[this article was published in a weekly magazine called 'The Examiner'. Its about the modern day phenomenon of social networking.]
Way back in 1876, Alexander Graham Bell uttered these famous words, "Mr. Watson -- come here -- I want to see you," on an instrument that put on track a communications revolution: the telephone. Fast forward to 2007, the humble telephone is passé; communication revolves around e-mails, video chats, SMSes and most recently: social networking websites.
A social networking site is an online place where a user can create a profile and build a personal network that connects him or her to other users. In the past few years, such sites have rocketed from a niche activity into a phenomenon that engages millions of internet users. Facebook has more than 52 million active users with an average of 25,000 new registrations per day! These websites epitomize the digital age, where the need to personally meet and greet is nullified, as one can easily communicate with persons thousands of miles away at the click of a mouse.
There are several reasons for use of these websites. Orkut’s demographics reveal that 62.95% of its users are “here to make friends,” while 19.10% are “here for dating.” Most teenagers, who constitute 63% of these site users, say that such sites help them “manage” their friendships. These sites are also used for making new friends, and there are even instances of people having found they’re soul-mates on such sites. One can also upload ones photos and videos here for the world to see. In fact, Facebook users upload over 14 million photos daily. Aside from this, the option to blog and form communities on such sites provides people with a platform to voice their opinion on various issues. To illustrate, there are already 7 communities formed on Orkut related to the emergency in Pakistan, the largest having 370 members already!
And its not just the young teens who are hooked on to these sites. Many adults too have been bitten by this social networking bug. Parents too have gotten innovative and often join these sites in order to keep tabs on their kids and they’re socializing habits.
But as always there are two sides to every coin. These sites have faced their fair share of flak. The explosive growth in the popularity of these sites has generated concerns among some parents, school officials, and government leaders about the potential risks posed to young people when personal information is made available in such a public setting. There have been various cases of abuse reported on these sites in spite of stringent setups to detect and eradicate abuse. It is important therefore that users are careful with whom they interact, especially since identities of persons can be easily concealed or faked on these sites.
Such sites being used to disseminate hate messages and political propaganda through communities have also posed a problem. Defamatory remarks posted on Orkut about Chattrapati Shivaji had resulted in mini-riots in Pune and Navi Mumbai.
Another disturbing trend has been addictions to this cyberworld. For many users, checking their accounts has become an automatic and compulsive behaviour, logging on over 20 times a day. Experts thus emphasize the importance of planning the amount of time spent online, and finding other ways of staying in touch with friends, to prevent addiction.
It is also said that the increased use of such sites has compromised face to face contact and set people in a virtual world of sorts.
Still, the pros outweigh the cons. Anything that lets you find your friends of yesteryears, share your pics and thoughts and connect with friends all over the world, that too for free, will continue to be popular. This new age connection is here to stay!
