SOCIAL NETWORK
A social networking service (also social networking site or SNS) is a platform to build social
networks or social relations among people who share similar
interests, activities, backgrounds or real-life connections. A social network
service consists of a representation of each user (often a profile), his or her
social links, and a variety of additional services. Social network sites are
web-based services that allow individuals to create a public profile, create a
list of users with whom to share connections, and view and cross the
connections within the system. Most social network services are web-based and provide means for users to
interact over the Internet, such
as e-mail and instant
messaging. Social network sites are varied and they incorporate new information
and communication tools such as mobile connectivity, photo/video/sharing and
blogging. Online community services are sometimes considered a
social network service, though in a broader sense, social network service
usually means an individual-centered service where as online community services are group-centered. Social
networking sites allow users to share ideas, pictures, posts, activities,
events, and interests with people in their network.
The main
types of social networking services are those that contain category places
(such as former school year or classmates), means to connect with friends
(usually with self-description pages), and a recommendation system linked to
trust.
Web-based social networking
services make it possible to connect people who share interests and activities
across political, economic, and geographic borders. Through e-mail and instant messaging, online communities are created where a gift economy and reciprocal
altruism are encouraged through cooperation. Information is suited to
a gift economy, as information is
a nonrival good and can be gifted at practically no
cost.Scholars have noted
that the term "Social" cannot account for technological features of
the social network platforms alone. Hence, the level of network sociability
should determine by the actual performances of its users.
According
to the communication theory of uses and gratifications, an increasing amount of
individuals are looking to the internet and social media to fulfill cognitive,
affective, personal integrative, social integrative, and tension free needs.
With internet technology as a supplement to fulfill needs, it is in turn
affecting everyday life, including relationships, school, church,
entertainment, and family.
Companies
are using social media as a way to learn about potential employees'
personalities and behavior. In numerous situations a candidate who might
otherwise have been hired has been rejected due to offensive or otherwise
unseemly photos or comments posted to social networks or appearing on a newsfeed.
Facebook and other social networking tools are
increasingly the object of scholarly research. Scholars in many fields have
begun to investigate the impact of social networking sites, investigating how
such sites may play into issues of identity, privacy, social capital, youth culture, and education. Research has also suggested
that individuals add offline friends on Facebook to maintain contact and often this
blurs the lines between work and home lives.
Several
websites are beginning to tap into the power of the social networking model for philanthropy. Such models provide a
means for connecting otherwise fragmented industries and small organizations
without the resources to reach a broader audience with interested users. Social
networks are providing a different way for individuals to communicate
digitally. These communities of hypertexts allow for the sharing of information
and ideas, an old concept placed in a digital environment.
Now a
days you will see that companies has banned their employers the usage of social
networking sites/services during office hours
