Development of Social Networks - Essay Example

Heading: Тhе Digitаl Есоnоmy, Whеrе frоm, whаt nоw, whаt nехt Customer Inserts His/her Name Customer Inserts Grade Course Customer Inserts Tutor’s Name 12, 11, 2013 Brief summary of major developments in Social Networking System The advent of new technological tools has geared the development of new platforms that have played an important role in the evolution of social networking sites (Anderson 2007). Unlike the traditional social networking which demanded physical presence of people intending to communicate and network. Technology has made the process of social networking much easier and convenient. The geographical barrier has been diminished and by a click of a mouse, an entire new world is opened. Technology made it practical for online platform to flourish because of the TCP/IP developments platforms that had made it possible for IP platforms to be exploited. IP standards for Internet Protocol, this protocol has guided the evolution of electronic networks since all of them are IP based, both data and voice (Berk 2007). The development of web browsers and web development platforms gave rise to the evolution of social networking websites inherently responsible for the development of the online social networks that we know today. With the existing platforms, several social networking websites emerged including the most known social networking sites such as Facebook, twitter, Flkr, skype, Linkedin, myspace, Pinterest, Google +, Tagged and orkut among others. The most popular social networking sites, Facebook and twitter attract 800 million people and 250 million people respectively (Macdonald 2013, p.141). Facebook was established in 2004 by the then a University Student in Cambridge, Mark Zuckerberg and twitter was founded in 2006 by Evan Williams, Jack Dorsey and Biz Stone (Macdonald 2013, p.141). As evident the giants in the social networking landscape are barely a decade old and they have revolutionized how we communicate with our friends. The rationale for the development of these social networking sites is because of their abilities that facilitated easy upload of photos, creation of personal profiles, and search for friends based on the relationships or similarities derived from the social network platform (Berman 2008). These attributes of the social networking sites have been improved with time and their abilities to match users profile and automatically create users interaction through capabilities of uploading clips and updating status is arguably one of the best milestones in the social networking platforms (Berman 2008). These key achievements in the past few years have seen the growth of social networking not only as a social tool but as a potential business opportunity. Many companies have leveraged on the capabilities of social network to communicate and link with their clientele in order to know their feelings and views about their products ( Boase, Horrigan, Wellman & Raine 2006). Overview of what is happening at the present time in the Social Networking System The social networking system has evolved since inception to the modern day. With thousands of new innovative ideas being employed, it is quiet hard to keep up with all these new technologies in all the social networking sites. Features and attributes vary from one social networking site to the other. As an example, facebook allows group chatting, it has also integrated VoIP chatting where one user can call the other via this portal and communicate effectively. VoIP capability is common to Skype, an online platform which takes social networking to a whole new level through its breathtaking capabilities (Boyd & Ellison 2008). In the last decade, it could have been difficult to imagine that one could simply communicate with another person miles away by means of computer networking and all they require was a basic computer and modem or internet connectivity. It is now possible to take communication to a new level by having these devices. Google + may be new in the social networking landscape maybe because of the conservative nature of the owners of Google Sergy and Larry, it is noteworthy to mention the profound impact that Google + is already having considering that it developed recently and took on the advantage of the already established Google platform as one of the most used and developed search engine in the world. Owning the search engine and YouTube, the massive video collection platform gives Google + an edge that its predecessors like facebook and twitter lacked during their evolution. Google + has VoIP capability, search engine ranking and its link with one of the world largest mail service Gmail gives it an impeccable edge in the social networking landscape (Berman 2008). In the social network, sustainable innovation is the way to go; this is what is currently happening in all the social networks available. As an example, facebook recently introduced timeline, new chat stickers, Newsfeeds upgrade, photo comments on page. All these changes are continually being improved in order to enhance users experience while online (Bruns, A 2008). Security measures have also been improved in many of these social networking sites, authentication through a provided email address or phone contact given is helping these social sites curb impersonation and duplicate account creation as well as diminish anonymity given the impact of these social networks on security and many cases of kidnap and rape. These sites are also taking note of the user’s age in order to avoid unwanted content from reaching small children. This is evident in Youtube and Google + (Berman 2008). In the business world, the impact of social network cannot be overemphasized. Few of any companies have not integrated their sites with social networking sites. It is no longer a competitive advantage tool but a business necessity to be present in the social network. Most Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) have gained from social network, fashion companies are a good example of this, they have created product pages in these sites and marketed them a wide (Global) audience and have consequently received attention from potential customers. This has been important because the marketing and distribution cost have been significantly reduced. With quality photos and well outlined product profile, most of these small businesses do not need their own websites anymore (Berman 2008). They have also matched bigger companies because users online perceive these companies as similar in capacity and hence attracting a wide audience. As evident, the modern day social networking sites geared by evolution in technological platform is changing the normal behavior and making profound impact on the daily life as we know it. Notably, major social networking sites like facebook and twitter have become the source of news. Unlike the traditional news channels, users of social networking sites can get real time news with what is happening with family and friends as well as what is trending locally and beyond borders. This is a capability that was not experienced a decade ago, the social networking has clearly taken the attention of the majority of the people especially the younger generation of people below the age of 40 (Collin, Rahilly, Richard & Third 2011, p.5). This impact has affected almost all communication channels including politics, in the past few decades, the only means of reaching out to the voter was through national channels like the television and radio and physically. Politicians in the modern day are exploiting the cheaper yet effective alternative, the social media. The recent U.S. election for instance attracted a wide audience online and especially in the social media with major candidates posting their views and getting comments from these effective online platforms. The fact that social networking has impacted all spheres of life cannot be wished away but embraced by those who want to take advantage of this new technological capability (Ellison & Lampe 2007, p.1143). Possible different feasible scenarios of what Social Networking might look like in the future According to Macdonald (2013, p.141) the social network will be a major player in the business world especially in brand development. With increasing presence of companies and manufactures on the social network platform, it is hard not to believe that in the future, the social network will be the main game changer in the brand evolution. With many companies actively engaging in online marketing especially through social networking sites, approaches and customer perception may be slowly altered as customers focus on what people say in the social network in order to commit on a brand (The Allanah & Madeline Foundation 2009). The more presence of a product or a brand online, the more comments and “likes” it gets from followers globally. This will be an important aspect as brand growth will be based on social media presence. Evolution of ethical needs and regulations targeted on “online bad behavior” , with evolution of the social networking, so does technology and sophistication of search engine algorithms. The biggest search engines such as Google, Baidu and Yandex could vary their logical algorithms in order to alter the way we search by filtering out bad results. This effect is already evident in the Panda and Penguin updates released recently by Google which filters websites that copy content and duplicate keywords. The rationale for this effort is to stem out unwanted online practice. The social media will also play an important role in reducing online anonymity by identifying users location based on their IP addresses. Companies that purchase facebook “likes” and “shares” in order to fake their presence online will also be affected by this digital revolution that will see reduction of unfair practices on the site of companies (Hinduja & Patchin 2008, p.125). Spammers and other unnatural shares will be targeted by improvements of these search engines, a factor that could see the reduction in unwelcomed mails and of course nagging marketers. Increase dependence on social networking by government especially in the event of a disaster, this was evident in the recent Japanese Tsunami and earthquake disaster. Most Japanese families communicated via the social media to inform each other about their whereabouts. These scenarios are likely to increase especially with the advent of m-technology which allows users to access these sites via applications through their portable devices. Because of the portability of mobile devices, communication when a major disaster occurs via a social network becomes increasingly important (Hitchcock 2008, p.2364). More so, updates on the current happenings all over the disaster zone will be communicated more efficiently via the social network platform. Increased user control of the platform, this is one of the most probable evolutions of the social media, and users will become increasingly capable of altering and managing the social network through new applications that will be integrated to each other. There are several applications that have been developed and integrated into the social networking platform and the trend is set to continue. Notably, social networking is set to have applications for literally everything that affects the daily lives of people. These apps will find their use in schools, bus times, locations and schedules among others. It has already happened in MySpace and ongoing in twitter, this will evidently happen in all other social websites (Kelsey 2010). The most likely scenario The most likely of these events to take place in the near future is for the social networking to have profound impact in the business world and especially on brand development (Macdonald 2013, p.141). The social network is arguably developing as the leading platform of getting news especially on the trending fashion and brands that rule the day. Most marketers are still struggling to find the best ways of promoting and ensuring sustainable development of their brands in social networking platforms (O'Connor 2013). With increasing possibilities and innovations, given the need to enhance business evolution, it is more foreseeable to see all major companies battle it out in the social media for the most attention. Unscrupulous means of achieving this already exist, while some companies opt for this illegal way, mature and ethical companies find it better to establish their own reputable online presence by using legal means to ensure increased online presence especially in the social media (Sarvas & Frohlich 2011). With this consideration, it brand development through social media is arguably the most likely scenario in the coming years, probably before 2020. References Anderson, P 2007, What is Web 2.0? Ideas, technologies and implications for education a report for JISC Technology and Standards Watch. Berk, LE 2007, Development through the lifespan, Pearson, Allyn & Bacon, Boston. Berman, DB 2008, Do Good Design: How Design Can Change Our World, Peachpit Press, London. Boase, J, Horrigan, JB, Wellman, B & Raine L 2006, The Strength of Internet Ties: The Internet and email aid users in maintaining their social networks and provide pathways to help when people face big decisions, Pew Internet & American Life Project, Washington. Boyd & Ellison 2008, Social Network Sites: Definition, History & Scholarship‟ in Journal of Computer- Mediated Communication vol.13,pp.210-230. Bruns, A 2008, Blogs, Wikipedia, Second Life, and Beyond: From Production to Produsage, Peter Lang, New York. Collin, P, Rahilly, K, Richard, I & Third, A 2011, Literature Review: The-Benefits-of-Social-Networking-Services. Research Report.p.1-20. Ellison, NSC & Lampe, C 2007, The benefits of Facebook „„friends‟‟: Exploring the relationship between college students‟ use of online social networks & social capital‟ in Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication vol.12, no.3pp.:1143-1168. Hinduja & Patchin 2008, Social networking and identity construction: Personal information of adolescents on the Internet: A quantitative content analysis of MySpace‟ in Journal of Adolescence vol.31, no.1, pp.125-146. Hitchcock, J 2008, Public or private? A social cognitive exploratory study of privacy on social networking sites‟ Masters Abstracts International vol.46, no.5pp.2364. Kelsey, T 2010, Social Networking Spaces: From Facebook to Twitter and Everything In Between, Apress, London. Macdonald, R 2013, The new age of marketing: How social media has changed the marketing landscape, GRIN Verlag, New York. O'Connor, R 2013, Friends, Followers and the Future: How Social Media are Changing Politics, Threatening Big Brands, and Killing Traditional Media, City Lights Books, New Jersey. Sarvas, R & Frohlich DM 2011, From Snapshots to Social Media - The Changing Picture of Domestic Photography: The Changing Picture of Domestic Photography, Springer,London. The Allanah & Madeline Foundation 2009, Young People & Technology: A review of the current literature (2nd edition), The Alanah & Madeline Foundation, Sydney. Read More

Security measures have also been improved in many of these social networking sites, authentication through a provided email address or phone contact given is helping these social sites curb impersonation and duplicate account creation as well as diminish anonymity given the impact of these social networks on security and many cases of kidnap and rape. These sites are also taking note of the user’s age in order to avoid unwanted content from reaching small children. This is evident in Youtube and Google + (Berman 2008).

In the business world, the impact of social network cannot be overemphasized. Few of any companies have not integrated their sites with social networking sites. It is no longer a competitive advantage tool but a business necessity to be present in the social network. Most Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) have gained from social network, fashion companies are a good example of this, they have created product pages in these sites and marketed them a wide (Global) audience and have consequently received attention from potential customers.

This has been important because the marketing and distribution cost have been significantly reduced. With quality photos and well outlined product profile, most of these small businesses do not need their own websites anymore (Berman 2008). They have also matched bigger companies because users online perceive these companies as similar in capacity and hence attracting a wide audience. As evident, the modern day social networking sites geared by evolution in technological platform is changing the normal behavior and making profound impact on the daily life as we know it.

Notably, major social networking sites like facebook and twitter have become the source of news. Unlike the traditional news channels, users of social networking sites can get real time news with what is happening with family and friends as well as what is trending locally and beyond borders. This is a capability that was not experienced a decade ago, the social networking has clearly taken the attention of the majority of the people especially the younger generation of people below the age of 40 (Collin, Rahilly, Richard & Third 2011, p.5). This impact has affected almost all communication channels including politics, in the past few decades, the only means of reaching out to the voter was through national channels like the television and radio and physically.

Politicians in the modern day are exploiting the cheaper yet effective alternative, the social media. The recent U.S. election for instance attracted a wide audience online and especially in the social media with major candidates posting their views and getting comments from these effective online platforms. The fact that social networking has impacted all spheres of life cannot be wished away but embraced by those who want to take advantage of this new technological capability (Ellison & Lampe 2007, p.1143). Possible different feasible scenarios of what Social Networking might look like in the future According to Macdonald (2013, p.141) the social network will be a major player in the business world especially in brand development.

With increasing presence of companies and manufactures on the social network platform, it is hard not to believe that in the future, the social network will be the main game changer in the brand evolution. With many companies actively engaging in online marketing especially through social networking sites, approaches and customer perception may be slowly altered as customers focus on what people say in the social network in order to commit on a brand (The Allanah & Madeline Foundation 2009).

The more presence of a product or a brand online, the more comments and “likes” it gets from followers globally. This will be an important aspect as brand growth will be based on social media presence. Evolution of ethical needs and regulations targeted on “online bad behavior” , with evolution of the social networking, so does technology and sophistication of search engine algorithms.

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