Online_Social_Networking_Paper

Online Social Networking Facebook is a social network that “helps people communicate more efficiently with their friends, family and coworkers” (Facebook, para. 1, 2011). Facebook was founded by Mark Zuckerberg and co-founders Dustin Moskovitz, Chris Hughes, and Eduardo Saverin. The four launched Facebook from their Harvard dorm room in February 2004. The site was originally created for Harvard University students only. Then between 2005 and 2006 the site expanded to high school and work networks before finally allowing free access to all Internet users. The Facebook website is home to more than 750 million active users (350 million users currently access Facebook from their mobile devices). The site consists of user profiles, news feeds, photos, events, videos, and groups. Once a users profile is created, they are given the option to “search” for their friends who are already on Facebook or request their contacts to join the social networking site. Once two people become “friends” their profiles as well as their entire social network are disclosed to each other. One’s profile can display their personal information such as interests, contact information, educational, and professional background. Facebook also allows its users to communicate with one another through Chat, personal messages, wall posts, pokes, and status updates. The use of Facebook has spread rapidly through the United States and other parts of the world. More than 75% of Facebook’s users are outside of the United States. Facebook is offered in 70 other languages aside from English (Facebook, 2011). Like most people around the world the members of our team use Facebook to connect with family members near and far away. Facebook is a way for people to share photos and thoughts with each other over the Internet. This site is accessed daily to find new and old friends. Facebook users also log on to the site so that they can share different stories and pictures from around the world. People can also use websites like Facebook to stay up-to-date on school or work events. The cultural significance of the online social network is for people to communicate with one another, and to give and receive information. In the early nineties, many young college and high school students did not have the luxury of becoming acquainted with each other online. In the world we live today, the online social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace have made it possible for people living in the United States to make friends with those living in Europe or Asia. It has also helped business growth as goods and services move from continent to continent based on events that took place on the social networking site. In 2008, the campaign organization of President Barack Obama could utilize the social networking site to their advantage; Obama could raise money from donors like young students who would never have imagined that they would ever give their money to out to a politician. Online social networks allow people to connect with others who share the same interests and activities. However, there is the growing concern of violating privacy and members on online social networks becoming addicted and in some cases to more than one. These issues can affect how a person socializes away from anything Internet related. With the growing number of online social networking sites like Facebook, users are becoming more dependent on the computer and Internet as a way to meet people. This is affecting the face-to-face interaction between people in society and in turn is keeping users inside and away from activities that are productive. Going out, meeting people and engaging in activities equally enjoyed by people in society are choosing to meet “friends” on Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace. Cultural values are challenged with online social networking because they challenge people in these cultures personal values. It can be tempting to go outside of normal values on an online social network. People may be more willing to display more negative behaviors in an online forum such as Facebook. People in different cultures can share their values and support each other in positive way with online social networks. This type of support can encourage people to stay true to their personal values and the values of their culture. Facebook is a communication tool that helps keep people connected from all over the world. Possible future online social networking trends show that more people are using the social networking site as a means to socialize and make friends. People of the older generations are also using the site and are putting their information on Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace, etc. Unlike before where it is only the youth who are associated with social networking, these days, there are no age gaps. Many adults are searching to make friends, some of whom may eventually affect their lives either positively or negatively. People also follow their favorite stars to know what is going on in their lives. Actor Ashton Kutcher and wife Demi Moore is one couple who know how to use the online social networking very well. They have millions of followers, which was one of the reasons their rumored break- up went viral. Many others have also been known to have used the social networking to mingle with people of like mind. According to Schaefer (2011), “In the past 80 years, media innovations—radio, motion pictures, recorded music, television, and the Internet—have become important agents of socialization. Television, and increasingly the Internet, are critical forces in the socialization of children in the United States” (p. 92). The United States has been surveyed to show that nearly 50% of youths ages eight to 18 use the Internet every day. Schaefer also highlights that many sociologists have become interested in social networks such as Facebook, as they question whether sites such as Facebook’s “way of communicating resemble face-to-face interaction, or does it represent a new form of social interaction” (Schaefer, p. 92, 2011). Although the Internet and social networks are rapidly growing, it is very likely that mass media and technology will not become the primary agent of socialization in our society of the 21st century. Technology itself is becoming so important in the lives of both children and adults, but one’s need for interaction with humans is so important that it is highly unlikely that the primary agent of socialization will ever change from family to mass media and technology. People are responsible for providing a child with his or her basic needs (feeding, cleaning, carrying, and comforting), leaving those responsibilities to would likely not happen in the 21st century.