Social+Networking

= Social Networking = Yehudit Freudenberger

Description and Uses of Technologymedia type="custom" key="8962864" align="right" width="120" height="120"
PC Magazine’s online encyclopedia defines the term “Social Network” as “an association of people drawn together by family, work or hobby.” In the 21st century, this term has become synonymous with internet-based networks. Sites such as Facebook, Twitter and MySpace offer online venues for people to connect, interact and share information digitally. They have offered users unprecedented networking and socializing opportunities that were not previously possible off-line. Ahmad (2011) describes these sites as having “evolved as a combination of personalized media experiences” (p. 124) Specifically, users of these sites are able to set up individual or group profiles and, in these virtual profiles, share status updates, photographs, videos, likes and dislikes, personal or group information and more. Social networking sites can also facilitate online social activities such as virtual game playing, event posting and instant messaging or chatting.

Social networking websites have grown exponentially in the past decade. Facebook, a site with over 500 million active users, was founded in 2004 on the Harvard University campus and went public in 2006. Facebook reports that over half of their users access accounts from mobile devices, allowing users to spend over 700 billion minutes per month on their website. Twitter, a __[|microblogging] __  service, was launched in 2007 and now boasts over 100 million accounts. According to Wikipedia, “Twitter enables its users to send and read messages called //tweets //. Tweets are __[|text-based] __  posts of up to 140 __[|characters] __  displayed on the user's __[|profile] __  page.” MySpace, now with 100 million users worldwide, self-defines its fans as “Gen Y” and claims a “50 percent market share in the 13-35 demographic in the US.”

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">These high-traffic websites serve the dual purpose of social and business-based online networking. However, there are many social networking sites that focus on specific interactions such as business networking (e.g. Linked In), dating services (e.g. match.com), photography (e.g. flickr) and video (e.g. YouTube).

Important Findings on Student Outcomes
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Technology and the ever-expanding world of social media have added a new level of socialization to children’s lives. In their 2010 study of adolescent web blog use and its risks, Anderson-Butcher et al conclude that this online environment mimics the positive “safe spaces” available in some classrooms and afterschool programs. Their research supports the hypothesis that these types of social networking sites can promote “prosocial behaviors” by engaging youth in discussions, in sharing experiences and in fostering connections with others. And still, the researchers qualify that “the positive aspects of the internet are, of course, dependent upon appropriate boundaries, structure, and guidelines that protect youth and ensure their safety” (Anderson-Butcher et al, 2010, p. 68).

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Davis (2011) speculates that students are now using interactive Internet technologies in the classroom to express their creativity and showcase their learning because they feel comfortable in those environments. She writes, “In addition to traditional essays, students are creating websites and films, writing scripts, and recruiting friends and family members to act in videos. They're using social-networking tools to help teach each other new skills and reach out for assistance from their peers.” (Davis, 2011, p. 26) However, Davis cautions, teachers should not confuse this media familiarity with a skilled approach at incorporating these technologies into their learning. Teachers must take a hands-on approach and help students “find trusted online sources of information, and [show them] how to organize and present that information.” (Davis, 2011, p. 26) Similarly, Krueger (2011) writes that educators need to comprehend and embrace the changing culture. Incorporating social networking media into the classroom is a first step but, he feels, schools need to make changes in their approach to this “participatory culture” at the district-level. Krueger believes that using sites such as Facebook and Twitter can enhance family and student participation and understanding of district-wide emergencies, yearly school events and daily school activities. For example, Krueger cites a superintendent who has set up a Facebook page for his district: “The //<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">like // function in Facebook is a feature that allows users to show their support for specific comments, photos, wall posts, statuses or fan pages.” (p. 8)

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Higher levels of student involvement can lead to higher academic achievement. Bird & Sultmann (2010) address this topic in their evaluation of the Australian school system. They maintain that in order to foster a “strong sense of identity, purpose and connectedness with life and school,” (p. 143) schools must address students more holistically. Adding the human element, they argue, will address the education of the whole person and will, in fact, increase a student’s potential. Ellerbrock & Kiefer (2010) conducted research on a specific ninth grade program that promoted a “community of care.” Their research shows that such an environment, characterized by “high levels of trust, care and respect,” (p. 393) is critical for positive student development. Allowing students to participate in their school culture simulates this type of environment in cyber-space and reaches a large number of families and students district-wide.

Emerging Trends and Open Issues
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Online social networking has also brought new problems in lack of privacy to personal information, online exposure that threatens personal safety and issues of unwanted content, though ultimately protected by the first amendment. Children are legally allowed to set up accounts at age 13 on most websites. Once logged on, many children become avid users of these sites but are not being alerted to potential dangers of usage. The anonymity of these sites seems to allow for fewer internal moral checks in regards to use profanity, racial slurs, hate messages and bullying. For example, at the college level, “a number of colleges and universities have suspended students who have posted racially threatening or sexually inappropriate information on their //<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Facebook // profiles” (Peluchette & Karl, 2008, p.95). The consequences of these problems are not addressed by the administrators of the websites themselves, but clearly lead to life-altering consequences. Another emerging topic, addressed by study of student-teacher interactions on Facebook, are the “the positive and negative effects on student attitudes associated with their teachers being on Facebook.” (Teclehaimanot, 2011, p.20) The research showed that students and teachers alike felt discomfort at the intimate exposure online. Comfort levels seemed to rise when both students and teachers took a more passive role in online environments. Interactions rated ‘most offensive’ were much more active interactions, such as “pokes” or comments on each others photos or status updates.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Social media has also made an impression on long-standing global social issues, such as the Arab-Israeli conflict in the Middle East. An article in the National Defense University press outlines strategies used, on both sides of this conflict, to influence public relations and world opinion. The article outlines that, after being out-matched by the Hizballah in online social media strategies, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) devised a new strategy for their next operation. The IDF “developed a proactive information strategy, incorporating social media tools, along with enlisting the support of the Israeli online communities, to set the agenda in the media and control perceptions of the fighting. The result was that the Israelis used information effectively to preserve strategic options enabling them to achieve their objectives” (Mayfield, 2011, p.80). <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In summary, paradoxically, the new semi-anonymous technologies in social media have presented a revolution to the world of human interaction. Online social networking is an emerging trend that will continue expanding and changing. The far-reaching effects of these technologies have proven impressive and, to date, relatively unpredictable. This phenomenon is relatively new to most disciplines and therefore will require a re-examination, primarily in the realm of social, psychological, political and educational studies.