Social networking is the gathering of individuals into specific
groups, like small rural communities or a neighbourhood
subdivision, for the purpose of interaction. Although social
networking is possible in person, especially in schools or in the
workplace, it is most popular online, among young people. This is
because unlike most high schools, colleges, or workplaces, the
internet is filled with millions of individuals who are looking to
meet other internet users to develop friendships and in many cases
business relationships.
Benefits to young people
When it comes to online social networking, websites like Facebook and Myspace are
commonly used. These websites are known as social sites. Social
networking websites function like an online community of internet
users. Once you have set up your profile, including as much
information as you feel comfortable with, you can begin building
your group of friends.
Basic online social networking includes sending instant messages
to your friends via their profile pages, sending emails directly to
them, uploading and sharing your photos and video clips, and
commenting on other people's uploads and daily activities. This
interaction allows young people to stay in touch and keep on top of
what their friends are doing and vice versa.
Young people as social participants and
active citizens
Social networking services can provide an accessible and
powerful toolkit for highlighting and acting on issues and causes
that affect and interest young people. Social networking services
can be used for organising activities, events, or groups to
showcase issues and opinions and make a wider audience aware of
them. E.g. Coordinating band activities, fund raisers, and creating
awareness of various causes.
Young people developing a voice and building
trust
Social networking services could be used to hone debating and
discussion skills in a local, national or international context.
This helps users develop public ways of presenting themselves.
Personal skills are very important in this context: to make,
develop and keep friendships, and to be regarded as a trusted
connection within a network. Social networking services can provide
young people with opportunities to learn how to function
successfully in a community, navigating a public social space and
developing social norms and skills as participants in peer
groups.
Young people as content creators, managers
and distributors
Social networking services rely on active participation: users
take part in activities and discussions on a site, and upload,
modify or create content. This supports creativity and can support
discussion about ownership of content and data management.
Young people who use social networking services to showcase
content - music, film, photography or writing - need to know what
permissions they are giving the host service, so that they can make
informed decisions about how and what they place on the site.
Users might also want to explore additional licensing options
that may be available to them within services - for example
Creative Commons licensing - to allow them to share their work with
other people in a range of ways.
Young people as collaborators and team
players
Social networking services are designed to support users
working, thinking and acting together. They also require listening
and compromising skills. Young people may need to ask others for
help and advice in using services, or understand how platforms work
by observing others, particularly in complex gaming or virtual
environments. Once users have developed confidence in a new
environment, they will also have gained the experience to help
others.
Young people as explorers and learners
Social networks encourage discovery. If someone is interested in
certain books, bands, recipes or ideas, it's likely that their
interest will be catered for by a social networking service or
group within a service. If users are looking for something more
specific or unusual then they could create their own groups or
social networking sites. Social networking services can help young
people develop their interests and find other people who share the
same interests. They can help introduce young people to new things
and ideas, and deepen appreciation of existing interests. They can
also help broaden users' horizons by helping them discover how
other people live and think in all parts of the world.
Young people becoming independent and
building resilience
Online spaces are social spaces, and social networking services
offer similar opportunities to those of offline social spaces:
places for young people to be with friends or to explore alone,
building independence and developing the skills they need to
recognise and manage risk, to learn to judge and evaluate
situations, and to deal effectively with a world that can sometimes
be dangerous or hostile. However, such skills can't be built in
isolation, and are more likely to develop if supported. Going to a
social networking service for the first time as a young person
alone can be compared to a young person's first solo trip to a city
centre, and thus it is important for a young person to know how to
stay safe in
this new environment.
Young people developing key and real world
skills
Managing an online presence and being able to interact
effectively online is becoming an increasingly important skill in
the workplace. Being able to quickly adapt to new technologies,
services and environments is already regarded as a highly valuable
skill by employers, and can facilitate both formal and informal
learning. Most services are text based, which encourages literacy
skills, including interpretation, evaluation and
contextualisation.