Social Network Sites (SNSs) were first introduced in 1997 - SixDegrees.com – users online had to be connected to friends via six degrees of connection offline (friend of a friend x6). Since, then there have emerged various SNSs with various purposes, features and audiences – such as Classmates.com, MySpace, Flickr and ofcourse the ever-so-popular Facebook.
SNSs’ key technological features vary accordingly, however they are consistent in: “connecting people” (friends or strangers), “catering” to the diverse audiences, “attracting” people based on common language and shared interests and most “support the maintenance of pre-existing social network sites.”
Boyd & Ellison defined SNSs 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, and 3) view and transverse their list of connections and those made by others within the system.”
Individuals can create their own online environment according to how they choose to design their SNS and further enhance their profile image – they can upload a photo, add multimedia content and add modules “Applications.”
The increasing attraction towards SNSs have raised questions regarding its safety, privacy, surveillance and its implications in people’s lives. “Many have integrated these sites into their daily practices” – which can pose distractions to their social life, employment and interactivity. There are many (for example, teens/youth) that are not fully aware of the public sphere of the Internet – and thus unknowingly disregard the issues concerning trust, privacy, conflict and legalities involved with personal information distribution online.
Henry-Waring’s article “The commodification of Intimacy” points out the popularity of online dating – suggesting that this may have been a response to the global consumer-oriented world we now live in today. Traditional means of dating (man asks woman) is now not necessarily convenient. “On-line dating is no longer viewed as an activity of sad, lonely or desperate people…rather… the image today is more likely a professional, mobile, technologically literate person who may be time and ‘intimate network’ poor.”
As we continue to live in a post-modern global society where traditional norms and values are replaced for fast, efficient and individualistic choices, we must be careful to not ever lose our sense of identity, wisdom, truth and respect. Although, SNS and virtual communities help in connecting people for friendship, relationships or for other reasons, there needs to be a governing system to limit its potential life disturbances and ensure safety for users.







JOHANNA DRUCKER - THE VIRTUAL CODEX
