What is Social Networking?

Social Networking is a social stucture that links of people or organiztions. Social Networking has been used to describe the relationships of members of a social structure. The term was first used to describe patterns of relationships within society in 1954 by J.A. Barnes. Social networks have been used by sociologists and social psychologists to study the way a society functions and interacts. Anthropoligists Robin Dunbar theorized that in order for a social structure to remain cohesive and active it must maintain at least 150 members.

Today, Social Networking websites have emerged to tighten this relationship and further develop a web of social ties. The number of members of Social Networking websites today far exced Dunbar's 150. Myspace alone, for example, has 168,112,249 members with more joining every day. Although these websites can be viewed as beneficial for the society, many problems have come about because of them. If you're interested in learning more, for starters, learn about how these sites came into existence.

Resources