Social Networking

First, this is an ironic thing to be talking about considering the underlying reason for blogs. That said, I doubt that I am alone when it comes to our exposure and the sheer volume of applications, websites, and resources that are everywhere now that deal with social networks. This Wikipedia page alone has hundreds and they are all meant to help us connect faster, better, more, and without too much effort. I agree with this in many ways and I can't deny the benefits of having these resources available. There are people who i would never have contact with if myspace or facebook did not exist. But is there a chance that while we all write on each others wall, poke, message, and tag all day long, we are missing out on that true "face" time needed? There is something to that one on one conversation, reading facial expressions and hearing the other person through body language. I think it would be safe to say that although time spent online has increased dramatically in the past ten years we all have created this amazing ability to multitask. We can text, post, listen to music, search Wikipedia and get paid simultaneously. The gadgets that are all around us hasn't hurt either, allowing us to do all these things on our cell phones. I have read and heard about those people who see these networks as a fog screen in our lives, useless and a waste of time. I beg to disagree, they can be utilized as a unique and ever-changing way to connect, relate, and discover things about each other or people we never knew till they wrote on our wall. But as with everything in life there needs to be a balance and I think our society today spends too much time in front a screen, we need to get outside more. Naropa University and John Davis Ph.D released a great article about the psychological benefits of being outside in nature more often. Who knows, getting outside may just relieve all that stress you post about all day and help you social network better. Here is some interesting facts that Ofcom (Office of Communications) has released about social networking, enjoy:

Attitudes and behaviours towards social networking sites

Social networkers fall into distinct groups

Social networkers differ in their attitudes to social networking sites and in their behaviour while using them. Ofcom’s qualitative research indicates that site users tend to fall into five distinct groups based on their behaviours and attitudes. These are as follows:

• Alpha Socialisers (a minority) – people who used sites in intense short bursts to flirt, meet new people, and be entertained.
• Attention Seekers – (some) people who craved attention and comments from others, often by posting photos and customising their profiles.
• Followers – (many) people who joined sites to keep up with what their peers were doing.
• Faithfuls – (many) people who typically used social networking sites to rekindle old friendships, often from school or university.
• Functionals – (a minority) people who tended to be single-minded in using sites for a particular purpose.

Non-users of social networking sites also fall into distinct groups

Non-users also appear to fall into distinct groups; these groups are based on their reasons for not using social networking sites:

• Concerned about safety – people concerned about safety online, in particular making personal details available online.
• Technically inexperienced – people who lack confidence in using the internet and computers.
• Intellectual rejecters – people who have no interest in social networking sites and see them as a waste of time.