Wiki defines Social Network as a social structure made up of individuals (or organizations) called "nodes," which are tied (connected) by one or more specific types of interdependency, such as friendship, kinship, common interest, financial exchange, dislike, sexual relationships, or relationships of beliefs, knowledge or prestige. Social is the key word here. For generations we learn and teach our kids that we humans are social animals. And in order to survive in today’s stressful lives, we strive to keep that point in mind and revive it time and again. The site’s popularity is clearly visible. I can’t stop myself from logging onto Facebook every morning before I even check my mails. Be it sharing the numerous funny videos posted by my friends or writing on friends walls the day doesn’t start without a funny tag line ;)
I remember during the initial days of Facebook, how excited most of us were to find long lost school friends, sharing loads of pictures and videos, virtual poking each other, throwing virtual pillows and of course, planting seeds in your Farmville! Right from games to super cool applications, many of the users have built a great credibility and gained customers for their various business. Its main USP, however, is that it serves as a dating site. Facebook has been the reason for many solitary souls’ smiles!
Albeit its gaining popularity and number of users, as for any invention, there are the disadvantages too. Major ones being, if you are in cognizant, strangers added as your friends can gain access to personal information, risk your safety and can lead to negative and unpleasant scenarios. You may not even be able to verify your “friend’s” credentials and it might be a false account for all we know.
Facebook may not be all that good or bad. It’s up to us, the users, to decide what kind of information to share. Share with a sense of responsibility and don’t let the cyberpunks trespass what’s personal to you.
