Social Networking - Essay Example

Social Networking Outline Introduction Merits and Demerits of Social Networking through Friends-Based Web Sites Merits Demerits Conclusion Introduction The pervasive nature of the Internet has added a new dimension in the manner in which people interact and communicate with others. This new dimension is called social networking and is built on friend-based web sites. In the opinion of Magsino 2009, p.29 “social networking tools enable individuals and groups to engage in social networking by monitoring and interacting within their networks. (1). In the last few years there has been a rapid expansion in the number of social networks.

In 2010 there were more than 400 million people on the Facebook a social network. Though social networking is possible between all kinds of people with common interests, the usual norm is to find that in social networks people tend to remain within their own language groups and the social networks have become extremely popular with the younger generation including young adults. Social networking through friend-based websites has both merits and demerits. Merits and Demerits of Social Networking through Friend-Based Websites Social networking sites can be classified into sites that provide space to build a special niche for individuals with common interests and passions to share a single platform.

Friendster and MySpace are two such friend-based websites. Other social networking websites like Twitter or LinkedIn have a more profession based orientation about them. Friend-based websites can be viewed as virtual meeting that allows individuals to chill out and meet friends. Discussions can be held on topics of common interest, information on various topics can be exchanged and files or pictures exchanged between the groups of friends connected through the social networking website. The social networking websites act as platforms to meet and remain in contact with long lost friends or schoolmates irrespective of the distance between them.

For some others it acts as a bridge for meeting family members of finding a suitable partner for life. Among students it acts as a platform for exchange of information pertaining to their studies. Information can be spread quickly and across wide areas. These sites will prove useful when information has to be disseminated across a wide range of people across a wide area, like in disasters. These web sites can also be used for promoting written works and budding and new authors. Professional sites like LinkedIn are also utilized by business organizations for studying customer preferences and promoting products or services.

In short, friend-based social networking websites have reduced the world to a small place, where people can remain connected to one another. The major concern with friend-based websites is related to security aspects. In social information several bits of personal information are posted, like name, location and e-mail address. Unscrupulous people can obtain and use this information for purposes they were not intended for, like for illegal activities or terrorist activities. Friend-based social networking web sites lay the onus of responsibility in safeguarding persona information on the users of the social networking websites. (3). Conclusion Friend-based social networking web are growing very fast.

This popular growth is based on the many benefits that friend-based social networking web sites provide. There are several merits attached to friend-based social networking web sites, accompanied with demerits of security of personal informal posted on these sites. Thus social networking through friend-based websites has both merits and demerits. Works Cited 1. Magsino, L. Samantha. Applications of Social Network Analysis for Building Community Disaster Resilience. Washington, D.C.: The National Academies Press, 2009. 2. Kelsey, Todd.

Social Networking Spaces: From Facebook to Twitter and Everything in Between. New York: Apress, 2010. 3. Watkins Julian. 2010. “Advantages And Disadvantages Of Social Networking Sites”. http://internetbasedbusinessarticles.com/11366/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-social-networking-sites/. Top of Form Bottom of Form