What is social networking sites? Social networking sites (SNS) is an avenue for people in the offline world to stay connected regardless of geographic distance, time difference, or other context-specific barriers.
They are digital spaces of socialization for common communities, communities in practice, or those connected by a common interest.
They have gained global popularity as a medium through which people broadcast, coordinate, earn and in some cases live their lives.
List of social media platforms like Instagram, Linkedin, Snapchat, Quora, Reddit, Tik-Tok, Telegram, WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and many more are dissemination portals that showcase expressions of daily life in vivid, multimedia ways that invite comment, communication and discussion.
As the 2020 lockdowns pushed people indoors and online, they suddenly realized the importance of having a viable social network online.
According to some reports, around 43% say that they post and share more content themselves, no doubt to keep in touch with their friends and family.
Social networking sites are part and parcel of the age of globalization, and are at the same time a powerful example of social and economic networking and self-governing empowerment;
an unparalleled source of data and an educational tool; a mechanism for identity work and cultural entrepreneurship; but also a barometer of local, national, and international inequality; and a medium for illegal, criminal, and terrorist behavior.
Social networking sites are increasingly, if unintentionally, being used not only as a platform for computer-mediated communication, but also as a substitute for face-to-face forms of social interaction.
SNS communications are characterized by an ease and nearness. Regardless of physical proximity, geography, or time zones, SNSs enable mobile, instantaneous, and continuous exchanges.
The global proliferation of social networking sites and their users, also known as SNSers – with highly diverse applications in numerous potential contexts – has led to an often uncritical and blind acceptance and normalization of SNSs as a feature or accessory of daily life.
Such is the ubiquity and integrality of SNSs into social life that it has become almost indispensable and, for the ‘Net Generation’, an essential lifestyle.
The ability of SNSs to serve as a bridging or reconciliation tool between geographically separated or temporally forgotten individuals/communities, embodied in instant and efficient connectivity and the promise of global coalescence, is certainly enticing.
Moreover, in cultural-commercial terms and in the age of lifestyle marketing, social networking sites are a library tool that emancipates individuals through open and relatively unregulated dialog.
A social sites is an digital/ virtual place where a user can make a profile & build a personal network that connects them to other users.
The phenomenon of social networking has spread rapidly all over the world. Many Internet users have created their own profiles on social networking sites (e.g. Facebook, Twitter or MySpace).
Facebook, one of the major social networking sites, has over 2.7 billion active users, and another 200,000 sign up every day. Telegram is emerging as a safer alternative to WhatsApp.
The messaging social media app is constantly improving its features for brand pages as well, offering feeds, stories, and group features.
You can also transfer large files and use other tools not available on other apps. Choosing the top social media apps is always a gamble.
What your audience jumps on today could leave you in the dust tomorrow. The key is to develop a flexible strategy that allows you to switch depending on where your audience is and what type of content fits the platform. Speaking of content: Relevance is key.
You can stand out from many other brands by simply reading the space and not trying too hard to be fancy or cool. Trust me, that’s not a good look.
Advantages to social networking sites
Today’s social networking sites are not only about connections and sharing data, such mediums are being used for a variety of purposes.
Majority of people are still using social media for “social purpose” while most are using for the commercial purpose. Government, defense agencies, researchers, etc are also using social media for administrative purposes.
Though the usages and user behavior in different social media sites may differ, there are common advantages of all social networking sites or social media platforms.
As an example, there are more useful benefits for photographers or artists using Instagram while they may not get more pros or attention on Twitter.
Similarly, a writer or author may have many benefits of using Twitter. There are multiple advantages of social networking sites if used appropriately. Below is the record of such advantages of new social media platforms.
Social media websites are the catalyst for anyone to make the optimum utilization out of it. Millions of people globally are using social media platforms for, fundraising, social awareness, promotion of local business, and so many other things.
1. Networking without border
One of the most important goals of any social networking site, networking is a basic feature any social media platform has to provide to consider the platform as a social networking site.
One of the most important and significant pros of social networking sites is that it leverages everyone to connect no matter which country they are citizen of.
2. Instant News and Data
Prior to the social media era, people used to communicate on email and instant messengers like Yahoo, AOL, and MSN. All those instant messages and communication mediums were mostly personal communication.
But on Social networking sites, message can be one-to-many instantly. We do not have to look for the news by visiting different news channels, the news will find us on modern social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.
3. Great marketing channel for Business
Social networking sites are one of the best marketing channels available in this world. Social Media Marketing is the term described for the marketing technique used on social networking sites or platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok, Twitter, YouTube, etc.
There are currently over 4 billion social media users globally ready to discover data about different business or service.
Brands cannot survive without social media and a comprehensive digital strategy. Unsurprisingly, 72% of people report increasing their social media consumption during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Facebook is an absolute must for every brand because it has the highest user interface which is followed by Instagram and Pinterest platform to market their product.
4. Awareness and Activism
We have already witnessed the great modern revolutions and events around the world. Social networking sites play a very important role in spreding data about revolutions and events like CoVID19, israel palestine conflict, etc.
Almost all internet users do use at least one social media platform. It is easy to spread the message and invite many people to take part in events for awareness and activism.
Hashtags like #metoo, #stayhomestaysafe, #blacklivesmatter, #sustainability, #mentalhealth etc. has different affect on users.
5. Exchange of ideas and Collaboration
Social networking sites like Facebook, WhatsApp, Telegram do have collaboration features like group and document sharing.
One can create a group and start to share ideas and data for a specific purpose. Social networking sites are best to collect feedback and comments on the various idea in very limited time.
The SNSer may occupy the online domain much like a homeowner who purchases a property without a survey or certification of its structural integrity.
6. Stay in touch
Some people prefer to use itfor personal use. Not being actively engaged in the social feed, social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, WhatApp, WeChat and Instagram are also being used only for communication purposes.
Such platforms help us easily stay in touch with friends and family through voice or video calls, and other like-minded people as well.
During this pandemic lockdown social networking sites are very useful platform to be in touch with near and dear ones.
The pace of change is accelerating. For example, the development of mobile technology has played an essential role in shaping the affect of social media.
Across the globe, mobile devices dominate in terms of total minutes spent online. They put the means to connect anywhere, at any time on any device in everyone’s hands.
Impact social networking sites
Adolescents spending more and more time on the Internet and social networking sites (SNSs) are prone to restrict physical activities, obesity, insomnia, eyesight-related problems, body aches, and so forth.
Too many, too often, are guilty of signing a contract without consulting or verifying its conditions on social media sites.
By bypassing the small print of contractual obligations, the user relinquishes many of his or her powers of ownership and governance in the public dissemination and use of personal data, albeit personal data broadcast by the user of his or her own volition in an open and relatively unsecure space.
It seems that SNSers display only a limited cognizance or else are unconcerned about the risk associations of social networking site(SNS) use.
SNS use is thus simply conceptualized and nonchalantly bought into as a means for personal expression within an environment deemed to be consequence free.
Few, then, would reckon upon the ways or even the possibility that their personal data might be co-opted for a variety of purposes beyond their control or wishes and by a variety of unknown agencies.
Ultimately, the SNSer may unwittingly supersede his or her claims of data privacy, certainly of the sort that conflicts with personal interests or corrupts accounts of self.
The great depth and spread of online networks also means that tracing or mapping the journeys and uses of personal data becomes near impossible. Aspects of self therefore are potentially lost to individual subjectivity.
1. Impact on Politics
A new study from Pew Research claims that about one in five U.S. adults gets their political news primarily through social media.
The study also finds that those who do get their political news primarily through social media tend to be less well-informed and more likely to be exposed to unproven claims that people who get their news from traditional sources.
In comparison to other media, the influence of social networking sites in political campaigns has increased tremendously.
Social networks play an increasingly important role in electoral politics. The New York Times reports that “The election of Donald J.
Trump is perhaps the starkest illustration yet that across the planet; social networks are helping to fundamentally rewire human society.
” Because social media allows people to communicate more freely, they are helping to create surprisingly influential social organizations among once-marginalized groups.
2. Impact on Society
According to the Global Web Index, the average number of social media accounts a millennial or Gen Z-er has is 8.8 worldwide, up 83.33% from 4.8 accounts in 2014.
The study of 46 countries with internet users aged 16 to 64 shows Japan had the lowest average number of social network accounts at 3.8, comparably India had the highest with 11.5 per person.
Almost a quarter of the world’s population is now on Facebook. In the U.S., nearly 97% of all internet users are on this platform. Because social networks feed off interactions among people, they become more powerful as they grow.
Thanks to the internet, each person with marginal views can see that he’s not alone. And when these people find one another via social media, they can do things — create memes, publications, and entire online worlds that bolster their worldview, and then break into the mainstream.
In 2020, there are 3.96 billion people actively using social media in the world, and this is an increase of 10.9% year-on-year from 3.48 billion in 2019.
Back in 2015, there were only 2.07 billion users – that’s an overall increase in users of 92.76% in just five years. Without social media, social, ethical, environmental, and political ills would have minimal visibility. Increased visibility of issues has shifted the balance of power from the hands of a few to the masses.
While social networking sites activism brings an increased awareness about societal issues, questions remain as to whether this awareness is translating into real change.
Some argue that social sharing has encouraged people to use computers and mobile phones to express their concerns on social issues without actually having to engage actively with campaigns in real life. Their support is limited to pressing the ‘Like’ button or sharing content.
This passivity is a very human reaction when people are given options that absolve them from the responsibility to act.
A 2013 study by the University of British Columbia’s Sauder School of Business found that when people are presented with the option of ‘liking’ a social cause, they use this to opt-out of actually committing time and money to a charitable cause.
On the other hand, when people are allowed to show support in private, they are more likely to offer meaningful support by making a financial contribution.
The researchers found that a public endorsement is meant to satisfy others’ opinions, whereas people who give in private do so because the cause is aligned to their values.
This peer pressure may be a factor in the recent trend of political polls in the U.S. to misread voter intentions: people who respond to the polls may be answering how they think the pollsters expect or the way they think will please their peers,
but in the privacy of the voting booth (or at home with a mail-in ballot), they vote according to their true preferences.
3. The Affect of Social Media on Commerce
The rise of social media means it’s unusual to find an organization that does not reach its customers and prospects through one social media platform or another.
Companies see the importance of using social media to connect with customers and build revenue.
Businesses have realized they can use social media to generate insights, stimulate demand, and create targeted product offerings.
These functions are important in traditional brick-and-motor businesses and, obviously, in the world of e-commerce.
Social networking sites have become base for brands to promote their products. Every small business can start their business through social networking sites without investing on infrastructure.
Many studies suggest implementing social networks within the workplace can strengthen knowledge sharing. The result is to improve project management activities and enable the spread of specialized knowledge.
Fully implementing social technologies in the workplace removes boundaries, eliminates silos, and can raise interaction and help create more highly skilled and knowledgeable workers. One can reach to high number of audience through social media is very short span on time.
4 Impact on the World of Work
Social media has had a profound effect on recruitment and hiring. Professional social networks such as LinkedIn are important social media platforms for anyone looking to stand out in their profession. They allow people to create and market a personal brand.
5. Impact on Training and Development
Job candidates who develop skills in the latest and most advanced social media techniques are far more employable.
Many MNCs provide Linked In learning to their employees for learning and development, so that thgey can enhance their skills.
A 2020 survey by OnePoll on behalf of Pearson and Connections Academy asked 2,000 U.S. parents and their high-school aged children about the “new normal” of high school.
Sixty-eight percent of students and 65% of their parents believe that social media will be a useful tool and part of the new high school normal.
Blogs, wikis, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and podcasts are now common tools for learning in many educational institutions. Social networking sites have contributed to the increase in long-distance online learning.
Social media has allowed corporate learners to evolve from passive knowledge consumers to active contributors. With the advancement of technology and the proliferation of mobile devices, social media has expanded the possibility of corporate training like never before.
Top social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn bring together your geographically dispersed workforce and offer them an increased array of learning opportunities!
Social Networking Sites Essay
Human beings are, by and large, social creatures. They feel an innate need to connect and expand their connections. There is a deep-rooted human need to share.
Social networking has always been prevalent; it’s just that in these times, the face of social networking has changed.
Where once the process was lengthy and involved a chain movement where one person led to another through a network of social contacts, today the process is highly specialized.
Today, the world is connected through social networks, which help people communicate without difficulty. As helpful as it sounds, social networks are not without flaws.
There are many downsides ranging from online safety and child safety to piracy and cyberbullying. Basically, social networking is a double-edged sword.
Therefore, measures must be taken to prevent such occurrences. Communication has greatly contributed to the growth of social networking. With the advent of the internet and mobile phones, much of the social interaction is captured through email and instant messaging.
Today, there are many online social networking sites where individuals voluntarily disclose information about themselves and their social networks.
Social networking sites allow like-minded individuals to interact with others. An online social networking site is a place where a user can create a profile and build a personal network that connects the user to other users.
What was once just a niche activity has now taken on the proportions of a global phenomenon involving tens of millions of Internet users.
The social networking websites like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, etc have completely changed the way of communication. People have started spending hours on social media to meet new people around the world.
These digital platforms have created a revolution but at the same time, we cannot ignore the negative impact of these platforms on individuals and society as a whole.
Social networking websites offer various benefits such as the faster way of communication, hassle-free information gathering, instant entertainment, etc.
For example, these platforms provide a unique opportunity to educate people about different cultures. Another significant advantage of such sites is that they make people raise their voices for their rights, views, and opinions.
People can talk about related issues and crimes like terrorism, child marriage, human trafficking, etc. in global forums.
A social network allows independent artists, music labels, and video content owners to upload, share and sell their content to a community of users who have an interest in that particular medium.
Users, in turn, benefit by being able to sample, listen to, download, and share songs with friends and other members.
On the other hand, many businessmen extend their reach to global partners and customers with the help of social networking sites like Facebook and Instagram.
They showcase their products and services on these sites, which helps them earn more profits and build a large online customer base.
Also, people who are looking for jobs can connect with different companies and employers and get a job easily. Social networking sites have seen phenomenal growth rates.
These networks allow individuals to use the connections they make within the social network to achieve broader goals, such as finding a job, looking for a property, planning a vacation, etc.
Social networking sites have become a powerful and effective means by which people can not only network and connect, but also use these services in the most effective way possible.
The growing popularity of these networking sites only proves the simple truth – social networking has arrived! In conclusion, one should be wise enough to keep a balance between the virtual world and the real world.
If we don’t start taking action now, there will be a society full of socially awkward individuals who won’t be able to hold a conversation in a social setting.
Social Networking Sites pros and cons
Social networking sites give us an opportunity to quickly disseminate essential data to the general public. The Department of Veterans Affairs uses this tool as a way to help prevent suicide attempts in veterans’ groups after they return from active combat.
The World Health Organization used it to combat the spread of false data after the 2011 nuclear disaster in Japan where people were encouraging the ingestion of salt to fight off the effects of radiation.
We can use social media to disarm social stigmas. It helps us to stay connected with each other, learn about current events, and share the good things about our lives.
The pros and cons of social networking also show us that it can be used to spread hate and bully others. There are about 10,000 tweets every day which contain racial slurs.
It can create echo chambers where followers reinforce extreme propaganda within their group, which can lead to radicalization over time. It can also lead to social isolation. That’s why we must make healthy choices when using this technology.
Pros of Social networking site:
1. Easy connectivity with people around the world.
One of the most obvious advantages of using social networking is the opportunity these websites provide you to reach people from anywhere in the world.
As long as there is a connection to the Internet and a profile created, you can become “friends” or a “follower” of someone and check-in with them at any point in time.
Some people use WhatsApp, WeChat and many other messaging apps to stay in touch with family, talk to old high school friends, and share their political feelings.
Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat is used by SNSers for sharing photographs, images, knowledgeable information on images.
Twitter is a micro-blogging platform that is used for comedy, current events, and general observation. You can even connect with people from places you’ve never seen or heard of before. Meme and emojis hold high rank in communication through social media sites.
2. Information in real-time blocks
Before the Internet came around, we all had to wait for the daily newspaper or the news broadcasts on television to know what was going on in the world that day.
Even when cable news came around to give us 24/7 access to stories, we had to sit, watch, and wait for the stories we wanted to see.
Thanks to social networking, one simple search is all that is necessary to access the current events notifications that we want to see.
You can even go a step further and set alerts through your social networking profile so that you receive notifications when a specific page has new data to review.
This process allows you to customize your news feed, allowing the data discovery experience to follow the exact path you want.
3. Brand exposure for businesses.
Social networking sites can serve as a foundation for a marketing campaign.Any type of professional organization can use their social networking presence to connect with their current and future customers.
Most platforms like Market place on Facebook and image sharing on instagram allow businesses to sell their products, either directly on the social media site or through a link to the company’s sales page.
They also provide advertisement services to brands to do promotion on social media. This process makes it easier to expand the reach of a company through the use of these one-to-one connections that are possible.
There are numerous small businesses and entrepreneurs who have thriving companies today which survive almost entirely on what they can create through a social network. Some of the brands would be unable to operate without it.
4. Social Networking sites are Entertaining
The average person spends between 70 to 100 minutes every day on their favorite social networks. Some might call this behavior an addiction,
but it wouldn’t be that way if people weren’t having fun checking in with others or staying up-to-date on the latest news and data. Humans are naturally social creatures, so it feels satisfying to have likes, hearts, or comments left on a post.
5. Useful as law enforcement tool
73% of law enforcement officials in the United States say that they believe social networking sites help them to solve crimes with more speed.
85% of the police departments in the U.S. use social media to investigate local offenses. It is a tool that helps officers track down and arrest those who brag about their crimes online.
This advantage has led to numerous prosecutions, including hate crimes, and identified multiple people in videos where inappropriate actions occur so that the proper charges can be brought against them.
6. Useful for Educational purpose
Social networking sites provide various benefits to the students and teachers. It is very easy to educate from others who are experts and professionals via the social media.
One can follow anyone to learn from him/her and enhance his knowledge about any field. Regardless of our location and education background we can educate ourself, without paying for it.
During this pandemic social media and social networking sites are only source for students to continue their school or colleges through WhatsApp, Zoom, Google Meet, Webex many more like it.
About 3 out of every 5 students say that they use social media to discuss educational topics if they have access to the Internet.
Half of students say that they talk about their school assignments with their friends thanks to the tools offered by these platforms.
George Middle School, which is located in Portland, OR, introduce social networking programs to engage their students and found a 50% increase in grades. There were also declines of chronic absences and an increase in the voluntary extra-credit.
Cons of Social Networking Sites
Like any other tool available for humans, Social Media Websites also have many negative impacts if you do not use them consciously.
Unaware social media users may encounter many different types of problems while using social networking sites. Here we list a few but most important cons of social media that everyone should be aware of.
The compulsive behavior developed due to social networking sites like Facebook, Instagram, Tik-tok, YouTube, etc leads to negative effects.
Social networking addict constantly checks Social Media Feed or checks out people’s profiles for hours and hours. Internet users between the ages of 16-64 said that they spend about 1.7 hours or more on an average every day on their various social media sites. The compulsion to use social media can make one social media addict.
Researchers at Chicago University concluded that social media addiction can be stronger than any other addiction to cigarettes and alcohol.
About one-third of students say that they are on social media while studying or doing their homework in ways that are not educationally productive.
When someone becomes distracted by the data available through social media, it can take them up to 25 minutes to become focused on their original task.
2. Mental Illness
The use of social networking sites is correlated with brain and personality disorders. Too much time spent scrolling through social media can result in symptoms of anxiety and/or depression.
Teenager’s mental health is often negatively affected by this culture of comparison as well. Research from the University of Pittsburgh finds that the use of social networking sites creates a significant increase in depression and depression-like symptoms for adults between the ages of 19-32.
If you’re using social media for 70 minutes every day in a seated position, then this habit can start to create changes that lead you toward a sedentary lifestyle.
Social networking sites can create anti-social behavior more than it encourages new connections.
3. Frauds & Scams
This is yet another challenge for social media companies. There are billions of fake accounts on various social networking sites including Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Facebook removes more than 3 billion fake accounts in six months and Five percent of Facebook’s monthly active users are fake, the company said.
4. Misleading Data
This is probably the most challenging problem for social media companies. News items that contain inaccuracies spread six times faster on Twitter than articles that contain the truth.
Fake news items receive more shares and retweets than true stories. It is up to each of us to verify the data that we share to avoid this disadvantage.
On Facebook, more than 80% of people who react to the link do not read the complete article or content. Due to which many publishers and spammers are misusing the platforms by sharing fake and misleading data.
5. Cyber bullying
If you struggle to fit in with your group of peers, then you might feel some pressure to behave or communicate in specific ways to feel accepted.
This disadvantage tends to affect teens and young adults the most, but it can also influence anyone. It is not unusual for the negative behaviors to be worse online than at school or work because bullies feel like they can be anonymous when sitting behind a screen or using a smartphone.
In extreme cases of this disadvantage, the bullying and negative comments that occur over social networking can lead to anxiety, depression-like symptoms, and high levels of stress.
Cyberbullying makes teens and young adults twice as likely to attempt suicide or attempt to harm themselves in other ways. Cyber bullying is also associated with depression, anxiety, and an elevated risk of suicidal thoughts.
Most of the users of social media sites are not fully aware of the security measures they need to take care of while using social media platforms.
People share thoughts, personal experiences, photos, etc on social media sites. Such data can be helpful for hackers to hack your accounts in social media, emails, or even your mobile phone.
Several personal Twitter and Facebook accounts have been hacked in the past that have affected the individuals’ personal lives.
7. Privacy Issues
Your behavior on social media can help people or companies know who you are. It is not hard to find how many friends you meet daily, interact with, or what type of food you like.
Based on your check-ins on social media, one can easily find where you hang out. Based on your check-ins, browsing history, interaction on various Facebook pages, groups, friends, or even links, bots can suggest the products or services.
It can be more difficult to find a job with your social media presence. Up to 55% of recruiters today say that they consider hiring an applicant based on what they can see of their social media activities.
There are chances that your employer can choose to fire you if they disagree with something that you shared over your network.
While social networking is a phenomenon which has existed since the beginning of societies, SNS are a recent trend.
In less than five years, these sites have shifted from a niche online activity to a phenomenon in which tens of millions of internet users are engaged.
Discussion on the emergence of a new social phenomenon has permeated both industry and academia. Based on the research of this report, the following conclusions have been drawn:
- SNS are those sites which, on a basic technological level, combine social networking, a list of contacts and a profile. They are distinct from other applications in the way they support people’s presentation of themselves, externalisation of data, though SNS can appear to be similar, many of them are, in fact, quite different in terms of their purpose and the types of users they attract.
- Social networking may seems to have some negative effects in the society but it is still more advantageous than the negativity attached to it
- As with any other social problem and threat related to people in society, banning access to SNS is not the best solution. Young internet users are often intelligent enough to find new ways and means of accessing SNS.
- From the interpretation of my analysis i discover that SNS may be having a significant impact on youths’ social behaviour. Both positive and negative effects have been observed. The positive consequences of SNS usage are related unity among friends and family, facilitates open communication, helping others amongst others. Negative consequences observed are cases of bullying, and different levels of addiction, amongst others.
- In conclusion, the emergence of SNS plays an important role in understanding developments in ICT and the social and economic implications of new technologies. As observed by various SNS analysts, the continuous evolution of SNS brings with it new opportunities and concerns. Accordingly, this work has attempted to provide some modest contributions about the various social trends and their impacts inherent to the emergence of SNS today
However, while exploiting the multiple attributes and conveniences of SNS, individual users and user communities may become so immersed and convinced of the online environment as to unsuspecting the safety of domain infrastructure and legitimacy of data migration to other unidentified domains for unknown users.