Brian Colitti
CIS-270WX-02
Essay 4
Help Received: EasyBib, MS Word, See works cited
Instructor and peer comments
Social Networking Services in the United States
Among the most popular wireless communication methods today, there is one that has really
proven itself in the last few years: Social Networking. Social networking, or social media, is essentially
just a way to communicate and share information with people over the Internet. Getting its unofficial
start in the 1980’s, social media has drastically changed the way individuals and businesses
communicate over long distances. The United States in particular has been harboring the social media
boom that the world has seen in the last thirty years. The US has been the source of many social
networking innovations, and has likewise seen the benefits of its creation. Social networks have come a
long way since their inception, displaying steady progress and continuous adaptation to the changing
world. Just as social media has adapted to the world today, the United States in particular has been
affected by the social network outburst, creating a country that feeds off of its usefulness. In order to
best illustrate the role of social networking in the United States, one must look at its history, uses,
impact on people, and its growth as a communication method.
To begin discussing social networking as a whole, one must first consider its relatively brief
history as a means of communication. The first glimpse of a social network in the US came in the 1980’s
with bulletin board systems. This was basically just a service that let users connect using local area
telephone lines to upload and download files with other people. Next a service emerged called
CompuServe, which was the first way to send messages and post on forums, essentially creating the first
e-mail system. Later on in the 90’s America Online, or AOL.com, gave the ability to create connections
with others and profiles containing personal information. The first real social network like those today
came in 1997 as SixDegrees.com, which allowed users to create profiles, invite friends, create groups,
and look at others’ profiles. Other social media started popping up all over the place after this. In 2002
Friendster.com was created for dating and making new friends, then LinkedIn.com came about to make
professional business connections with others. That same year, MySpace.com presented itself to
younger audiences with its customizable profile pages and ability to share music. Perhaps the biggest
social network that is still around today though is Facebook.com. Facebook arguably revolutionized
social media with status updates and picture-posting, and is now popular worldwide. Later on came
services like Twitter for posting short updates about life events, and Instagram for posting your own
pictures for friends to see (Digital Trends). Through all of these events it is evident that social media has
seen a massive rise to power in recent decades, and is used in the United States in a variety of ways.
Today the United States uses social networks as multi-functional tools for wireless
communication. In fact, social media is so important in the US that it is a primary news source for over
25% of Americans. In addition, almost every major celebrity and political figure in the US uses Facebook
and Twitter to disseminate information to their followers and fans (procon.org). Social media has
become so popular because it allows people to easily create groups online in order to share information
with peers, co-workers, or classmates. It also helps people plan events and functions, such as project
meetings, business lunches, and charity events. Instagram is a notable social network because it is a
service purely for sharing pictures with your “followers,” so friends can keep up with one another just by
looking at photos of life events. One of the most enticing things social media can offer, though, is the
ability to communicate with people with whom you are not in close proximity, such as old friends from
grade school. These uses of social networking make it a viable tool in the US today, but what impact has
it actually had on citizens?
Social media has indubitably had an effect on Americans, but the question is whether the effects
are for better or for worse. Some people would argue that social media has had a negative impact on
the US. Social media is said to give a false sense of connection with people, meaning one may feel like
he really knows what is going on in his friend’s life, but really he only knows what he sees on social
media. Another big problem with social networks is cyber-bullying, giving anonymity to attacks made
behind the safety of the home computer. On top of warranting malicious assaults, social media is a huge
privacy risk. People often put too much personal information on sites like Facebook and MySpace, and it
gets them in trouble with the law or makes it easier for criminals to steal identities (Jung). Despite all
this, there are obvious advantages to using social networks for private and business needs. For one
thing, social media expands business outreach, helping small or new companies get their name out to
the public through “sharing” features provided on the net. One distinct advantage of social media is the
ability for students to communicate easily with classmates (Golston). From an educational standpoint,
media like Facebook provides an excellent way to connect with other students, ask questions, or
organize group meetings for school projects. These benefits and disadvantages of social media clearly
illustrate the tremendous effect it has on the American people, but it is for the user to decide whether it
is better or worse to use these tools.
Just as social media has affected Americans, Americans have played a key role in the creation
and development of this newfound communication technology. Americans have really pushed the social
network lifestyle to its current popularity. There have been constant additions to the already wide range
of social media services, such as the birth of Google Plus and Pinterest. At the same time, more
Americans are finding uses for networking in business, allowing for independent artists to get their start
in services like YouTube and SoundCloud (Fishaw). The numbers of users on these services has also been
growing exponentially since the start of the social media boom. Facebook, for example, doubled its user
base from five-hundred million to one billon in just two years (Foster). Americans have also impacted
the development of media services because the service always adapts to user needs. When the user
base voices its opinion and calls for a different feature, the social network will respond by meeting that
need. This allows for constant updates and improvements in pre-existing social networks, transforming
according to user demand and preference. Another recent addition to social networks is the creation of
applications that support the media itself. For example, an iPhone app called “Messenger” allows users
to link with their Facebook accounts and use the app as the messaging feature of Facebook. This, along
with other smart phone apps, allow for social networking anywhere you go. The ability to communicate
with friends without having to sit at a computer has changed the face of social networking in the United
States and the rest of the world (Digital Trends). These changes and adoptions reflect the enormous
impact Americans have had on the development of social networking.
The history, use, impact, and growth of social networking all help exemplify its presence as a
communication method in the US. Social networking has truly had a short history, getting its start about
thirty years ago. Since then the service has gone nowhere but up. Social media provides the US with
many uses, and varying functionality depending on what service or website you use. Facebook, for
example, is best suited for posting statuses, while Instagram is best for posting pictures, and Tinder is
ideal for online dating. Social networks, as valuable as they are, present both positive and negative
effects on the US. The citizen has to decide whether the risk of decreased productivity, or any other
downside, is worth being able to find relevant news articles any time of the day (Jung). The problem
today may be that people are too reliant on these services for connecting with friends and staying
entertained. If social media is to continue in the future, Americans will need to use it in moderation in
order to stay connected with the non-digital world. Regardless of any negative societal impacts, social
networks have become a reliable way to communicate wirelessly, and provide much more flexibility for
Americans to connect with large amounts of people at one time.
Works Cited
"Are Social Networking Sites Good for Our Society?" ProCon.org. N.p., 24 Mar. 2015. Web. 11 Apr. 2015.
<http://socialnetworking.procon.org/>.
Digital Trends Staff. "The History of Social Networking." Digital Trends. N.p., 05 Aug. 2014. Web. 11 Apr.
2015. <http://www.digitaltrends.com/features/the-history-of-social-networking/>.
Fishaw, Justin. "How Social Media Has Changed in the Last Few Years." Digital Sherpa. N.p., 27 Jan. 2014.
Web. 11 Apr. 2015. <http://www.digitalsherpa.com/blog/how-social-media-has-changed-in-the-lastfew-years/>.
Foster, Ben. "How Many Users on Facebook?" Ben Foster RSS 20. WordPress, n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2015.
<http://www.benphoster.com/facebook-user-growth-chart-2004-2010/>.
Golston, Evelyn. "Benefits of Social Media." Socialnomics. N.p., 25 Sept. 2014. Web. 11 Apr. 2015.
<http://www.socialnomics.net/2014/09/25/benefits-of-social-media/>.
Jung, Brian. "The Negative Effect of Social Media on Society and Individuals." Chron Small Business.
Demand Media, n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2015. <http://smallbusiness.chron.com/negative-effect-social-mediasociety-individuals-27617.html>.