What are social networking sites? Who are the users? And how have they affected the way in which we sustain relationships?
Since their introduction, social networking sites have become apart of millions of users everyday lives. Sites such as Myspace, Facebook and twitter have become integrated into many peoples everyday practices (Boyd 2007, p1).My first impression or idea of what social networking sites were and what a blog consisted of was that of a traditional diary with ones thoughts, likes /dislikes and interests. However over the duration of the course and through building my own online identity, my knowledge and outlook of social networking sites and online blogging has changed dramatically. I have come to realise that social networking sites are more than just sitting in front of a computer chatting to strangers or placing private information about you for anyone to view.
Boyd (2007 p2) defines social networking sites as web –based services that allow individuals to create a public profile, accumulate a number or users or “friends” with whom they share a connection with, as well as traverse with their friends and those made by others within the social networking site.
Joining Myspace, Facebook and twitter, I have found that they are not only are these social networking site restricted to a stationary computer or a laptop but that many sites have incorporated new information and communication tool to their sites. The first hand experience of this, I have encountered while investigating social networking sites and building my own online identity is mobile phone connectivity with Facebook and Twitter. I found that not only can I check my Facebook and Twitter account though my mobile phone but I could also get updates through out the day. the typical user spends at least 20 minutes per day on social networking sites (Ellison, Steinfeld & Lampe 2007, p2) so by incorporating such features like this into social networking, sites have not only become accessible for all people with different lifestyles but also somewhat as a ‘norm’ or a’ must’ in maintain relationships with both family and friends.
The most popular and common social networking sites are Myspace, Facebook who support the maintenance of pre existing social networks ( Boyd 2007, p1).Boyd ( 2007 pg2) stated that social netting working for most people is not about meeting new people, it is primarily use for communicating with people who are already apart of a persons social network. This statement I agree with as I found that social networking for me has become a form of staying in contact with people I already know or who I have met face to face before. However with the effort of getting my online identity up and running and trying to produce traffic I did join groups and individuals that I would normally not sort after.
After reading Boyd’s statement (2007, p15) that networking practices, mirror, support and alter known everyday practices, especially with respect to how people present and hide certain aspects of themselves as well as how they interact with others. Through observation of how my own friends project themselves online I have to agree with Boyd that people do alter the way can be perceived and only show certain aspects of them selves or of their lives in which they feel the audience that they are trying to attract will find appealing. This coincides with Steinger’s theory in Hargrittai (2007 p2) who suggests that identity is so hidden online that opportunities would be widely open to all, regardless of background characteristics that may have traditionally been a disadvantage when people compare others. This idea means that people online are all equal and it is believed that offline characteristics are not mirrored in people’s online identity and pursuits. However Eszter disagrees with Steinger and states that what and who people project online does mirror their lifestyle and personality offline.
A factor that I have come across while learning and exploring social networking sites and the art of blogging are their ease of use and I can see how Stefanone and Jang (2008, p1) findings show that age, gender, and education have no relationship to a persons network size, blog content, or the use pf blogs and other social networking sites as a tool to maintain relationships. Through reading I have come to the conclusion that there are no criteria needed or found distinguishing who or what type of person uses social networking sites and that people are willing to adopt to new forms of communication and technology. Eszter suggests (2007, p16) that people who spend less time with their peers, know less about their everyday lives, thus perhaps having less of a desire to keep in touch with them at the level of using social networking sites. Social networking sites for me if anything heightened the desire to keep in touch with peers that I do not acocciate with of an everyday basis. Through the social networking site Facebook , I have restored and maintained friendships and with my online identity on Myspace it has allowed my peers insight in to what I do as a profession as the content I have provided on my page is a professional persona intended for a work and industry related audience which many of my friends and family do not get to see very often
While many peoples blog content are similar to the traditional diaries posting general content about their interests and day to day lives where users are aware of there intended audience and expect feed back on their blog entries. There are other blogs to which people turn to for leading source of news, up dates on current affairs. It has been discovered that politically interested internet users rely more on blogs than any other news source for news and information and that blogs were judged to be more credible than online news paper sites, online television sites, and online broadcast news sites ( Johnson, Kaye, Bichard & Wong 2008,p102). I have found political blogs interesting as they give different views and perspectives in issues compared to other news sources. Johnson, Kaye, Bichard & Wong (2008,p102) states that all credibility measures for political online blogs, like accuracy, depth, believability and fairness have been seen to be higher for blogs than for other mainstream news sources.
Social networking sites have changed the way in which society creates and maintains relationships with peers, friends and family. While traditional diaries were normally written to be viewed by little or no audiences online blogs are written with the attendance of a wide audience allowing the audience to relate to the author.
References
Boyd, D Ellison, N (2007), Social Networking Sites: Definition, History, and Scholarship’, Journal of Computer Mediated Communication, vol 13, p 210-230.
Ellison, N Steinfeld, C, Lampe,C (2007), The Benefits of Facebook Friends: Social Capital and College Students Use of Online Social Network Site, Journal of Computer Mediated Communication, vol 12, p 1143-1168.
Eszter, H (2007), Whose space? Differences Among Users and Non-Users of Social Network Sites, Journal of Computer mediated Communication, vol 13, p 276-297.
Stefanone, M Jang, C (2008), Writing for friends and Fanily: the Interpersonal Nature of Blogs, Journal of Computer Mediated Communication, vol 13, p123-140.
Thomas, J Kaye, B Bichard, S Wong, W (2008) Every Blog Has Its Day: Politicall-interested Internet Users’ Perception of Blog Credibility, Journal of Computer mediated Communication, Vol 13, p 100-122.
