Social networking refers to the grouping of individual into specific groups based on their characteristics (Social Networking). Social networking can take place in education institutions, workplace or within any community. However, this concept is most popular online. Online social networking is usually made possible through websites commonly referred to as social sites. These social sites link millions of individual, who are looking to meet other people, gather and share fast hand experiences and information or who are interested in forming professional alliances, to form an online community.
These online communities usually share common; religious, political, social, economical leisure or other interests. A good example of a social site is Facebook. In this speech, we are going to discuss the Facebook social network and its effects.With over 500 million members worldwide, Facebook has become the most popular social site on the internet today (Thadani). Facebook developed from the work of a 19 year old boy, Mark Zuckerberg, from New York. Zuckerberg original idea involved placing two photos of people next to each other and then having people to vote for the “hotter” one.
It is through this game dabbed ‘Hot or Not’, that Zuckerberg discovered the stage for a worldwide platform. This started as a platform for Harvard university students, where Zuckerberg was a student, but soon spread out to other universities and eventually became open to everyone. Zuckerberg later introduced new features, such as a comment section among others, into the platforms he had created.
Within a few months most schools in the United Sates and Canada had come on board this network and had become efficient in using it. In 2004 the company became incorporated with the purchase of the domain name Facebook.com which was worth $ 200, 000. In September 2006, this social network was opened to everyone who had an email account and was over the age of 13 years. This led to the increased popularity of Facebook.
Effect of Facebook Social Network
Facebook has brought about both positive and negative effects on people’s lives. The greatest positive impact of Facebook is that, it has revolutionarized the way people communicate and interact with each other. First, Facebook has enabled people to conduct refined searches whenever they are looking for information concerning a person or business (Clark). Facebook provides a search directory that one can use to easily locate particular individuals or groups. This network has also made people’s visibility more affordable.
Joining Facebook is absolutely free of charge and therefore most people can afford to make maximum use of it in communicating and interacting. It has also made communication between people easier than when using other media of communication. Facebook also assist individual to expand their network with ease (Clark).
Facebook has enabled individual to gain access to new people and groups thereby expanding their social and professional networks. It has also made the process of interaction easier, as it has become much easier for one to communicate with strangers through Facebook than when otherwise, that person would be required to stop a stranger in the streets.
It has also increased the visibility of individuals outside their local networks by connecting them with this global network. It is also possible to get immediate feedback on your messages, ideas and questions when using the Facebook social site (Carey).When you post your message or idea on Facebook it become accessible to the intended recipient(s) immediately and therefore, it becomes possible to get answer in near real time. Facebook also enable the interaction between people of different cultures, values, religion and points of view.
This creates tolerance and intercultural understanding among users, when individual began to learn and understand diversity and get exposed to the different points of view that people have.Despite the numerous advantages that Facebook has brought, its also has a dark side. Facebook has been associated with many negative impacts. The most common include; turning Facebook users to social network addicts, encouraging stalking, hacking into accounts, Presenting potential risks to users and deprivation of real life (Pomoni). Facebook can have an addictive effect on individuals.
Cases have been reported of people spending more hours on Facebook in a day than they spend on anything else. There are also cases where interaction with unknown people through Facebook has ended threatening the safety of Facebook users. Sometimes strangers meet on Facebook and arrange a physical meeting only for one of the party to find themselves in a compromising position with individual(s) of undesirable character. Exposure of too much information has also exposed individuals to stalking and other security threats such as fraud.
Fraud stars can use the information provided by an individual on Facebook to get access to back accounts or create documents that impersonate the Facebook account owner with the aim of using them in an ill manner.In conclusion, social networks are networks that bring people with similar social characteristics together. The most popular social networks today are found online mostly in form of websites known as social sites. A good example of a social site is Facebook. Since its inception, Facebook has grown to be the world’s largest social network with over 500 million members. This social site has brought about both positive and negative impacts.
Work Cited
Anonymous (2011). What is Social Networking? Web. 29 March 2011. http://www.whatissocialnetworking.com/
Cary Dachary (2010). What are the Advantages of Social Networks? Web. March 29, 2011. http://www.life123.com/parenting/tweens-teens/social-networking/advantages-of-social-networking.shtml
Clark Rob (2010). What are the Advantages of Social Networks? Web. March 29, 2011 http://EzineArticles.com/618177
Pomoni Christiana (2009). The Negative Effects of Facebook. Web. March 29, 2011. http://www.brandlady.com/Blogging/article_2915_The-Negative-Effects-of-Facebook.html
