Social Media a Necessity?
This weeks reading Topologies of Communication focused on social connections, the formation of networks, and the way they are used to achieve social goals. The reading suggest social networks can help do things such as find someone to house sit, to find a job, or get a new plumber. I couldn’t help but think the way the Internet has transformed the way we use social networks. If I needed a plumber, chances are I would use the Google network rather than a contacting someone in my social network. Apple has recently released Siri—an iphone assistant that allows customers to use commands to do everything from setting reminders, placing phone calls, to finding the closest Indian restaurant. Can networks be replaced by technology, would you listen to Siri more than a trusted friend?
In another sense websites are making networks more and more perceptible. A new feature on Facebook invites user to separate their contacts into different networks, from friends, to co-workers, or family. Facebook user’s employ this network to organize events, share news, and maintain contacts. When a person leaves Facebook, its as if they have fallen off the network grid. Recently a friend of mine decided to leave Facebook, she felt frustrated by the large amounts of “weak ties” she obtained, where as previously these ties would have faded they are maintained because of the site. In order to disable her account she was prompted several times to explain why she was leaving, and after completing those actions she was finally shown pictures of her friends with text read so and so will miss you. Since she was a previously a user, she’s had to explain again and again that she is no longer on Facebook and that for events she can’t just “log onto Facebook". Networks are a series of relationships, and technology is not needed to facilitate these networks, although it will interesting to see how technology helps shape and facilitate these networks.
I think you raise an interesting point, Ginnie, about the permanence of networks. As Professor Hayden talked about, "networks are the defining social structure of the information age" (quoting Castells), so obviously this implies a transition from a different social structure in the past and therefore, could imply a new social structure in the future. I think it's interesting you bring up Siri as a possibility of where things are going. Maybe we have built up so many networks that there is a now tendency to reverse the trend and go back to something more personalized and individualized. You ask the question of if we would begin to use Siri for something we need rather than ask a friend, and I think it's very possible. So if we each begin to use personalized, individualized support to guide us, then what happens to networks? Will they eventually lose relevance and go away? I wonder with the case of your friend, does she feel less connected and that she has less ability to accomplish the things she would like to because she is not as connected to networks?
ReplyDeleteZ'leste, it is a weird thing isn't it? On one hand, social networks were never stronger, considering that Facebook has 200 million users, but we are reverting back to a more personalized devises like siri. I think technology like Siri has yet to show mass popularity, and I would be surprised if that technology can replace opinion. I think people still rely on crowd sourcing sites like yelp, for opinions. In the case of my friend, she has even seen damage to relationships as some friends think they we "unfriended", she also finds that she knows less about events, and relies on other people with Facebook accounts to relay information to her. It is such an integrated part of how people socialize its as if she's ( to be a bit dramatic) committed network suicide.
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