Virtual World: Friendship Online - Research Paper Example

Virtual World: Friendship Online Social Networks or Social Networking services have eventually become a part of everyone’s daily lives in the modern world of today. Social networks or social networking services can be defined as online facility or an online stage or a website which lays its focuses on the establishment and framing of social networks. Under these social networks, the people who are a part of them, get linked with each other, virtually. They may share backgrounds, interests and habits online. Apart from this, they may make use of the additional services offered online, such as joining of groups or communities. Social networks are mostly established over the World Wide Web and give the users an opportunity to interact with each other, via messaging, email and sharing of pictures or videos. Often in scenarios, online community service may also fall under the aforementioned banner, as they tend to be group-centered. Social networking sites may give birth to new innovations and ideas amongst people. There are numerous types of social networking sites or services; however the most common types are those which allow the users to connect with friends maintain categories and introduce recommendations. Most of the social networking sites are based in America and include the likes of Second Life, Facebook, Google Plus etc. There are other sources through which online friends are made and these include games like The Sims. It can also be said that all these softwares eventually function as a social networking website. Friendship is a concept defined by philosophers as a feeling that keeps someone close without any reciprocal benefit. It is something which ignites love in between the individuals and helps one to lead an easy life (Badhwar 1993) All these social networking websites in one way or the other help an individual to make friends. These friends however are limited to the online societies that have been developed. The benefits and disadvantages of online friends would further be highlighted in this essay. It must be noted that the authorities have carried out several efforts at homogenizing the social networking service. These steps were taken in order to reduce duplication on the social networking sites. In the year 2011, the results of a survey showed that more than forty seven percent of the Americans were avid users of social networking sites and services. The history of social networking dates back to the 1970s, when even the idea of computers was not as popular. However, the idea of connected the world through internet and making internet a forum for deliberation, making and meeting new friends and exploring the world was conceived, in its minutest sense, back then. The conception of social networking services was done through the Bulletin Board System. The Bulletin Board System was a software that permitted the users to connect to the system, making use of the respective program, making communication effective. However, the Bulletin Board System proved rather ineffective in the longer run, as connections could not be established through longer distances and it was expensive in cost. Before the Internet could come into limelight as the sole medium for social networking services, there were other avenues that opened along the way too. CompuServe was one of such initiatives, introduced in the 1970s and later made public during the 1980s decade. This service permitted its members to have access to news and events across the world. They also enjoyed the liberty of sharing files and pictures with each other, sending instant messages via email and joining the discussion forums of CompuServe. “But if there is a true precursor to today’s social networking sites, it was likely spawned under the AOL umbrella. In many ways, and for many people, AOL was the Internet before the Internet, and its member-created communities, complete with searchable “Member Profiles,” in which users would list pertinent details about themselves, were arguably the service’s most fascinating, forward-thinking feature” (Goble 2012). Second life is a social networking realm where people can interact with each other and make friends. It is a new concept where users can develop avatars irrespective of their age, socioeconomic status, race and language. It basically forms a virtual world for everyone so that they can easily interact with each other. Friendships made through this platform are a lot different from real life as people tend to meet in real life and share emotions that can never be shared through avatars (v3 image 2007). Social networking websites or services like any other service in the market have its pros, cons and all sorts of issues attached with it. The first and foremost issue that has had relevance in the recent past too is of the privacy infringement of all the members and users of social networking websites. The key point, after settling of all legalities falls upon the fact that the users must be aware and careful about their privacy settings online, in order to avoid the breach of their privacy. Another related issue which is interwoven with this one is of the content ownership and the intellectual property, which too may be breached in usual cases. “Not surprisingly, given the abundance of content and the myriad ways to access it, intellectual property infringement is an area generating much legal interest," reads the report (McNickle 2012). While many claim that internet friendships are only limited to the internet, some also claim that these friendships are more useful than the ones in real life. Psychologists put forward that a rejection on a social networking website can hurt as much as it may hurt in real life circumstances. This clearly shows that online friendships are just as significant as the ones that exist in real life (Waugh 2012). Another research shows that whether the friendship is online or offline the only aspect that matters to both is of the estimated time that the relationship has lasted. Researchers put forward that online friendship can eventually lead to relationships outside the realm of social networking websites (Cheng & Chan 2004). One of the major advantages of these websites is that people who are not able to interact in real life can easily interact on these websites. An example of Second Life can be taken here through which people can portray themselves as anyone they want to. This would help them to develop friendships without any constraint. On the other hand there also have been several reports of legal cases which happen to exist under the broad banner of illegal or unlawful actions. Many of the aforementioned cases did not exist before the evolution of social media. These include discrimination, pestering, and slandering as well as felonious activities and after the growth of social media, these activities have risen by a considerable thirty five percent. As the social media is fast developing, by the day it is being used as a service from which each and every pillar of the state can benefit. The application domain of the social media, particularly in the United States of America has gotten as vast as it could ever get, as the social media covers numerous aspects of daily life, including education, businesses, entrepreneurship, matrimony, finance and even healthcare. It can hence be concluded that these social networking websites are playing a major role in influencing the whole society. Facebook, Twitter and Second Life are newer methods through which people can interact and make friends. Online friendship and real life friendship may not have much of a difference because people have started sharing their emotions and feelings online in the same way that they share them in real life. Works Cited Goble, G. (2012, September 6). History of Social Networking. Retrieved October 21, 2012, from Global Trends: http://www.digitaltrends.com/features/the-history-of-social-networking/ Mcnickle, M. (2012, July 2). 5 keys to legal issues of social media in healthcare. Retrieved October 22, 2012, from Healthcare IT News: http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/5-keys-legal-issues-social-media Top of FormBadhwar, Neera K. Friendship: A Philosophical Reader. Ithaca, N.Y: Cornell University Press, 1993. Print. Top of Form v3 Image (Firm). A beginner's guide to Second Life. Las Vegas, Nev: Archebooks, 2007. Print Chan, D. K. S., & Cheng, G. H. L.A Comparison of Offline and Online Friendship Qualities at Different Stages of Relationship Development. 21 (3), 305-320. (2004) Waugh, Rob. "Facebook friend request rejection hurts just as much as in real life, claim psychologists | Mail Online."Home | Mail Online. The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 4 Apr. 2012. Web. 7 Dec. 2012. .Bottom of Form Bottom of Form Read More