Impact of Social Network Services

The impact of social network services has been impressive in recent years, as it has caused both positive and negative repercussions in many arenas.

You may have only heard of one or two social networking sites, but there are actually dozens of such entities on the Web. While the more prolific ones have garnered media attention, both past and present, they all contribute to society in different ways. Below is a crash course on both obscure and well-known social network services, and the roles they play on the Internet.

One of the most famous social network sites available on cyberspace, Myspace has revolutionized the social interactions of a generation, allowing members to create homepages with photos, interest lists, message boards and many other basic user-friendly features.

Facebook, currently one of Myspace’s most ferocious competitors, is credited as a more sophisticated Myspace, with a cleaner interface and a more mature feel that has drawn every demographic from college students to senior citizens.

Over 30 million corporate professionals use of LinkedIn to make contact for career endeavors, to swap ideas and to reconnect with executives and colleagues in their own specific work industry.

Bebo is similar to other social networking sites. However, there is a larger emphasis on Internet entertainment, including Hollywood photos, interviews and videos.

BlackPlanet is an African American social networking site.

CafeMom is a social networking site for moms.

You can find the Classmates' pop up and banner ads on plenty of Internet locations. This networking service focuses on high school reunions and reconnecting former classmates from all grades and education levels.

DeviantART provides social networking for visual artists.

Thanks to social networking, our world is far more connected than ever before. There are fewer "I wonder whatever happened to…" conversations, as people from all generations are able to catch up with old friends and colleagues on platforms that were never available before.

Outside of general friendship development and reunification, some social networking sites are great for promotion. Myspace, one of today’s most popular network services, started out as a spot on the web for aspiring rockstars to promote their band's music and videos. Colbie Caillat is an example of an artist who would’ve been restricted to a career in coffee houses if it weren’t for Myspace. Her music was first featured there and received thousands of hits. This success eventually led to a record deal. Today she is one of the United States’ most popular recording artists, and she can credit it all to the impact of social networks on the music industry and its followers.

Some businesses have even found their fortune on social network sites. For example, Facebook hosts a "fan club" feature, where businesses can gather a community of their frequent shoppers or customers. This, in turn, causes more people to check out the store, and then hopefully boosted sales. Some entrepreneurs even claim to the media that they met their fortune via Facebook and Myspace publicity. Best of all, it’s free.

What goes up, must come down. No single entity has experienced the truth of that old saying more than social networking sites in recent years, where negative publicity has outweighed the positive. Myspace is especially popular with teenagers, and this in turn has caused some issues for the monstrously huge networking company. Teens now rely on Myspace (and other network sites such as Bebo) for their primary socializing, and the worlds of fantasy and reality have often collided into disaster. "Mean girls" who wouldn’t give a wallflower the time of day in the halls of high school have "friended" them on cyberspace, causing an oddly skewed perception of social acceptance.

Teens have also gotten faculty in trouble by creating false MySpace pages about them. Anna Draker, the assistant principal of Clark High School in Texas, was the victim of one such stunt.

Some teens even experience physical harm over Internet relationships spurred by social networks. Megan Meier committed suicide in 2006 over a cyber bullying incident that has left one mother indicted for murder. Social networking provides individuals of all ages the opportunity to remain anonymous, lost in a large virtual world, where they are able to express themselves in ways they wouldn’t dare to in their daily reality.

This sometimes, unfortunately, yields devastating results.

However, the impact of social network services does not have to be so negative. Parents should regulate their children’s networking accounts. Additionally, many services have private settings available to protect profiles from unwanted online viewers. Discussing the rules and positive aspects of social networking with your friends and family can also defray negative repercussions. The power of social networking is solely in the hands of its countless users. With enough responsible members, aspects that may be potentially damaging have the potential to be improved.

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