Facebook as the Most Popular Social Networking Site - Case Study Example

Facebook and how it has changed the Way People Communicate and Collaborate al Affiliation With the great technological advances that have been made in recent years, especially in relation to Information Communication Technologies and the internet, the ways in which people can interact and collaborate have been transformed. The development of web 2.0 is among the recent developments in web technologies that have transformed the way people communicate and collaborate. Unlike web 1.0, web 2.0 allows users to create web content and this way they are able to interact. Social networking sites, such as Facebook, Twitter and various blogs are based on web 2.0 technology. This paper discusses Facebook, which apart from being the most popular social networking site across the world today, is based on the web 2.0 platform and has a number of advantages over other sites such as Twitter. Facebook allows interaction and collaboration via any computer platform or any device that can connect to the internet through posts, groups, messages and live chat. Keywords: web 2.0, web 1.0, Technology, Platform, Facebook, Communication, Collaboration, Interaction, Posts, Groups, Live Chat, Messages Introduction Over the last few years, there have been great technological advances. Information Communication Technologies and the internet in specific have changed the way people interact and collaborate. Recent developments in web technologies have transformed the way people communicate and collaborate. Among these technologies is web 2.0. Unlike web 1.0, web 2.0 allows users to create web content and this way, they are able to interact. The development of web 2.0 therefore led to substantial changes in the way people use the internet. Coquillart, Brunnett, and Welch assert that “instead of only retrieving content, users are engaged in creating and modifying web material” (2011, p. 14). Today’s web interfaces are simple to use and do not require users to be technically educated in order to create content. According to Wang, “software for social networking, such as Facebook, Twitter and various blogs, allow people to share information in real time about themselves, their lives, ideas, opinions and thinking” (2014, p. 598). This paper discusses Facebook as a web 2.0 platform. Being the most popular social networking site around the world today, Facebook has “truly changed the way people interact, bringing together millions of people daily to connect with friends, family, colleagues, and classmates” (Scannell, Abrams & Mulvihill, 2012, p. 31). Web 2.0 Platforms According to Whittaker, “web 2.0 is a term coined by Dale Dougherty of O’Reilly Media and Craig Cline of MediaLive prior to a conference of that name which took place in 2004” (2009, p. 2). The term is loosely used to refer to a group of technologies, platforms and methodologies that describe modern developments in web development. Web 2.0 platforms have acted as solutions to the next generation of social computing. Web 2.0 is based on the key elements of making use of the web as an application platform, democratization of the web, and employment of new methods for distribution of information. With the introduction of web 2.0, the internet was transformed into a collaborative and interactive environment, since it was previously a system with static web pages and that only allowed simple electronic publishing. Livingston defines social networks as “the virtual spaces in which people congregate around common themes, such as values, visions, ideas, interests, hobbies, and so on” (2010, p. 1). Web 2.0 accommodates social networking and this makes social networking a part of web 2.0 technology. In fact, all web 2.0 tools have the capacity to combine knowledge and overcome space and border limitations in social networking. With web 2.0 technologies, constant update and enhancement of web systems is possible. This happens in real time and in accordance to requests made by users. Rather than having people as just consumers of rich content, web 2.0 has a particular focus on data and content and specifically the capacity for people to create and communicate with rich content. Song et al point out that “if the original internet provided read access to data, then web 2.0 is all about providing read and write access to data from any source” (2011, p. 164). Facebook Web 2.0 technology led to the development of Facebook in 2003. The application was developed by Mark Zuckerberg, a Harvard University student, who then intended to use it in facilitating communication among his fellow students (Beaty & Briton, 2010). After being effectively used at Harvard University, Facebook was offered to other universities. After use in a number of other universities, the general public, people in workplaces as well as those in high schools and colleges were invited to use the service. Today, it is the most popular social networking website worldwide. According to Baldauf and Stair, “Facebook provides an application development platform that tech-savvy members can create applications to run within Facebook” (2009, p. 226). Facebook members maintain their own personal web pages and through these web pages, they can post information and photos of themselves and communicate with other Facebook members. In regard to the tools that Facebook users can add to their pages, they can add hundreds of them. Communication and Collaboration through Facebook Facebook allows communication and collaboration via any computer platform or any device that can connect to the internet. There are various ways people communicate and collaborate on Facebook. These include posts, groups, messages and live chat. Facebook posts are also known as status updates. These are usually the photos, articles, messages and other items that one enters on his or her timeline. Through Facebook posts, one can post any information he wishes to share with others, such as links, pictures, responses to other people’s posts, activities and thoughts. According to Taylor and Mulder-Williamson, “status updates are different from Tweets with Twitter in that Facebook posts are not limited to 140 characters and numerous friends can comment on a status update or ‘like’ it, creating a comment thread below the related post” (2013, p. 19). Communication through Facebook posts is two way. One can comment about posts posted by friends and at the same time, he or she can share them or like them. This also applies to one’s friends on Facebook. Friends can comment on one’s post, like it, or share it. The ability for people to post things on their walls is a useful feature of Facebook. Wrench defines a wall as “the place where a person or organization can post information as text, attach files, link to other websites, show pictures, and otherwise create a personalized bulletin board for the world to see” (2013, p. 169). Facebook allows one to choose who can view his or her posts. Facebook also has a feature known as groups. Veer defines a Facebook group as “a handful (or more) of members who share a passion: knitting, parenting, coding Facebook applications, collecting Beanie Babies, whatever” (2010, p. 108). Facebook groups are therefore comprised of people with similar interest or who engage in similar activities. This way, the people in a group share tips, information and advice. It can be assumed that Facebook groups are just virtual. While some are depending on the distance that the people are far away from each other, most groups comprise of people who meet in person and who know each other at a deeper level. Facebook group pages have a presentation that is similar to that of normal Facebook pages owned by individuals and organizations. In terms of setting up and customizing however, Facebook groups are much easier to set up and customize. The decision about who can join a group depends on its creator. The person can decide to hide the activities of the group from the public and only have members view them, others decide upon and choose who can join the group, and others allow anyone wishing to join a group to apply. Once one becomes a member of a group, he can post messages, pictures, details of events and meetings, and attend group related events. In regard to whether they are private or public, groups can either be public or private. Crager et al point out that “groups can even be secret; where you can that the group exists only if you are a member” (2014, p. 145). In knowing about existing groups, there are two ways one can find them out. One is through search for groups joined by one’s friends. This is the first way of finding out about groups, especially given that Facebook friends usually have similar interests. The other way is through search for specific topics or groups, such as groups on parenting and groups on Christian marriages among others. Knowing the name of a group one is interested in makes it much easier to find and join the group. Compared to normal Facebook pages, Facebook groups have a limitation. Weinberg points out that “the major limitation of Facebook groups is that they are not as customizable as Facebook pages” (2009, p. 159). This means that third party applications and other privileges available on Facebook pages are unavailable in Facebook groups. These include messaging and chat. Weinberg adds that “with Facebook groups, interactions are only possible on the wall, via discussion boards, photos, posted items, and videos” (2009, p. 159).This is due to the fact that Facebook groups is an older technology, while Facebook pages is much new and hence it contains more features. Facebook messaging is another feature that supports communication and collaboration on Facebook. The sending and receiving of messages begins when one becomes a member of Facebook. The Facebook messaging feature is based on free Web-based email. When one becomes a member of Facebook, he or she can send messages to other members and can receive messages from other Facebook members. The Facebook messaging feature is therefore only available to Facebook members. Facebook allows one to send a message to one person or multiple people. Immediate communication is also possible through Facebook’s live chat service. Though people may not be sitting next to each other, they have the privilege to say whatever it is they want to say to the other person immediately, provided that the other person is connected to Facebook at the time. Abram asserts that “chat allows you to see which friends are online at the same time you are and then allows you to send quick messages back and forth with any one of those people, or have multiple simultaneous conversations with different friends” (2013, n.p.). Conclusion Web 2.0 technology has led to advances in the use of web pages. This is due to the fact that through this technology, webpages are no longer static. Users can now read and write and this has led to easy communication and collaboration especially through social networking, which solely relies on web 2.0 technology. Facebook, which is the main topic in this paper, is based on web 2.0 technology. Through Facebook, individuals can communicate and collaborate through posts, groups, messages and live chat as discussed in this paper. Reference List Abram, C. (2013). Facebook for Dummies (5th ed.). Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Baldauf, K. & Stair, R. (2009). Succeeding with Technology. Boston: Course Technology Cengage Learning. Beaty, B. & Briton, D. (2010). Contexts of Canadian Popular Culture. Edmonton: Athabasca University Press. Coquillart, S., Brunnett, G. & Welch, G. (2011). Virtual Realities: Dagstuhl Seminar 2008. Heidelberg: Springer Verlag. Crager, J. et al. (2014). Facebook All-in-One for Dummies (2nd ed.). Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Livingston, B. (2010). Using Web 2.0 Technologies. Washington D.C.: ASTD Press. Scannell, M., Abrams, M. & Mulvihill, M. (2012). Big Book of Virtual Teambuilding Games: Quick, Effective Activities to Build Communication, Trust, and Collaboration from Anywhere! New York: McGraw-Hill Publishing Company. Song, W. W. et al. (2011). Information Systems Development: Asian Experiences. New York: Springer Science + Business Media, LLC. Taylor, E. & Mulder-Williamson, K. (2013). Simplify Social Media for Recruiting: A Step-By-Step Handbook for Implementing Social Media. Bloomington: iUniverse Books. Veer, E. A. V. (2010). Facebook: The Missing Manual. Sebastopol: O’Reilly Media, Inc. Wang, Victor C. X. (2014). Handbook of Research on Education and Technology in a Changing Society. Hershey: IGI Global. Whittaker, J. (2009). Producing for Web 2.0: A Student Guide (3rd ed.). New York: Routledge. Weinberg, T. (2009). The New Community Rules: Marketing on the Social Web. Sebastopol: O’Reilly Media, Inc. Wrench, J. S. (2013). Workplace Communication for the 21st Century: Tools and Strategies that Impact the Bottom Line, Volume 1. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO. Read More