Ever wondered what the effect of social networking is around the globe, how many
people actually use social networking and what countries do not? In a recent
study, China came in at 53% of users actually participating in social
networking, while the United States had 98% participation (http://www.socialbusinesstoday.net/2012/01/social-media-engages-globe-percentages.html).
Restrictions on content may be one of the reasons why China’s social networking
engagement is so low. With the increasingly globalized economy however, this may
end up changing positively in the future, with more people being involved in
social networking in places like China than ever before.
The changes witnessed in the social networking landscape are
different even from a few years ago when places like Germany only had about a
31% participation in social networking (http://www.technolog.msnbc.msn.com/technology/technolog/social-networking-grows-unevenly-around-globe-125947).
This rapid increase in usage speaks to the explosive and exponential nature of
social networking. Social networking is starting to integrate more and more into
people’s daily lives, as the last post mentioned, meaning that people are
participating more and more in social networking, using it as a tool, as a way
of interacting, and as a form of entertainment. What are the causes of this
global development in this form of communication? Perhaps one could point to
the ease of use and access as a contributing factor. However, it is more likely
that people enjoy society, publicity, and exposure as a whole, leading to a
growth in social networking. People are almost becoming their own news services
with this tool, providing individuals with unlimited audiences, a younger crowd
of more emotional and impressionable individuals, and a platform to speak their
mind to their network. The question really becomes: who wouldn’t want to
socially network?
2 comments:
It's strange to think about how much social networking sites have come along. Starting out, it was mainly used for just means of easy communication but now there is such a wide variety of things it can be used for. Communication, advertising, media sharing, gaming, and so many other applications. It is like social networking is taking the place of everything else such as blogs, online chat rooms, etc. because social networking sites are providing these same services as well as many others. Social networking has almost become a necessity rather than just another activity to engage in. Even businesses are sold on social networking sites and now finding more and more uses for them. It really makes you wonder how much more advanced social networking sites will become and whether or not they will completely eliminate the need for other resources.
Interesting comment! You think social networking might become a digital good, eliminating the need for other services or offerings in the long run perhaps? Social networking could become the new business platform perhaps with other mobile apps being built specifically for inter-business communication, creating a professional network on something like Facebook perhaps....
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