What is a social network?

Photo: ScandinavianStockPhoto, Maigi.

A social network is a web site where members can communicate with other members. You can send messages, post pictures, upload videos and tell your friends what you are doing. There are a number of social networks that are open to anyone who wants to be a member. Two of the largest of these are MySpace and Facebook.

MySpace is a web site with a large number of members. In June 2013 there were around 50 million users. In the MySpace network you can send messages, find friends, participate in discussions and listen to music. Many up-and-coming musicians use MySpace to post parts or all of their new albums in order to become better known and attract new fans.

Facebook is now the largest social network on the Internet with 1.28 billion users (monthly active, March 2014). Pictures are the most important means of communication on Facebook. Members upload pictures of themselves, their families and activities they have been involved in, and tell friends what they have been doing recently. Many people choose to use their real names instead of a “nick”, or a nickname. You can also discuss topics by becoming a member of different groups.

Twitter is an American social network. There you can write your opinions on an issue, read other people’s opinions, and participate in discussions.

Social networks have become increasingly important in debates that take place outside the networks themselves and outside the Internet. Newspapers often raise subjects that social networks and blogs talk about, if enough people think that the issue is worth discussing.

What can go wrong?

A social network is designed for people to meet others and exchange ideas, thoughts and experiences. But these sites do not always prove to be beneficial. Many people have experienced bullying in social networks. One primary school decided to block access to a number of social networks, including Facebook. The reason for this was that many of the school’s students and teachers were being bullied on similar sites.

Some people have met people with whom they had been in contact through these social networks, only to find that they were not what they seemed to be.

One must be aware of the fact that the pictures that are posted on social networks such as Facebook may be used in other connections. For example, pictures of partially clothed Norwegian upper secondary school students were found on an American porn site without any of the people pictured being aware that this was the case. Statements and comments you make may also be used in other connections, and they can express things in an entirely different way than originally intended.