Social Networking Websites impact on Society

Social networking on websites is a social and technological innovation that cannot be ignored in the society. The process of creating, building, and nurturing virtual communities and relationships between people online is known as social networking. Social Networking means a network of social interactions and personal relationships. A social networking service is an online service, platform, or site that focuses on facilitating the building of social networks or social relations among people. Social networking is the grouping of individuals into specific groups. A number of websites are used for social networking. These websites are known as social sites. These websites provide an important linking element between users that allows friends to communicate directly with each other. Because people often have friends from different places and different times in their lives, social networking sites provide an opportunity to keep in touch with old friends and to meet new people as well. With the rise of websites like facebook, twitter, social networking may be in the position of replacing traditional interactions for the coming generation. Traditional interactions will continue to be at risk if we don‘t realize the effect of our social media. Social networking websites function like an online community of internet users. Many of these online community members share common interests in hobbies, religion, politics and alternative lifestyles. Once you are granted access to a social networking website you can begin to socialize. This socialization may include reading the profile pages of other members and possibly even contacting them.

A Web site that provides a virtual community for people to share their daily or even moment-to-moment activities with family and friends, or to share their interest in a particular topic, or to increase their circle of acquaintances. We define social network sites as web-based services that allow individuals to (1) Construct a public or semi-public profile within a bounded system. (2) Articulate a list of other users with whom they share a connection.

The nature and nomenclature of these connections may vary from site to site. It is Abbreviated as SNS a social networking site is the phrase used to describe any Web site that enables users to create public profiles within that Web site and form relationships with other users of the same web site who access their profile. Social networking sites can be used to describe community-based Web sites, online discussions forums, chat rooms and other social spaces online. There are dating sites, friendship sites, and sites with a business purpose and hybrids that offer a combination of these. Globally, hundreds of millions have joined one or more social sites such as Facebook, MySpace and LinkedIn. Members create their own online "profile" with biographical data, pictures and any other information they choose to post. They communicate with each other by making their latest thoughts public in a blog-like format or via e-mail, instant messaging, voice or videoconferencing to selected members. The service lets members find and invite other members into their personal network (to "friend" them) as well as invite friends of friends

Below are some data that summarize the growth of social networking service and their general relevance. While its growth has slowed, the level of user engagement with the platform has increased. Other platforms like Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and LinkedIn saw significant increases over the past year in the proportion of online adults who now use their sites. internet users. In the corresponding table, the usage figures of the five social networking platforms measured are presented as a proportion of the total American adult population. Social networking websites such as facebook , gained over 100 million users in the year 2014 to 2015 in UK. Business use of social media doubled from 13% to 25% between 2014 and 2015.

While there are risks inherent in online social networking, there are also many potential benefits. Guaranteed Meeting Places: Individuals can meet each other and chat over Facebook, or open a video chat through Google+. Rather than having to travel to specific locations, or try to work times out in which everyone is near a central location, people can plan to meet at times that work for all of their schedules.

create networks of like-minded people. Academics find other scholars to share research or ideas, or simply to talk to and "get their name out there". Professionals find mutual friends and possible clients, employers, or business partners. Social networking expands the horizons of what sort of contacts people can make in their professional lives. Staying Informed about the World: People on social networking sites share what interests them, such as news on current events. People who share those interests, or who just want to stay informed, can read these stories and share them as well. Eventually, these stories make their to users who may have never read them. Since stories are shared through "word of mouth," smaller news outlets such as blogs can get exposure, and social network users are overall connected to a larger pool of new information and opinion. Finding New Customers: A social network gives you the chance to reach out to new customers, as well. One way to use your social network to find new customers is to reach out to current ones. Tweet or post on your wall, offering a special discount to current customers for every new person who follows or likes your business. Get Feedback: You can use social networking to get feedback on ideas immediately, or to ask questions and get answers quickly. If you're developing a product or even just an idea, you can bounce it off your friends and social networking contacts and find out what they think about it.

1. Social networking is lacking anonymity because one have to input the personal information .i.e. name, location, age, gender and many other type of information. 2. The chances of scams and harassment are much higher as you are at risk to face cyber stalking, online scams and identity theft. 3. There is no privacy in this system. One reason that many people are wary of uploading their photos or videos to a social networking site like Facebook is because they are concerned about retaining the copyright to their work. 4. One thing we often forget while having fun on social networks is that almost anybody can see what we are doing. While we are tagging photos of what we did on the weekends or using social networks on company time it can be easy to forget that 5. Some people may use fake profiles and that may cause security breaches. 6. If you are new to social networking, learning the process can be very time consuming. 7. Social media is responsible for revolutionizing traditional communication. However, research has shown that social networking sites can be very addictive. People who use social networking sites for their daily communication are hooked to a point that they neglect health responsibilities, especially their diet. The addictive nature of social media leads to eating disorders, obesity, heart problems, sleep disorders, and other pertinent health issues. 8. The one potential risk of social networking cited most often is that of hacking. Incidents of profiles and accounts being hacked into are commonplace. 9. Another potential hazard of putting up pictures and videos on these websites is that they could be used for defamation. 10. Most social network web sites have a minimum age limit so that young children cannot make profiles. However, it is easy to fool these systems. Make sure they are not entering too much private data, such as their home address or what school they go to.

Social Networking website is a revolutionary idea with a very bright future with further scope for advancements. The opportunities provided from this medium are immense and many organizations are making use of this medium to better their practice. Organizations are no longer at the mercy of the media to advertise or convey their message. With the help of social networking they can advertise or communicate in a more efficient way. For example, Starbucks have started a very successful program in which a person from any part of the world can login to a website to write comments and discuss issues. Similarly people don‘t have to rely on newspapers or TV to get their daily dose of news it can all be obtained from a social networking site. People can follow or get information from any part of the world. For example Twitter allows a user to follow anything from airline timing to the next breaking news from china. It is even used by politicians to get their message across. The world is

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_networking_service http://mashable.com/category/social-networking/ http://www.identity-theft-scenarios.com/dangers-of-social-networking-sites.html http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/01/09/social-media-update-2014 http://www.whatissocialnetworking.com/

Assistant Professor, PG Department of Computer Science, Dev Samaj College for Women, Ferozepur City E-Mail – vinodkumarkamboj@gmail.com