Social Networking for Social Justice
Social networking is exactly what it sounds like: A connection of individuals and organizations that share a common ground. ANY common ground. Social networking happens at parties all the time. If you’ve ever walked up to someone you didn’t know and shared a piece of information with them, like your name, then you’ve established a social network. It’s not much different online, except that the party seem a little daunting and vast. Social networking sites(such as MySpace, Facebook, FriendFeed etc.) create smaller, more manageable parties, where you can protect your information.
I’ll go more in-depth with the pros, cons, strengths and weaknesses of a myriad of social networks in the months to come. For now, I want to sweep the spectrum, and enlighten those who may still think the internet is a static bulletin board or the delivery system for electronic mail. The internet is a network of people. YOU are the internet. The very fact that you are reading this proves that the survival of the internet depends on you, and if you happen to leave a comment, then it affects me as well. And just like that, we’ve established a form of social networking.
The common ground that links people together on one network may be different than what links them together on another, and could be as vague as a favorite activity, or as specific as a favorite dessert topping. The ability to share personal information, media, ideas, thoughts, and events is what all social networks have in common, but the method in which that data is shared is what sets them apart.
Twitter limits the amount of information you can share to 140 characters per update, or “tweet”. Twitter has been defined by some as the telegraph system of the internet. Their platform makes it simple to share a quick update about what you’re doing at that particular moment, where as Facebook provides a platform to share much more of your life. On Facebook, you can post personal information, photos, videos, notes, favorite things, background information, contact information, and then have the ability to limit who has access to that information. Twitter is a network of people who share paragraphs with each other, where Facebook is a network of people who share volumes.
Social networking works. Not just reporting news and sharing funny videos, but it’s actually being social and bringing people together to help other people. Imagine what the passionate pro-life community can do with social networking and viral media.
The internet is not a chat room, it’s a living, breathing, collaboration of people. And you are one of those people.
