Facebook gaining ground in social networking sites
Social networking sites (SNS) are growing in popularity according to BusinessWeek’s analysis of ComScore’s latest figures. Among the leaders in percentage gains is Facebook, a young up and comer on the SNS scene. While there are several other choices out there, more folks are making Facebook their choice for sharing and connecting. But where does this growth come from and what does it mean for competitors and SNS users?
The social networking scene for the internet began a long time before the world wide web became popular. Usenet newsgroups formed when terminals and text messages were the main source of information sharing back in the early 80s. Generally, the population of folks using alt.bin.newsgroups were computer geeks with enough paranoia to fuel an entire series of papers on privacy rights. So, the user names were more often than not, made up and users were generally adults with some form of university connection. Then came the world wide web which allowed for graphical content. Desktop computers became a household item. High speed internet connections were an affordable option. Social networking sites gained a new, younger audience and a broader appeal.
MySpace led the charge but has since lost ground to Facebook in the social networking site venue. Both allow for creation of a personal web page where photos and journal entries can be posted. MySpace and Facebook differ from web page hosting offered by every major internet service provider in a few areas. First, they allow for searching for friends by e-mail domain. Old high school or college friends are easily found, (if they have an account), and a “Friend request” can be sent. This leads to the second difference: privacy settings. Users of social networking sites can set their privacy settings to hide their names from being displayed. Only people whose invites are accepted can view a user’s page. The ability to share who we are with a multitude of people has never been easier.
With a growing population of users, social networking sites are able to offer some interesting insights for sociologists and behaviorists. A multitude of studies are revealing things that are enlightening, occasionally challenging preconceived notions of who uses the web and why. As a ScienceDaily article reported, “New research from Northwestern University finds that college students’ choice of social networking sites — including Facebook, MySpace and Xanga — is related to their race, ethnicity and parents’ education.” Another study confirms “that low-income students are in many ways just as technologically proficient as their counterparts, going against what results from previous studies have suggested.” Sometimes what is revealed in the mirror can be unsettling, as well. A very in-depth paper on FirstMonday.com asserts, “While American adults are concerned about how the government and corporations are centrally collecting data about citizens and consumers, teenagers are freely giving up personal and private information in online journals. Marketers, school officials, government agencies, and online predators can collect data about young people through online teenage diaries. Herein lies the privacy paradox.”
Human beings are creative, social creatures. We have the ability to make tools that allow for a more enjoyable life. But we want to know that we’re not alone, that it’s not just me. Like the Police song, “Message in a Bottle”, the internet and social networking sites are helping all those hundred million bottles find other castaways. But as with any powerful tool, there has to be a measure of understanding and caution implemented before using it properly. Parents should monitor their children’s activity and guide them in safely using the internet. Adults should weigh the potential outcomes of content they choose to make public and how that could affect their reputations. From the most recent numbers, it appears that more folks are willing to trust that the electronic currents of SNS will help them stay connected to friends.
By Alicen Hogan