization that can in effect brain storm specific ideas on the web, without leaving the office for endless meetings.
Quick access to a specified group of people within the organization can also allow networking opportunities within the business.
The benefits of social networking for society.
According to Nicole Ellison, assistant professor of Telecommunication, Information Studies and Media at Michigan State University; “I believe the benefits provided by social network sites such as Facebook have made us better off as a society and as individuals, and that, as they continue to be adopted by more diverse populations, we will see an increase in their utility. Anecdotal evidence of positive outcomes from these technologies — such as political activities organized via Facebook or jobs found through LinkedIn — is well-known, but now a growing corpus of academic research on social networks sites supports this view as well”
(http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/02/15/is-myspace-good-for-society-a-freakonomics-quorum/). What Nicole is proposing is that the biggest social benefit for social networking is that of “social capital” – the ability to connect with others via the interactive tool – which is in this case the social networking software. Bridging social capital reflects the benefits we receive from our “weak ties” — people we don’t know very well but who provide us with useful information and ideas. It also becomes clear that social networking studies are highly unpredictable, due to the fact that changes happen consistently.
Social networking tools have certainly made efforts in connecting with other easy. Never before are we able to connect with others, probably far more what we will ever be able to have done on our own (i.e. without the technology factor).
Social networking allows for online socializing, as well as well coordinated online meetings. But this also brings changes to our previous concepts such as “friendship” and Friends. The word Friend for example is not defined on Facebook, and hundreds are connecting with one another that might not necessarily be friends. Thus social networking is modelling for us a new type of society model that is based on instant access and updated of people’s lives (should they choose to participate).
Social networking can also lead to excessive computer usage and illuminate actual human contact which might have a negative influence on society at large. Are we bringing up teens that will actually be able to connect in real life?
The disadvantages of social networking.
Probably the biggest disadvantages of social networks are the issues surrounding privacy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Facebook). Privacy refers to the voluntary and involuntary disclosure of private information. Social network software now almost inclusive has a “user data mining’ software component build into each application. What this means is that every time a user is logged on it records the usage of the information they were searching. The information is then used to update and make required changes to the site. This raises serious privacy issues.
Another mayor issue surrounding the disadvantages is the sexual predators may use social networking to lure innocent victims. This has dramatically changed the way that, especially younger people, are guided in using social network software. It has become relatively easy for sexual predators to make use of social network systems, and this is a clear disadvantage.
Government censorship for social networking is still relatively low, and thus aspects such as organizations blocking social network websites are rising, since they feel individuals are misusing the websites, and are unproductive. Some governments (for example China) have opted to block certain social websites completely. Schools have also started to prohibit the usage of social networks – especially those found on mobile devises.
An increase in scams and harassment can also be found on social networks, this includes “false information” and a potential for failure of security in both personal and business information privacy (http://www.everyday-wisdom.com/social-networking.html ).
The final disadvantage to be discussed is that of time consuming, with the array of social networks available, it might be time consuming to check, update and read all the social network updates that might be taking place.
The psychology of social networking
The biggest psychology behind social networking is not that of connecting with another human being, but rather a validation of our needs as hums to satisfy our ability to and for gossip.
The precise natures of relationships are being challenged. Social networking can be seen as a new language, which is still being shaped by our own interaction with the various software available.
It is suggested that the social networking software is increasing the size of our effective groups.
Social networking within the information science sphere
According to Caroline Haythornthwaite: “Social network analysis is an approach and set of techniques used to study the exchange of resources among actors (i.e., individuals, groups, or organizations). One such resource is information. Regular patterns of information exchange reveal themselves as social networks, with actors as nodes in the network and information exchange relationships as connectors between nodes. Just as roads structure the flow of resources among cities, information exchange relationships structure the flow of information among actors. Social network analysis assesses information opportunities for individuals or groups of individuals in terms of exposure to and control of information. By gaining awareness of existing information exchange routes, information providers can act on information opportunities and make changes to information routes to improve the delivery of information services.”
Social networking is becoming a very important study within the information science sphere. Much more research would have to be done, the difficulty lies within the fact that social networking is changing with a rapid pace.
The future of social networking
The following aspects may be taken into consideration for the future:
• Social networking has seen huge amounts of increase in usage over the past few years.
• New usage for social networking is constantly being explored.
•More and more organizations and business are using social network software for marketing, and within this trend lays huge opportunities for organizations.
• Science communities are also starting to make use of social network software for the benefit of science at large and for specific fields of studies.
• Social science is also being used for proper networking and job opportunities.
• Social networking is in need of a proper business model, since most sites are currently free of charge, there might be a future with a monetary attachment, both from organizations and individuals.
The biggest concern for the future of social networks will have to be that of “universal identities”. With so many applications in use, it becomes complex for individuals to control every social network they sign up for. We might see a universal identity within the near future where one “login” will be required for a host of updates on various platforms. What is needed is collaboration between the various types of social networks that will allow a single entry into various platforms. This however does prose problems with the unique identity of each type of social networks that is available.
“Social influence” is another topic that needs further research within the social networking genre. What it entails is a marketing aspect that allows companies or certain products to be promoted via the social network platform.
Organizations would still need to leverage of social networking to gain a proper return of investment within social networking opportunities.
Conclusion
Within this blog article I have tried to explain what social networking is, what the benefits are, and also what the disadvantages are. I have looked at the psychology behind social science, and what the future might entail for social networking. Note that I have NOT cited all references within this article, pls email me should you require a list f resources cited.
What is social networking?
In essence social networking is a way for individuals and companies to connect with one another.
Social Networking can be seen as an association of people / organizations drawn together, normally by either web, mobile phone or other devices to form social groups that share a common interest. The common interest can be short lived (hobby), can be work related (share of information) or it can bring family / friend members closer (interaction). The concept of social networking is not new – people have always been social creatures that strive to interact with one another. What the current social networking genre is doing is simply providing a meaningful tool to do so, in most likely format, the World Wide Web.
Social networking can include both individuals to join a group – referred to as “traditional social networking, where membership is free, or it can be for a specific belief, hobby etc. that requires registration, registration fees and access to a specific online community.
People can also create their own social networks online, by creating specific groups. Social networking has certainly created new ways to communicate (either by mobile phone or online) and a new way of sharing information.
The use of social networking now runs in the millions of users. There are hundreds of social networking sites available. There should be no doubt around the massive usage of social software / networking.
According to Digizen.org Social networking can be defined as: “Social networking services can be broadly defined as Internet- or mobile-device-based social spaces designed to facilitate communication, collaboration and content sharing across networks of contacts”
Social networking can also take on the pure form of social sharing of information, aspects like Wikipedia (the world largest resource of information) and blogging websites allow people to express opinions and provide other internet users with direct information. Whether this information is indeed correct is debatable.
A prime example of social networking and what is all about, and what impact it has, was given by Alfred C. Weaver & Benjamin B. Morrison on computer.com when they said: “The mass murder at Virginia Tech on 16 April 2007 provides a poignant lesson concerning the functions of social networking. As this tragic event unfolded during the early-morning hours, university officials communicated via conventional police radios and telephones. As the scope of the tragedy became apparent, students and peers notified each other via e-mail. But students at other schools used Facebook to ascertain the status of their friends attending Virginia Tech, aided by VT students annotating their personal pages with comments such as "I'm all right," "I'm safe," and "I'm coming home. See you soon." This is a perfect example of using the Internet as a way of keeping updated with a network of friends, a function that the younger generation is readily adopting”
The history of social networking.
The human race always had the need to interact with one another on a social level, and this is build into our psychological makeup as hum beings.
The history of internet social networking can be traced back to the history of the internet at large, since it provided us with the opportunity to interact with one another on a social level by means of logging on to the internet. The first computer systems interlinked with one another was a program entitled “apranet” according to Wikipedia, which linked the University of California, Los Angeles and the Stanford Research Institute on October 29, 1969 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Internet).
The first socialization network groups were already up and running in 1985 to 1995, with aspects such as “the well” and “geocities”. Personalised homepages like blogger revolutionised the concept even further, and became acceptable in a grander society at large. By simply linking people to certain groups via email addresses (on Microsoft Outlook as an example) groups were created that supported information sharing with one another.
Between 2002 and 2004, mainstream social networking became a reality with software programs like “Friendster”, “MySpace” and finally “bebo” . In 2004 Facebook was realised and was open in the US for college student communities, allowing other social networks to link into Facebook, provided application sharing. Thus social networking became the largest and fastest growing sites in the world, not limited to particular geographical followings.
Social networking began to flourish as a component of business internet strategies around 2005, and various social networking software is currently available that caters for all sorts of needs within the internet community.
How does a social networking work?
Your relationship to others in the social network can be measured by degrees of separation. Your friend is one degree of separation away from you. Your friend's friend is two degrees of separation away from you, and so on.
According to Wikipedia, social networking works by in general, social networking services allow users to create a profile for themselves, and can be broken down into two broad categories: internal social networking (ISN) and external social networking (ESN) sites, such as MySpace, Facebook, Twitter and Bebo. Both types can increase the feeling of community among people.
However, whether specialised or generic there is commonality across the general approach of social networking sites. Users can upload a picture of them; create their 'profile' and can often be "friends" with other users. In most social networking services, both users must confirm that they are friends before they are linked.
The social status of a person is normally displayed by the social network software, this indicates what the person is doing.
Wikipedia further goes to say that: “Almost all social network have a set of features which are considered essential to qualify as a social networking service, namely: the ability to set up and customise a personal 'profile', an ability for members to comment, fine granular control of who sees what (privacy settings), ability to block an unwanted member, have own page of personal (blog like) entries or notes and individual picture albums, ability to own, form or be member of a Group or Community within the network and increasingly the ability to include "Social Apps" or "Gadgets" which can create 'viral' like online contact and spread of information.”
Each social network software will have unique features of its software that typically speaks about what the software is trying to achieve, or speaks directly to the type of user that will use the software. For example Facebook and my space both have “wall” functionalities that allow status updates, where as mXit has direct chat rooms where users can interact with one another. The complexity of the various ad-on services the software offers comes from either the public demand, or product enhancements.
The stigma around social networking.
Is social networking the new way for narcissistic individuals to interact on the internet, or is it a genuine tool in assisting us to reach out with one another? The reality is that fake social networking profiles do exists, and it can be considered a new form of identity theft. Privacy is becoming a scarcity within social networking. In the UK, new legislation is being considered to ban the use of social networking to scan possible recruits before they are being interviewed. In fact if a job seeker is not careful their identity could be “analyzed” by possible future bosses checking out their personal detail before they are being recruited.
Social networking has a dark side that can stifle creativity and foster narrow-mindedness if you’re not careful. What is meant with this is that one is inclined to only interact with people similar to us, instead of interacting with people exactly the opposite as ourselves. What social networking tend to do is foster like-mindedness with similar like-mindedness, an in effect not expand our opinion / views or paradigms.
The stigma around social networking – i.e. that it is only used by the younger generation is a highly over generalized statement. People of all walks of life is making use of social networking of some sort, otherwise there would have not been so many individuals on the various social network platforms.
The benefits of social networking for the individual
The benefits of social networking are similar to that of normal networking (i.e. non internet/ mobile) Social networking site can be a good way to make connections with people with similar interests and goals. Social networking sites offer individuals the opportunity to create a positive self-image. New support structures may be created on social networks. Knowledge can be shared easily and freely.
According to tcipguide.com the benefits of networking can be summarized a either connectivity or sharing.
Connectivity refers to the connection between individuals and the sharing refers to the sharing of information.
The benefits of social networking for the organization
The benefits of social networking for the organizations are multitude. It allows the organization to build a new customer base, build an online reputation and can be a low cost, high impact marketing mechanism
According to Liza Merritz on the temple.edu website a symposium was held to determine the exact benefits of social networking
The following benefits were highlighted:
• Social computing and networking can enable organic and bottom-up innovation (as opposed to the traditional top-down model of organizational hierarchy).
• Blogs and wikis and applications such as Facebook and LinkedIn are the most-used social networking tools.
• Most of the organizations represented have no plans of using virtual worlds, such as Second Life, in the near future.
• Blogs are universally adopted by people across all industries.
• IT-based industries tend to use wikis, RSS, tagging, social networks and media sharing more than non-IT based industries.
• These tools are very beneficial, but only people who claimed more experience with these tools tended to be more cognizant about the risks of these technologies.
• Large organizations are more likely to use these tools for both internal and external use. On the other hand, smaller organizations are more willing to use these for external uses, such as communication with customers.
• Organizations are still not sure how best to manage or regulate these technologies. Companies are also concerned about information leakage and legal liabilities arising from social computing and networking usage.
New product development is also on the fore front of social networking. Companies are making use of social networks to gauge what their customers are wanting, even assisting companies to create that elusive personalised experience so many are lacking. New product development is also taking shape in forms like Lincoln who have several company “campuses” that create virtual classrooms where new technology can be openly discussed and new ideas on “what the customer wants” can be utilized. Example of this is the recent production of the Smart car – who posted on the internet anybody being interested in designing a car to simply log on the internet and provide them with detail.
Social networking in organizations can also be beneficial to produce encapsulated groups within the organization that can in effect brain storm specific ideas on the web, without leaving the office for endless meetings.
Quick access to a specified group of people within the organization can also allow networking opportunities within the business.
The benefits of social networking for society.
According to Nicole Ellison, assistant professor of Telecommunication, Information Studies and Media at Michigan State University; “I believe the benefits provided by social network sites such as Facebook have made us better off as a society and as individuals, and that, as they continue to be adopted by more diverse populations, we will see an increase in their utility. Anecdotal evidence of positive outcomes from these technologies — such as political activities organized via Facebook or jobs found through LinkedIn — is well-known, but now a growing corpus of academic research on social networks sites supports this view as well”
(http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/02/15/is-myspace-good-for-society-a-freakonomics-quorum/). What Nicole is proposing is that the biggest social benefit for social networking is that of “social capital” – the ability to connect with others via the interactive tool – which is in this case the social networking software. Bridging social capital reflects the benefits we receive from our “weak ties” — people we don’t know very well but who provide us with useful information and ideas. It also becomes clear that social networking studies are highly unpredictable, due to the fact that changes happen consistently.
Social networking tools have certainly made efforts in connecting with other easy. Never before are we able to connect with others, probably far more what we will ever be able to have done on our own (i.e. without the technology factor).
Social networking allows for online socializing, as well as well coordinated online meetings. But this also brings changes to our previous concepts such as “friendship” and Friends. The word Friend for example is not defined on Facebook, and hundreds are connecting with one another that might not necessarily be friends. Thus social networking is modelling for us a new type of society model that is based on instant access and updated of people’s lives (should they choose to participate).
Social networking can also lead to excessive computer usage and illuminate actual human contact which might have a negative influence on society at large. Are we bringing up teens that will actually be able to connect in real life?
The disadvantages of social networking.
Probably the biggest disadvantages of social networks are the issues surrounding privacy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Facebook). Privacy refers to the voluntary and involuntary disclosure of private information. Social network software now almost inclusive has a “user data mining’ software component build into each application. What this means is that every time a user is logged on it records the usage of the information they were searching. The information is then used to update and make required changes to the site. This raises serious privacy issues.
Another mayor issue surrounding the disadvantages is the sexual predators may use social networking to lure innocent victims. This has dramatically changed the way that, especially younger people, are guided in using social network software. It has become relatively easy for sexual predators to make use of social network systems, and this is a clear disadvantage.
Government censorship for social networking is still relatively low, and thus aspects such as organizations blocking social network websites are rising, since they feel individuals are misusing the websites, and are unproductive. Some governments (for example China) have opted to block certain social websites completely. Schools have also started to prohibit the usage of social networks – especially those found on mobile devises.
An increase in scams and harassment can also be found on social networks, this includes “false information” and a potential for failure of security in both personal and business information privacy (http://www.everyday-wisdom.com/social-networking.html ).
The final disadvantage to be discussed is that of time consuming, with the array of social networks available, it might be time consuming to check, update and read all the social network updates that might be taking place.
The psychology of social networking
The biggest psychology behind social networking is not that of connecting with another human being, but rather a validation of our needs as hums to satisfy our ability to and for gossip.
The precise natures of relationships are being challenged. Social networking can be seen as a new language, which is still being shaped by our own interaction with the various software available.
It is suggested that the social networking software is increasing the size of our effective groups.
Social networking within the information science sphere
According to Caroline Haythornthwaite: “Social network analysis is an approach and set of techniques used to study the exchange of resources among actors (i.e., individuals, groups, or organizations). One such resource is information. Regular patterns of information exchange reveal themselves as social networks, with actors as nodes in the network and information exchange relationships as connectors between nodes. Just as roads structure the flow of resources among cities, information exchange relationships structure the flow of information among actors. Social network analysis assesses information opportunities for individuals or groups of individuals in terms of exposure to and control of information. By gaining awareness of existing information exchange routes, information providers can act on information opportunities and make changes to information routes to improve the delivery of information services.”
Social networking is becoming a very important study within the information science sphere. Much more research would have to be done, the difficulty lies within the fact that social networking is changing with a rapid pace.
The future of social networking
The following aspects may be taken into consideration for the future:
• Social networking has seen huge amounts of increase in usage over the past few years.
• New usage for social networking is constantly being explored.
•More and more organizations and business are using social network software for marketing, and within this trend lays huge opportunities for organizations.
• Science communities are also starting to make use of social network software for the benefit of science at large and for specific fields of studies.
• Social science is also being used for proper networking and job opportunities.
• Social networking is in need of a proper business model, since most sites are currently free of charge, there might be a future with a monetary attachment, both from organizations and individuals.
The biggest concern for the future of social networks will have to be that of “universal identities”. With so many applications in use, it becomes complex for individuals to control every social network they sign up for. We might see a universal identity within the near future where one “login” will be required for a host of updates on various platforms. What is needed is collaboration between the various types of social networks that will allow a single entry into various platforms. This however does prose problems with the unique identity of each type of social networks that is available.
“Social influence” is another topic that needs further research within the social networking genre. What it entails is a marketing aspect that allows companies or certain products to be promoted via the social network platform.
Organizations would still need to leverage of social networking to gain a proper return of investment within social networking opportunities.
Conclusion
Within this blog article I have tried to explain what social networking is, what the benefits are, and also what the disadvantages are. I have looked at the psychology behind social science, and what the future might entail for social networking. Note that I have NOT cited all references within this article, pls email me should you require a list f resources cited.
Comments