BLOG POST: SOCIAL NETWORKING

Social networking technologies can be used in a variety of ways. The obvious way is through a nonprofessional framework. For example, facebook connects millions of people around the world, often in an unprofessional setting. People can use social networking sites to meet people, stay up-to-date with the goings on of current friends, as well as keep in touch with old friends. With many social networking websites, personal information can be posted publicly for everyone to see, making it easy to learn about somebody else. Because of these websites, social knowledge can be spread much more quickly.

However, social networking technologies are not limited to the casual world. Corporations have used social networking websites within the company for a variety of purposes. For example, Nissan has created a website called N-Square to “circumvent the formal bureaucratic channels and create unexpected partnerships” (Hall, 2007). Usually, in order to set up meetings, people would have to set up pre-meetings just to discuss what topic the meeting would be about. By having a social networking website to share information and overcome large physical distances, Japanese office workers at Nissan have been able to get things done much more quickly.

The benefits of these social networking technologies include being able to keep in touch with a greater number of people. A person’s friendship circle increases exponentially as it is much more convenient to keep in touch with friends online through a massive database such as facebook. Through social networking sites like Twitter, news can be spread quickly. Celebrities who have large followings on Twitter can generate a lot of publicity with a simple status change. Social networking technology in corporations also has many benefits, as it allows for employees to feel connected with the company as a part of its culture. By feeling connected, top performing employees are less likely to leave. With the popularity of social networking increasing, by having a social networking website, Nissan stands a better chance at attracting prospective employees.

There is a dark side to social networking. Since this technology has become such a staple in our everyday lives, we sometimes “experience a feeling of isolation when our internet connections go down, revealing just how dependent we’ve become on the connective power of the Web” (Dubner, 2008). By becoming so dependent on social networking, we have in a way, let it rule our lives. There are also many privacy and protection issues regarding social networking, as a person who posts too much personal information on the web can be the subject of stalking and other crimes. While social networking allows us to share information freely, sometimes there can be too much information, and information can fall into the wrong hands.

I think that the most popular social networking websites will one day evolve into a virtual world. For example, on facebook or myspace, you will no longer be looking at text, you will be able to “walk” to your friend’s profile through a virtual world. If your friend is online as well, you would be able to interact with him or her. Basically, I feel that social networking technology will quite possibly be a very interactive environment in the future. However, like Twitter, social networking websites are “precisely what you want [them] to be” (Pogue, 2009).


Dubner, Stephen J. "Is MySpace Good for Society? A Freakonomics Quorum." The New York Times 15 Feb. 2008.

Hall, Kenji. "Why Is Nissan Mimicking MySpace?" Business Week 30 Oct. 2007.

Pogue, David. "Twitter? It’s What You Make It." The New York Times 11 Feb. 2009.