Social networking is one of the greatest Web 2.0 tools ever invented. It all started when I got a Xanga account a few years ago. I used it as a blog and eventually got followers and created a profile. I even got to customize the layout and add graphic elements on my page. It was exciting for me. I tried to get all my friends to sign up for an account so we could all have Xanga sites and comment on each other's. I ended up with a few friends who had it, but no one really used it as often as I did. I've always loved being online and browsing websites, so the idea of having my own website was unbelievable to me! Eventually MySpace came along, and then the one and only...Facebook! Now, all my friends had Facebook accounts. Now, my wish of having friends together on a social networking site finally came true.
I actually have accounts to numerous social networking sites, but only a few of them I use regularly. Tagged, hi5, and My Yearbook are a few other ones I use besides Facebook and MySpace. Some words, terms, and phrases have become well-known and frequently used just because of social networking sites. MySpace users, can you define the top 8 (which can now be known as the top any number)? Does the word bulletin have a new meaning? Do you think of the name Tom differently? Facebook users, do you have a hard time distinguishing between the message board with which you write your friends and that structure you hang your pictures on at home? :) Twitter even has its own vocabulary posted right on the website. It's kind of amazing to think that just a few years ago these terms (or at least the new meanings of them) didn't even exist and now they're known nationwide.
Another interesting thing about social networking sites was mentioned in the book. It's a term referred to as the Kevin Bacon effect. It may be more commonly known as six degrees of separation. It seems like I have a friend who knows somebody who knows somebody who dates my cousin...or something like that. It's weird to see who is mutual friends with who. My best friend from high school is mutual friends with an old co-worker from the other side of the state. I am from a small, mostly rural region, though; I wonder if the same concept is as prevalent in more urban areas.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I was just thinking the same thing the other day when I realized that a coworker of mine knows my cousin from college. I've often thought to myself that if you live in ND long enough, you'd eventually know everyone by virtue of the six degrees. And now with Facebook, I can see it's true!
ReplyDeleteI remember when Xanga was the best social network ever created. I loved being able to blog about what I felt or whatever the event was that seemed interesting. It was one of the ways to keep my connected until Facebook came around. As for the whole six degrees concept, it really is interesting. I feel dorky for saying that I think about stuff like that from time to time but it's amazing to find out who knows who, and also connected to you.
ReplyDeleteThe saying "It's a small world" really does hold true. I've found myself talking with someone and then realizing that we have some common ground. One instance that comes to mind is when I met a girl in college and spent a lot of time with her, since we were in a lot of the same things and went to the same church. After I posted a picture of my grandfather on Facebook, she recognized his name and realized that we both have Grandpa Dosch's. It turns out that our grandparents live in the same small town, go to the same small church, and are friends with each other. We turned out to be third cousins.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I was wondering what the Kevin Bacon effect was. I am not familiar with the term, so I think I'll look it up.