Social networking
Social networking refers to the use of online platforms that facilitate connections between individuals, allowing them to create personal profiles, communicate, and interact with others. Popular sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and various dating services play significant roles in daily life for many users, with a large percentage of the adult online population engaging with these platforms. These networks serve multiple functions, including career networking, political engagement, maintaining relationships, and online dating. While they can foster positive interactions and community building, some studies indicate that heavy use may contribute to feelings of loneliness and depression, particularly for users who engage passively rather than actively.
The origins of social networking can be traced back to bulletin board systems in the late 1970s, evolving through web services in the 1990s, leading to the launch of early social platforms like SixDegrees, Friendster, and MySpace in the early 2000s. Businesses have also recognized the value of social networking, using it as a cost-effective means to connect with consumers and advertise products. Additionally, online dating has gained popularity, with many individuals finding potential partners through these platforms, often using algorithms to enhance compatibility. Despite their benefits, social networking sites do raise concerns about privacy and the potential negative impacts of excessive use on mental well-being, highlighting the need for mindful engagement.
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Social networking
Some of the most-trafficked websites on the Internet are social networking services. Websites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and dating websites often become a pivotal part many people’s daily routines. Social networking sites typically feature a user profile or personal page and the ability to form connections to others using the service. According to a 2021 Pew Research Center survey, approximately seven-in-ten of all adult internet users visit social networking sites.
Social networks are used for many social interactions such as career networking, political and civic engagement, maintaining long-distance social ties, and dating. Some of these interactions are healthy and helpful, but some of interactions on social networking services can be limiting and can exacerbate feelings of loneliness, depression, and dissatisfaction.
Background
Modern social networking sites have their roots in the bulletin board system, early websites that were first developed in the late 1970s and that allowed users to create posts and exchange messages. In the mid-1990s, as Internet access expanded, websites such Tripod allowed users to create their own web pages, complete with blogging and image-hosting capabilities, and GeoCities offered chat rooms and bulletin boards to connect users based on geographic location and shared interests. In 1997, the website SixDegrees enabled users to create a personal profile and manage their lists of friends.
In the early 2000s, the popularity of social networking services began to rise with the introduction of such websites as Friendster in 2002, MySpace and LinkedIn in 2003, and Facebook in 2004. These websites introduced many features that have since become standard elements of social networking services, and Facebook and LinkedIn remained among the most-trafficked websites in 2021, more than a decade after their launch.
Overview
Social networks have generated a great deal of interest from corporations and nonprofit organizations, as business pages on social networking platforms can be used to interact with customers and potential customers. A 2024 study by Statista revealed that worldwide, internet users spend an average of 143 minutes online on social networking sites daily. Because many internet users are flocking to social networks for information and entertainment, many businesses have utilized these platforms as a source of inexpensive advertisements. Many news organizations use Twitter and Facebook to post headlines that followers can easily access through links to the full story on the organization’s main website. By posting to social networks, many companies can promote their products and reach a wider audience without costly advertisements. Several prominent social networks, including Twitter and Facebook, have implemented promotional posts to their services, which enable advertisers to pay to have their posts appear within users’ feeds, even those users who have not opted to subscribe to posts by that business. Social networking sites offer unique opportunities to advertisers, as they can utilize the information on users’ profiles to target their advertisements based on particular demographic or geographic data.
Another popular aspect of social networking is online dating. Online dating services may be subscription based or free and typically offer user profiles, questionnaires, and chat features. Courtship is mediated through a website until both parties feel as though they know each other well enough to meet in person. Dating sites offer the convenience of browsing a large number of single users’ profiles to determine potential compatibility. The popularity of online dating has increased rapidly. A 2019 study from the Pew Research Center’s Internet found that 30 percent of US adults reported having used an online dating service or mobile dating application; furthermore, about half of people who had used online dating services reported a positive experience. Online dating services add a layer of complexity to traditional social networking sites in that many dating sites use algorithms to actively match users with others based on shared interests, values, and other factors.
Social networking websites offer a convenient and efficient way to maintain connections with friends, colleagues, and peers; however, several studies have found some negative side effects of heavy social networking use, such as lowered self-esteem and decreased life satisfaction, particularly for users who do not actively post content and engage in online conversations and who instead passively view posts by other users. Social networks have also raised privacy concerns over users who post too much personal information without adequate privacy settings and corporations engaged in data-mining operations.
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