I, Zoe Michelle would define it as a group of people collaborating, interacting and sharing with one another in a common place. It's a collection of people actively participating in 'something', more often than not, in a social way.
When it comes to online networking, the examples listed below span across many genres:
- IM / MSN / Adium
- Myspace / Facebook
- Mobile Phones
- Forums / Message Boards / Yahoo groups
- Online games (mmogs, consoles, Xbox live)
- Blogs....well what do you know, here i am
- Dating websites
- Wikipedia
- Ebay
- File sharring /p2p
- Youtube
- Emails
- Flickr / photobucket / photo sharring
- Secondlife
- Job search... erm not as social but, commonplace people all the same.
Although the target demographic of each differs, these social networks achieve much the same thing. They provide a place for users to interact and share with others. Their appeal to users lies in the social aspect they offer... yet is also seen as a tool to exploit oneself. Whether it be to a private network of friends or to the wider public.
The Gen Y appeal of self exploitation sees no bounds on Myspace and Facebook. This genre of networks in particular caters to a variety of needs across all groups of people within society. However the perception of those in society, the users, (the term users in itself draws connotations of drug abuse and addiction...indeed it can become) is that it allows us to break away from perhaps stereotyped social group and to evolve into an 'INDIVIDUAL'.
Well so us Gen Y's like to believe.
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