Impact of Social Networking - Research Paper Example

?Introduction There has been continuous revolution of the social networks due to the technological advancement achieved. This has affected various aspects of people lives. Despite the current social networks being flourishing, various challenges have been encountered in their development. This paper seeks to give an in-depth analysis of the history of social networks and their impacts on people’s lives. Social Networking History The history of social networking dates back to the invention of the internet in the 1970’s. During this time, it was mainly used for military purposes. As a result, it was only selected few military officials who had access to it. Due to the security level required in military, it was initially kept as a secret. By this time, computers were not accessible to many persons, which remedied its fast expansion. In addition, very few people understood the machine language. To many people, sitting in front of a machine seemed isolation and was not welcomed. Preliminary stages The social networking gains its roots from the use of computer software referred to as Bulletin Board System, which ensured that the people had a chance to log in into the system. This program used a terminal program. By using the code, people were able to share files and information. The communication was done via telephone lines and managed by few technological conversant personnel who had passion in it. By that time, communication through telephone lines was free only for people living within town. As time passed by, people started gathering while accessing the services, which slowly transformed the people’s perception of the system as antisocial. During 1970’s to early 1990’s, the system access points were fixed at specific points. Due to the technological advancement at the time, the users were allowed to share only limited type of information. The speed of the system was not that fast but good enough to meet the needs of the time. Another program that was crucial to the early development of the social communication network was CompuServe. This program was mainly used for business transactions. In the 1980,s, it expanded to be used by other persons other than businesspersons. The service allowed persons to share files and information irrespective of their location. In addition, People were able to access different discussions undertaken by other persons and participate. This was a breakthrough in technology as very few people had an idea of it becoming a reality. This brought forth the advent of emails. American online (AOL) also played a significant in the continuous improvement of social networking. It provided a platform where one could search for other persons. This feature was very outstanding which attracted more people into the social networking. Internet Boom The internet came to boom in mid-1990’s. This enabled persons to create their profiles as well as search for different persons such as schoolmates online though social networks such as Classmates.com. Another social networking network operational at the boom of the internet was SixDegrees.com. This network allowed members to create profiles as well as share different materials. Due increase their membership numbers, the members were asked to bring more persons. As time passed by, the security of the network was compromised reducing loyalty by the members that eventually led to its collapse at the start of the twenty first century. Other numerous sites such as Asianavenue.com, BlackPlanet.com, and MiGente.com were developed in 1990’s have thrived up to date. In the twenty first century, technological advancement helped emerging networking sites such as LinkedIn, MySpace, Friendster, and Facebook emerge and develop new strategies that have assisted them in getting very many members. These networks vary on their purpose with some integrating various aspects such as dating and normal chatting in their framework. Their graphical user interface and security levels have constantly been improving to offer safety for their customer’s information (Shimojo 114). Effects of social networking Pros Many advantages are reaped from the use of social networks. They provide a platform for creating new relationships among various persons as well as maintain the already existing ones, allow creativity in persons through various services such as photos and bringing people with similar interest together. This enables them to share ideas that eventually contribute to various transformations. There persons who has difficulty in having face-to-face communication and the use of such platform is very convenient for them. Many children from poor background have no access to technological gargets. For such children, the social network offers them a chance to learn various technologies that are being used currently. For example, they learn how to edit and upload photos in their accounts (Waters and Lester 54). Cons Despite the benefits reaped from the use of social media in a person’s life, negative effects are also evident. These sites make children are observed to spend much of their time online sometime sacrificing for some of the most important thing in their life. Currently, the number of online crimes has increased to alarming rates. Due to the availability of personal information online, a person may become a victim of sexual or financial exploitation. In addition, the criminals can personify themselves with the personal information and indulge in criminal activities making one being implicated as a legal offender (Stanaityte and Marovich131). Facebook use In Egyptian revolution Early this year, protests were experienced in various countries in Northern Africa such as Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya. In the sharing of information about the situation in the countries, various social networks played a significant role. In Egypt, Facebook is observed to have helped a great deal in democracy and civic engagement. Various activists used Facebook to share information with other person. This was achieved from the fact that a person can have numerous followers in his account, which ensures that the information he posts is available to many (Nunns 22). The network was used to update million followers on current news at the time and enlighten the citizens on their democratic rights, which eventually led to overthrowing of President Hosni Mubarak. Social networks use in business With the current technological advancements, the conduction of business transactions has continuously been transformed. In early day, business was mainly conducted offline while currently, various organization incorporate both offline and online transaction in ensuring they are able to meet a wide range of customers. The online platform offers a better and cheaper platform to business advertisements due to its accessibility to many people irrespective of their geographical location. This is achieved as social networks allow a person to have more followers. In addition, the social networks are used to create product awareness to the already existing customers. This helps is improving loyalty among the customers. On the other hand, social networks can have drawbacks on the company while being used for marketing. It is always challenging to note the number of customers resulting from social networks making it hard to implement the best strategies. In case of a mistake in operations, it spreads very fast through social networks, which usually have adverse effect on the business. Furthermore, the achievement of success in marketing using social networks may take a lot of time. Conclusion The evolvement of social networking has been a long process encountering various challenges although successful in the long run. The advent of internet provided a very big boost to the development of current social networking. Despite its development, having positive effects such as democracy and civic enlighten in Egypt revolution, demerits have also been experienced. Currently the social networks are being used in the conduction of business. Although much has been achieved, technological development will continuously revolutionize social networking. Works Cited Nunns, Alex. Tweets from Tahrir: Egypt's Revolution as It Unfolded, in the Words of the People Who Made It. London OR Books, 2011. Print. Shimojo, Shinji. Web and communication technologies and internet-related social issues -- HSI 2005: 3rd International Conference on Human.Society@Internet, Tokyo, Japan, July 27-29, 2005: proceedings. Basel, Switzerland: Birkhauser, 2005. Print. Stanaityte, Jurate and Marovich, Matthew. Cutting-edge social media approaches to business education: teaching with LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Second life, and blogs. Charlotte: Information Age Publishing, Inc, 2010. Print. Waters, John and Lester John. The Everything Guide to Social Media: All You Need to Know about Participating in Today's Most Popular Online Communities. Everything Books, 2010. Print. Read More