I feel the most significant technology discussed in this course is the innovation of social networking sites (SNS). Social networking sites allow for computer-mediated social interaction. According to class lecture on Thursday March 8, 2012, a social networking site must allow users to do three things: construct a public/semipublic profile within the bounded system, articulate a list of other users with whom one can share a connection, and the site must have the ability to view and traverse their list of connections and those made by others within a system. Also, according to class lecture on Thursday March 8, 2012, people today spend more time on social networking sites that any other internet website. The most popular of social networking sites today are Twitter, Facebook, and Myspace. Although Myspace has lost much of its momentum in the United States, the site is still very popular in other parts of the world, as it was the first SNS to allow customization of one’s profile. Facebook was the first site to allow a “news feed,” while Twitter helped to revolutionize microblogging. Before social networking blogs on the internet were too long and boring, so today the idea of the 120 character limit update is embraced widely. Social networking sites allow users to share their beliefs, ideas, photos and even world news in a matter of seconds, or the amount of time it takes to post an update. Social networking has assisted in creating a “global village.” Society is no longer bound to the perimeters of their own country or culture, rather we can now share information with anyone. Global or local news is easily expressed through social networking sites, and as a result most use social networking a news platform. A great example of the effects of social networking sites have on society is the 2008 presidential election. The Obama campaign capalized on the use of social media and often used SNS to gain volunteers. Another example is the 2006 immigration marches. The issues of immigration were spread through sharing opinions and news stories on different social media platforms. Thousands of immigration marches were organized through Facebook and Myspace (Gil de Zúñiga, 2012, p. 319). Social networking sites have irrevocably changed the way we communicate as a society, and they will continue to shape future computer-mediated communication.
Gil de Zúñiga, H. (2012), Social Media Use for News and Individuals' Social Capital, Civic Engagement and Political Participation. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 17: 319–336. doi: 10.1111/j.1083-6101.2012.01574.x
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I can personally say that a lot of my time is spent on social networking sites like facebook and twitter and I think it can be extremely informative on all fronts, personal and educational. The Invisible Children “Kony 2012” campaign was made widely popular on facebook and the whole goal of the project was to shed light on a serious issue in Africa that many young people would not have known about otherwise had it not been for that social media outlet.
ReplyDelete-Jennifer Beltran
Kony 2012 was a joke. People jumped on that bandwagon just as fast as they jumped off. There was suppose to be a poster posting campaign last week but that never materialized. People had already moved on to more pressing matters in the youtubeosphere like Tupac's performing hologram.
DeleteI’ll admit it: I am a Facebook/Twitter junkie! And me getting an iPhone last summer that made me able to access my social networking pages did not help with my addiction! I cannot imagine a world without these SNS’s anymore. I have family all over the US and had a cousin in the US army that was stationed in Okinawa, Japan and Iraq for many years. Facebook and MySpace helped me keep in touch with my family members that I don’t get a chance to see every day. Now when we meet for the holidays and summer vacation, we are now all on the same page with our life events, thanks to SNS’s.
ReplyDeleteHannah Sherlock
What a well thought out post, Amanda. You alluded to the power of what social media can do in world political affairs much like I did in my blog#2 assignment. I think it’s great that as social media users we can control what media sources enter our newsfeed but at the same time we should also be wary of only hearing what we want to hear i.e. reinforcement theory. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to subscribe to media organizations that disagree or challenge your beliefs just so you get the full perspective of an issue.
ReplyDeleteVictor Rodriguez