Social Networking

   How can social networks be exploited? That's a question that many have probably asked themselves. Seeing how this year Facebook has produced 6 billionaires, while still remaining a private entity is very appealing. Social networking sites like Facebook present a major source of revenue for its creators, the ad business is bigger and more profitable then ever. 

   Like Fred Vogelstein's "Great Wall of Facebook: The Social Network's Plan to Dominate the Internet — and Keep Google Out" state, Google wanted in on Facebook's ad business, but Microsoft got it instead. Google represents the internet's biggest company and Facebook represents Google's biggest competitor. The answer to the question aforementioned is obvious, ads. These social networks like Facebook and Myspace are exploited with ads. Facebook has about half a billion members, the idea of having an ad in so much traffic is irresistible for companies and that means a lot of cash for Facebook execs. 

   Technologies like Facebook present obvious previously mentioned benefits for its owners, but they also present benefits for its users. Like Virginian Hefferna's "The Medium: Being There" states, social networks like Facebook present a sort of virtual reality of "being there" with your friends while not actually physically being  there. Through Facebook's status updates, people make random or concise updates about what they are doing and about the state of their life. These current and personal updates gives the sensation of "being there" with the updater and it encourages others to comment on the status. While its obvious that you may not be physically there with the person, the sensation of feeling like you are through personal and current updates is certainly a benefit to those who by whatever reason cannot physically be somebody they may want  to. It is definitely a new approach to "networking."

   Is there a "dark side" to these social networks? That all depends on how the user interprets the actual use of the site. If a user becomes engulfed by the surreality of the website like what i previously explained of "being there," but not really being there. Then yes, this is a negative effect of the social network. These sites are not meant to make you a hermit and never physically congregate with friends, they are meant to provide access to your friends current and personal events when it may be impossible to do so, that is the positive effect of the social networks. 

   In my opinion, as more people inevitable become connected to the internet, these sites will only develop further to accommodate the users needs and wants, people like interacting with others. Social networks provide an efficient--on the go--method of doing this. With the ad business ever expanding, the more people subscribe to these networks, the more the business will expand and therefore entice the creators and regulators of these sites to attract more members. There is a blindingly future ahead of these social network sites, especially Facebook.