The Social Network Effect

Social networks are fast becoming the only place where people interact with one another, leading to effects worth noticing. So Google+ is out. The newest social website on the block and it is creating quiet a buzz. Not the kind of buzz which ‘Buzz’ (a previous attempt of Google social networking website) created but something much more than that. This Google+ project turns the entire search engine into one giant social network. The search giant’s new social project will be omnipresent in all their products, thanks to the complete redesigned of the Google navigation bar. With many experts naming Google+ as Facebook’s newest challenger, much is left to see.

This ever-increasing use of technology in all the spheres of our life tends to bring out the old cynical viewpoint about technology. Luddites argue that people have lost the ‘human factor’ or ‘human feel’ right in basic interaction with one another. Rise of social networking sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace and now Google+ could eventually eliminate entirely the need for the offline socialising that has become the cornerstone of the festive season. 

However, this ever increasing list of social networking websites has not only provided us with new and better ways to communicate and connect with one another but also has increased the number of people we interact with on daily basis. Social networking can be used for both personal and business and definitely works out to be cheaper, because most of the stuff is free anyway. In case of business purposes you can scout out new potential customers and target markets with just few clicks. Even in the case of advertising and promoting your company’s product, social networking can help enormously. 

Even though the so called human interaction has somewhat reduced but the question has to be asked, is human interaction with everyone necessary? There sometimes is a requirement to only convey a message without physically having to talk or meet the person; social network technology can be useful here. If it has to be argued, technology has in fact has augmented the opportunities for human interaction. More and more people are finding friends online who they can keep for life, whom they wouldn’t have met without these social networks.  

The technological development will have few unfavourable effects in every individuals life, but in the end it’s the choice of the individual if he/she wants to let online social networks get the better of them.