Social Networking, Computer Systems and People: Virtual Communities

It is a known fact that when computers come to the aid of humans for social interaction, the network or system ipso facto becomes a social network. The networking of people in this manner, in whatever degree has been given a particular name to differentiate the process and nature of the work.

Computer-supported social network was driven by the need for an integral and centralized means to communicate. The group-model was the basis for this particular use of computer networking. Groups of individuals had a singular need and that is to communicate efficiently.

As time evolved, the system of networking became more sophisticated, more efficient and ever more centralized. The rapid development is palpable. According to Barry Wellman, et alia from the Annual Journal of Sociology:

"Three forms of CSSNs are rapidly developing, each with its own desires and research agendas. Members of virtual community want to link globally with kindred souls for companionship, information, and social support from their homes and workstations."

"White-collar workers want computer-supported cooperative work (CSCW), unencumbered by spatial distance, while organizations see benefits in coordinating complex work structures and reducing managerial costs and travel time."

Effects

The basic effects of increased use of computer-network mediated communication is increased dependence, coupled with basic alterations in the way people think and act.

For example, people no longer relied heavily on traditional means of communication, which includes the telephone and the physical mail. Old modes of communication are being shunted to one side in favor of centralized modes of expression and communication.

History

An interesting fact about the concept of social networking is the verity that it actually emerged as a brainchild of the US Department of Defense.

According to Barry Wellman, et alia, from the same peer-review journal:

"The Nets Spread CSSNs began in the 1960s when the US Defense Department's Advanced Projects Research Agency developed ARPANET to link large university computers and some of their users (Cerf 1993)."

"The Electronic Information Exchange System, modeled after a government emergency communications network, started supporting computerized conferences of scientific researchers (including social network analysts) in the mid-1970s (Freeman 1986, Hiltz & Turoff 1993). Other systems were also proposed and partially implemented in this period."

Globalized causes

The global reach of social networks today, we all owe to the fact that production of modems and similar communication devices have increased, and prices have dropped. In the grander scheme of things, corporate network systematization can only gain more ground.

The global expansion of media and corporate control can also be attributed to the fact that communication has become easier, faster and ultimate cheaper.

Transmission of information no longer cost as much as it did forty years ago. According to the scholars in the Annual Journal of Sociology, there is little hope that any true demographic can be formed for the Internet.

The United States was one of the first to proliferate computer systems such as this, to be followed by similar industrial nations. Smaller, poorer countries during the nineties had fewer than twenty registered, traceable users. An example of this would be Nigeria, who by 1995 only had around sixteen Internet users.

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