Social Networks
Social Networks
In the year 2012 life without internet is nearly impossible. We shop online, do online banking or search for a new flat with the help of the internet. In the last years communication started to liven up in the World Wide Web and the rise of social networks has begun. But what does it mean, ‘social network’?
‘We define social network sites as web-based services that allow individuals to (1) construct a public or semi-public profile within a bounded system, (2) articulate a list of other users with whom they share a connection, and (3) view and traverse their list of connections and those made by others within the system. The nature and nomenclature of these connections may vary from site to site.’[1]
For today’s people, especially for young people, the biggest part of communication and interaction takes place in social networks like Facebook, Twitter or MySpace. Business networks like Xing and LinkedIn are on the rise as well. Friendships are made, contents, activities and preferences are shared. Beside individuals, also companies are developing social network communities to increase their popularity and to persuade new consumers with online advertisement and marketing.
Communication through the online channel is convenient, comfortable and fast … But isn´t there a loss of social life, like we knew (or not knew) it before the triumphal match of social networks?
What do different countries, different people or cultures, like we and our friends from France, think about social networks? Is the advertisement of companies in social networks seen as new, positive and interesting or do people perceive it as rather negative and annoying? How will the social network development evolve in the future? What tendencies and trends can be expected?
[Nina Waschke, University of Applied Sciences Bonn-Rhine-Sieg]
We are surrounded by social networks starting from the moment we are born. The first social network we are facing is our family which normally accompanies us our whole life, grows from time to time, and gives us protection and support. In the course of a lifetime there are a lot more social networks added to our surrounding, beginning with the kindergarten, continuing with school and friends, followed by a job and colleagues.
However, all these networks have something in common: either we’re taking part in them actively or we’re participating passively while observing things from the ‘outside’.
Those ‘real-life-social-networks’, as I would like to call them, are not much different to online social networks. It doesn’t matter whether we’re looking for former class mates, colleagues or temporary partners, or if we want to exchange music, films and books, or just try to make friends quickly after moving to another city, social networks are usually the first tool that is utilized in order to reach the objective. The degree of participation defines our place in these networks!
The best known and most popular social networks in Germany are: Facebook, Xing, Google+, Stayfriends, Wer-kennt-wen, Twitter, VZ-Netzwerke (MeinVZ, SchuelerVZ, StudiVZ), Linkedln, Tumblr, Odnoklassniki.[2]
The history of Facebook has begun in the year of 2004; the spread and continuous development are extraordinary. From time to time Mark Zuckerberg, ‘one of five co-founders of the social networking site Facebook’[3], announces the reach of new numbers of Facebook users. In the year of 2008 (August) 100 million users were on Facebook[4] while in July 2010 already 500 million people were using the platform[5] and in October 2012 ‘more than one billion people using Facebook actively each month’.[6] [7]
Most of the social networks offer features like a personal profile, a contact list, the possibility to receive and send messages to other users (alone or in groups), games etc.
Nowadays social networks are a valid method to communicate with whoever we want; we are always up-to-date regarding our friends’ life and anything else that is happening in the world. [8]
However, social networks have to face a barrage of criticism as well: poor data privacy, the exchange of dubious photos and cyber-mobbing.
Another important point is the fact of being ‘Connected, but alone?’ analyzed by Sherry Turkle, who is a ‘Professor of Social Studies of Science and Technology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’.[9] [10]
According to the numbers, published on the webpage http://www.checkfacebook.com/ , there’s only a small difference between German (25,189,320 users) and French (25,286,560 users) Facebook users. Therefore, one could assume that Facebook, or social networks in general, are comparably weighted in the two societies.
[Vanessa Lichter, University of Applied Sciences Bonn-Rhine-Sieg]
Facebook, Twitter , LinkedIn… We can not speak of a decline of the French passion towards social networks. Three users of four are placed on at least one of them.
The last annual barometer of social networks “Mediametrie” reported a success of social networks. In France, say that they are part of our daily lives is close to an euphemism, in one year, it is 1.6 million more people who have taken the plunge. The numbers do not stop here, 99% of Internet users know at least one social network and 77% are enrolled.
At the great game of popularity, twitter is taking the lead with two users of three know the twittosphere and 15% are enrolled. There is another who gleans every day a little more popularity , Google + is experienced by 7% of Internet users and also has 15% of registrants, as well as Twitter.
In France, two internet users of three use the social networks every day or almost, and not only at home but also at work or in public transport (tablets, smartphones). Indeed, the social networks are so many and some dedicated to the professional sphere. They show a nice progression and in this case, LinkedIn is the most requested.
In one year, things have changed, the social networks are no longer for a category of the population. The time is long past when only “young people” wandered on Facebook, now all age groups are represented.
Five years ago, we spoke about a fad phenomenon, finally they proliferate and resist more and more. Like a bad virus some say.
[Jérémy Ducam, Universitè Paris Sud, Orsay]
In conclusion, we tried to show the importance and the influence of social networks in Germany in comparison to France.
In these two countries, social networks are omnipresent in our everyday life. For all that, in a general way, social networks are less used in Germany and France (respectively 55 and 50%) than other countries in Europe like Italy, Suede or Hungary (60 to 70 %). In Germany as in France, the use of social networks to communicate with their friends, family and professional contacts becomes widespread more and more, regardless of social origins and age. Indeed, the users are getting younger but older as well; there’s really no discrepancy in age and you cannot generalize it! The youths use the social networks to share photos and comment on their lives, and the older ones use it to recover childhood friends or ancient colleagues.
On the other hand, we notice an important difference between France and Germany about the nature of social network which are used. French people privilege social networks for leisure activities (Facebook, Twitter…) whereas German people are more on professional social networks. In the same way, among professional social networks, German people prefer national networks like Xing while French people prefer to use international networks like LinkedIn.
But the problems with social networks are the same on both sides of Rhine: protection of privacy life is in the center of the debates, and laws are born trying to protect it. But it’s also a freedom of expression which is favored through these phenomenons which are called “social networks”.
The two societies also have a similar point of view about social networks, their advantages, their limits and inconvenience.
[Mathilde Pailhe-Belair, Universitè Paris Sud, Orsay]
Questions:
- Are you using social networks? If yes, which ones? If no, why not?
- In your opinion: What are the advantages and disadvantages of social networks?
- Future trend: Do you think the number and importance of social networks will rise or will there be a decline?
[1] D. Boyd; N. Ellison (2007) Social network sites: Definition, history, and scholarship. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 13(1), article 11.
December 10th, 2012 at 11:38 pm
I use facebook. I really started to dislike facebook recently because of all the the changes it forced on their users. The only reason I still have facebook is that it makes it really easy to communicate with people all over the world. I have a lot of friends in the US and facebook makes it really easy to stay in touch with them.
I think social networks will become more important in the future because the current young generation is so used to them that they wont be able to live without them.
December 11th, 2012 at 9:17 pm
1. I also use facebook. In the past I used 2 more platforms (wkw and studivz), but the last two years facebook became really popular and everybody is on it (even people of whom you’d never expect them to know how to turn on a computer)
2. The main advantage of social networks is the easy way to connect to people, to create groups (such as our Bonsay group, without facebook it won’t be as easy to organize a project like this) and to stay in contact to people all over the world.
3. In my opinion the importance of social networks will grow, because it is much more easy to stay in contact with someone with clear name instead of an e-mail adress or an phone number. A decline of the growth would be a step backward in internet history, and I do not thing that this is going to happen.
December 12th, 2012 at 5:53 pm
1. I use only facebook. Facebook is very popular and everybody is on it. I don’t know the others. I like facebook because it allows to keep in touch with friends who travel in stranger country, living in other regions…
2. For my opinion, the advantages of social network are to keep in touch with friends. But the social networks have many disadvantages. Indeed, all informations or pics we published on this networks can be seen by all people on Internet.
3. I think that with evolution of news technologies, the importance of social networks will become even stronger. In a few years, all family will have a computer and internet access. Maybe, in the future, a new social networks will be created.
December 13th, 2012 at 2:33 pm
Hey !!
Nice blog, you did a lot of research and i enjoyed reading your post! Well done guys !
I would like to answer your questions. ( 1-3 )
1. I only use facebook, because it is the most popular social network out there and everybody of my friends is using it.
2. In my opinion the advantages of social networks are that you can stay in contact with people that you, for example met during your holidays or with old friends that moved to another country or city. Therefore social networks offer you the opportunity to create groups to exchange information. By the way, we did the same with the BONSAY-Group and it´s very useful! Last but not least you can share your life, problems, pictures etc. with your friends.
The disadvantages of social networks are that cyber-bullying increased and that people that you don´t know can gather information about you and maybe find out where you live, what you do or how you look by checking out the information on your profile. So always be sure to keep your profile private.
3. I think facebook reached now the top. Sooner or later there will be new platform. I already thought StudiVZ or Myspace would remain for a longer time, but the evolution of the internet and technology is just to quick. I can be wrong with my assumption, only time can tell, but I am very sure that facebook won´t remain forever.
December 14th, 2012 at 4:06 pm
Hey, an interesting article from you.
1. I use as “social network” Facebook.
2. I think social networks have a lot of advantages and disadvantages. In my opinion is it very great, when people all over the world have contact on a plattform. In a very short time, can you reach a lot of people, whether it is important or not.
A disadvantage is seen that this also propaganda is operated and can be applied to other anonymous psychological pressure.
3. We are only at the beginning from social networks. The world is growing ever more and we need networks that contact us, personally and professionally.
December 16th, 2012 at 11:09 am
Hi, first of all I want to say, that your blog is very interersting and I have enjoyed to read it.
1. I use, as probably most of us, facebook. About 2 years ago I was still logged on 2 other platforms (wkw and meinvz) but almost all of my friends have used only facebook at the end.
2. On the one hand social networks are a great invention. It is very easy to communicate or to stay in contact with your friends especially if they live in another country or far away. Social networks facilitate many things, for example if you want to make a birthday party. Your only have to create a new group on facebook and invite all your friends you want to have there and then you will see how many of them klick on the bottom participation.
On the other hand I think nowadays there are a lot of people, especially young people, who can’t live without facebook. Many people share a lot of private information on facebook so that everyone is able to see them ( for example phone number, place of work or school, family members etc.) I think it could be very dangerous if you divulge too much informations to facebook.
3. I think that a future life without social networks wouldn’t happen. Social networks were very important in recent years and this will be also in the future. To get in touch with people, products or companies by sociale networks is as easy as never before. So the importance of social networks will increase in the future even more.
December 17th, 2012 at 1:10 pm
Hello everybody,
from my point of view, an important topic to discuss.
I only use Facebook. I use Facebook every Day because it is a well opportunity to stay in contact with friends or old classmates. For me it is very interesting to watch out what people study or how they develop.
An other important advantage for me is the easy way to organise meetings with a group of friends very fast because everyone of my friends uses Facebook.
The number of social networks will not rise at all, because there are a high number of them right now. In my opinion the importance of social networks will rise from year to year, because i am watching a development in using for example Facebook in my surrounding, in radio, in magazines, on peoples smartphones and of course in TV an movies.
To summarize social networks getting more and more important and a part of our daily live.
Dennis Werner
December 17th, 2012 at 6:14 pm
I use Facebook for communicating with my fellow students and with my friends. It is a good opportunity to stay in touch with them. But I actually do not post much on my wall. I do not want to be a transparent person for companies and foreign persons and I think, this is a disadvantage of social networks if you use them in the wrong way.
Right now, over 1,000,000,000 people use Facebook, but I think that this huge amount will decrease, because a lot of people may just wanted to look, how Facebook looks like and how it works and after this may they stop using it.
December 21st, 2012 at 12:15 am
Hi,
I am a Facebook user too! I started to use FB, or to be correct, I registered myself on FB few years ago. I did it because of pure curiosity. At the beginning FB wasn’t o f so common use like it is nowadays. I have account on FB, but i don’t use it very much. It for the reason like Johannes mentioned above, I don’t want to transparent for everyone, especially now, with FB changing the privacy rules.
I think FB, social networks will stay popular and grow bigger.
FB already became a new kind of marketing instrument; a lot of companies are selling their products there. And it looks like it has also an impact on our religious site of ‘virtual’ social life, latest news, I heard is that the Pope is using it as well. In my opinion, when such a huge ‘institution’ like church is interested in it, it will last longer.
December 21st, 2012 at 12:38 pm
I like to read throw your article and I like to comment on this one because the social network issue is very current and important these days.
I only use one social network: Facebook. First I found Facebook very confusing and I wasn’t sure why I should use it. But in 2009 I did an exchange to Ecuador and everyone asked me: “Do you have Facebook?” Due to this I registered to Facebook. In some points I really like it. It is a good way to keep contact with friends all over the world or even to find lost friends that you haven’t spoke to in years. You also keep in touch with your friends, classmates and relatives. You can leave a message, browse through someone’s photo collection or even chat with people at the same time. All in all you can see what your friends and relatives are up to and spread your thoughts and interests to a large number of people. But there is also a negative point on Facebook or other social networks. I really dislike, that some people think of it as their home on the internet. They post things every minute and that’s really annoying. They use it throughout the day and night without any sense at all. Hours pass and you could have done something more important than using Facebook. There is also a risk of identity. The personal information, like your e-mail address, your name, your location, your age, your relationship status, etc., can be used by dubious people for illegal activities. People can, without asking you, download your photos. But as you can see, these points don’t really alienate the people. The rise of social networking sites have been phenomenal partly due to the immense freedom it affords. And because of this I think that the number and importance will still rise. Even because businesses will use social networking sites to promote themselves, their services and products.
December 21st, 2012 at 7:30 pm
Before answering the questions, I want to say that i really liked reading your Blog on “Social Networks”, since this topic is getting more and more relevant in our everyday life. All of the written parts were very informative and gave an detailed overview about the advantages and problems that are implied in society because of the use of social networks. In the following I will answer your questions.
- Are you using social networks? If yes, which ones? If no, why not?
Yes I am using social networks. I think it would be more interesting to ask, who is not using them today. Currently I’m only using Facebook, like all the other students, since it became the most important social network. It’s advantage is definitely, that it is a platform where you are almost able to reach and find every person you want to.
I’m not using any other social networks, because I am already spending a huge amount of time for Facebook. That is why I decided not to join any other social platforms. Furthermore I don’t want to publish my identity on several different platforms. I think using Facebook is enough, since it is the most common social network, and everyone, me included, is reachable.
- In your opinion: What are the advantages and disadvantages of social networks?
Since I am studying, especially Facebook is getting more and more attractive to me. With Facebook I’m able to talk to other students, see what is going on at the weekend or just doing organizational issues. It helps me a lot, since usually everyone, I know, logs on for atleast one time per day. So there is a huge exchange of information, what is the biggest benefit of Facebook.
But there are also disadvantages!
For me it is, like for many others aswell, the privacy. When I am for example talking to my parents or grandparents about Facebook, they are totally aversed, because our privacy is limited towards the privacy they know the past decades.
That is the agreement all the users of Facebook have to get along with.
- Future trend: Do you think the number and importance of social networks will rise or will there be a decline?
I think the number and importance of social networks will still increase. Until today there are more than 1,000,000,000 people that are using Facebook and it will definitely grow. Since the number of companies that are using social networks is steadily rising. I think that there will be a drop of the total amount of users within the following one or two decades, because maybe there will be an alternative. But until than Facebook will gain more members!
December 22nd, 2012 at 6:59 pm
Hello,
Thanks for your blog.
I’m a facebook user. My first social network was Myspace but i left it when i joined facebook. I like social networks because it helps me to stay in touch with my friends abroad, and also because i refound old friends from my childhood that i hadn’t seen for ages. But social networks have also disadvantages. Indeed, nowadays, people are used to looking at your personal profile before hiring you. And often, to leave personal informations on a social networks can harm you.
I think that the use of the social networks is again going to increase, until people grow tired of it.
December 22nd, 2012 at 7:51 pm
Hey
I like your article because it’s an actual theme. I also enjoy how you present the facts in your article.
Yes I’m using Facebook. I’ve started to use it to keep in touch with some friends. So I think that the main advantage of social networks it that allows you to speak with your friends and to know what they do, what they study. But the disadvantage of this is that if you don’t pay attention all your life can become public. Another trouble is that sometimes you only talk with some friends on social networks and you forget to see them in “the real life”.
I think that this number rise because now children are used to live with a computer. It’s now common and normal to be on one of the different social networks. So the new generation will also employ them but maybe it will be another kind of social network (not facebook or twitter…).
December 23rd, 2012 at 11:08 am
I find that your article is very interesting especially because the theme concern us almost all.
1. I use only Facebook because I like this social network. I find it very practical, easily usable and especially because all my friends also have an account on Facebook.
2. For me the advantage of the social networks it is because we can follow the life of our friends even when they are abroad for their studies. However, it’s necessary to pay attention also that we publish on these social networks because all becomes public and it can become dangerous if our news was followed by badly thoughtful persons.
3. I think that the number and the importance of the social networks will be strengthened in the future because relations via internet are easier for numerous persons.
December 23rd, 2012 at 11:38 am
Hey,
This article deals with a subject at the heart of the evolution of our society.
It’s the reason i find it interesting !
I use one social network : facebook. Since 2009, i use it mostly professional reasons.
So, i think social network become something useless but essential. Nowadays, if you haven’t got a profile in facebook and other social network, you can’t have a normal life.
This year is a good exemple for me. I’m obliged to connect facebook every weeks. If they don’t do that, i can’t receive somes essential information like the date for publishing something in english for exemple.
Thus, the social network introduce a new dictatorship ! The dictatorship of democracy system.
Arab revolutions didn’t they do thanks to facebook and twitter ?
Nowadays, if you don’t connect in social network, you disconnect to the world in general ! You’r considerate like a solitary and introverted hermit !
Nevertheless, with an appropriate utilisation, the social network proves to be a significant driver for growth for our society democratic.
Many movment like the moroccan february movment for more democracy in this country. The king of country folded and a new democracy was born.
The arab revolution would never have had this current magnitude without the social network.
Of course, you can exchanged music, video and other media files.
But in future net 3.0, the society will constantly immersed in internet.
With other “cloud computing”, interactive billboard, our society become dependant of unneccesary…
Do you want this futur there ? I don’t want this !
December 23rd, 2012 at 1:21 pm
Your article is very interesting because it deals with a actual subject.
1. I use facebook for few years now and I don’t know the others that you introduce in your article.
2. According to me, social networks as facebook permit to talk with friends who live far or abroad. We also can share our life with picture, events, trip…
None the less, one disadvantage of social network is the protection of our private life.
3. People always find new way to be in contact with others people. Phone is the best exemple of that, we start we big phone and now, ot of people have smartphone with camera internet and other functionnality. To sum up, I think in the next few years, there will be an other social network which will be better than facebook.
December 23rd, 2012 at 4:21 pm
1. I use currently facebook to communicate with friends mainly. I don’t know much about others social networks.
2. In my opinion, the advantages of social networks are that it’s an easy way to communicate and you can share a lot of information with your friends (photographies…). But it has some drawbacks.Indeed, you need to be careful on the content you post or let people see and on who can see what…It can be sometimes annoying.
3. I believe that social networks are probably going to continue te develop in the future because it’s a new way of communicating which goes with the explosion of Internet. And it’s only starting.
December 23rd, 2012 at 5:20 pm
Hey ! I’ve found your article really interesting ! A topical subject !
I’m a facebook user since last year. I’ve tried to be away from it as late as I can but I’ve realised, last year, that I was losing a lot of informations concerning my class (people gave them on Facebook and I was never aware of.). So, I’m a part of it now ! ^^
) and because you can have benefits with some shops, like reductions reserved to Facebook users.
I think it has a lot of advantages : you can keep in touch with friends and family more easily and be informed about things you like. But it also has some inconvenients : you need to be as vigilant as you can about what you say/show on your wall. I don’t understand people who share every moments of their lives on Facebook, I think it’s unconsciousness.
Finally, I think the importance of social networks will rise in the futur because you can easily speak with people with who you wouldn’t without social networks (just think about the BONSAY project ! ^^
December 23rd, 2012 at 5:58 pm
Thank you for your article it was very interesting to read it!
1. Are you using social networks? If yes, which ones? If no, why not?
Yes, I am! I am using facebook, linkedin and I tried to use twitter but this one is very difficult to use if you don’t know exactly how to use it.
2. In your opinion: What are the advantages and disadvantages of social networks?
I will speak about facebook one of the most popular social networks. To share photos and news about your life with your friend, Facebook is very rapid and efficient. But there is a lot of disadvantages, our information are on the internet and we can’t control there use, we can’t control what our friends put on it, so it’s potentially dangerous because your privacy could be broken by your future professional relations and employers.
December 23rd, 2012 at 9:03 pm
Your article is very interesting, and your subject is very well chosen !
I ‘m using only facebook, I tried Twitter but there are mainly gossip and I’m not interested in them.
I go on facebook every day, I find it very useful to keep contact with old friends who are living in other cities. Facebook is also useful to exchange some informations between students.
As regards of privacy, I don’t think that is dangerous because I control that I put on my profile, I don’t write all my life on my facebook’s profile, so people cannot see what I don’t want ! I put some photos but I choose them and I know all my facebook’s friends. But , in my opinion, Facebook can be dangerous for children or young teenagers because they write about them without parental control and they could accept in facebook’s friends dangerous people. The security for young people is not sufficient.
I think the social networks in general will increase but I’m not sure that facebook will increase again, we can see in this article that Twitter took the lead !
December 26th, 2012 at 9:28 pm
Hey,
first of all I want to say that i really like to read your blog. You did a really good job.
I also use facebook since two or three years. Thats the only social network I use at the moment.
The advantage of facebook is the possibility to communicate with people all over the world and the chance to go on facebook with different types of media. I use my iPhone every hour to look what happend in facebook.
Disadvantage of social networks, here I talk about facebook, is that we cannot controll the use of the information we share. So our privacy can be broken by other people.
December 26th, 2012 at 9:46 pm
As most of those who commented before I use only facebook. For me there is no need for another platform because all my friends are on facebook and to keep in touch with them was the only reason I once registered (actually it is also a nice way to check birthday dates that you can’t remember
).
However, there are some aspects that I don’t like about facebook e.g. the mentioned poor data privacy. Furthermore, some people share too many so-called ‘important information’ and post too frequently. Sometimes this ‘need to talk’ becomes very annoying.
But still the advantages outweigh the disadvantages and social network platforms will be important in the future as well.
January 3rd, 2013 at 9:07 am
Hey, it is a very interesting article.
1) Like all commentators befor i use facebook. I think it is the most using social network in the world and the most of my friends at this platform online.
2) I think, a very big advantage of social networks is, that many people use facebook or other social networks. If you want to talk to somebody, you only have to go online and write a message. I think many people also have facebook at the smartphone, so they are accessible the whole day.
A disadvantage of social networks is in my opinion, that one place have all dates of million of people, including photos and messages. Nobody knows, where the dates are and what they do with the dates.
3) I think the number and the importance of social networks will rise. It is a very important marketing strategy for businesses to talk to people at social networks or get their dates to make personal marketing.