What's the first thing you reach for when you wake up?
For many, the answer is your phone - looking at news, catching up on messages, and checking your social media. Social networking has quickly become one of the biggest parts of our lives, and is therefore, unsurprisingly, of great interest to sociologists.
In this explanation, we'll be looking at:
- The definition of social networking
- The importance of social networking in sociology
- Types of social networks in sociology
- Examples of online social networks
- The benefits and risks of social networking
Social Networking: Definition
Social networks and networking can have various meanings. Let's study some definitions:
In sociology, a social network refers to a series of social connections that links one person directly to another and, subsequently, to yet more people through them. Networking, in this context, refers to communicating with these people.
In everyday usage, social networking refers to the act of interacting with people and organizations and sharing information online. In this case, a social network can refer to the media and technology that facilitate these actions, i.e., online websites and applications.
For the purposes of this explanation, we will be looking at both:
- the broad sociological concept of social networks, and
- the phenomenon of social networking, analyzing how they impact each other.
That is, we will study how social networks (the connections studied in sociology) are impacted by social networking (the actions carried out online).
This is to give you a broader sociological understanding of not just how we operate social networking tools in the digital age but how they have shaped our relationships and connections to other people in society, i.e., our social networks.
To avoid confusion, we will refer to the sociological concept of a network of connections as 'social networks' and to the social networking websites/applications as 'online social networks'.
Fig. 1 - Social networking impacts our real-life social networks as well.
Importance of Social Networks in Sociology
Social networks form the basis of our interactions with others. Sociology is interested in the study of social networks because it involves studying social relationships and the impact they each have on the individual.
Sociologists also study how social networks operate in contemporary society - the digital age. The emergence of the Internet and its various online social networks has altered the nature of our connections with each other, dramatically extending our quantity and quality of contacts and giving us access to a wealth of information, knowledge, and resources.
However, it has also ignited concerns about several matters that have arisen due to the pervasiveness of social media, from corporatization to safety.
Therefore, our use of online social networks is unquestionably affecting our real-life social networks and causing Internet-specific problems for society to contend with. They are, therefore, of utmost importance to sociology, with sociological research conducted on everything from the effects of social media on self-esteem to studies on online political extremism.
One of the key sociological perspectives, functionalism, stresses the importance of social relationships and social networks to society. Functionalists argue that social networks structure society so that the family socializes the young and satisfies emotional needs, education prepares us for a wider range of life skills, and the workplace enables us to contribute to the economy.
Types of Social Networks in Sociology
Social networks, both virtual and real-life, can be based on almost any relation or activity between the individuals involved. Some types of social networks in sociology are:
- Job or industry-related, e.g. when people exchange information and tips about becoming a lawyer and attempt to make contacts with people in relevant companies/organizations
- Friends and family-based, involving a person's close contacts
- School or university-related, e.g. based on a group of people who took the same degree at the same university
- Interest-based, e.g. a network formed by people who are part of a book club or music group
Examples of Online Social Networks
You likely know that online social networks are based on websites and applications accessed by the Internet. Let's look at a list of some specific examples:
- Twitter
- Facebook
- Instagram
- LinkedIn
- Tumblr
- Reddit
- Snapchat
- TikTok
All of these exist for different purposes, but these functions can also overlap - for example, TikTok is largely a content-sharing platform, but is also used for e-commerce.
The Benefits of Social Networking
As mentioned, online social networks and networking have significantly transformed how we communicate, sometimes to our advantage. Some benefits of social networking are as follows:
Social Networking as A Space for Socialization
The number of people using online social networks has increased dramatically in recent decades. Young adults initially controlled these social networks - Facebook was developed in 2004 as a way for students to get to know one another before they met in person. Social networking sites may still be known primarily as the domain of the youth, but as of 2022, there are 4.65 billion active users of social media - that's 58.7% of the world's population!1
Sociologists are interested in these (relatively) new social networks because of how important they have become to the social relationships of nearly every subsection of society. Online social interactions act as a force of socialization, especially for young people, similar to face-to-face interactions with coworkers or classmates.
This can serve as an additional benefit for people who feel otherwise misunderstood or ostracized from in-person social groups. Virtual communities, e.g., those centered on LGBTQ+ identities and experiences, can help socialize individuals who might not otherwise find belonging or relationships in real life.
Social Networking as A Source of Social Capital
Online networks can also be viewed in terms of social capital, particularly those that show how many "friends" or "followers" a user has. In actuality, "friending" or "following" is one of the primary activities on some websites online. A person's number of such online connections is sometimes the subject of boasting as well as the basis of receiving further recognition and material benefits (e.g. being sent free PR products if one has a large following).
Additionally, users can utilize these websites to look for people that can be of assistance to them in some way. One important advantage of social capital is learning about new opportunities - social or economic - through online social networks.
A friend or acquaintance may share a job opportunity on LinkedIn that you would not have otherwise found. You could also meet other friends, romantic partners, or even potential housemates through your online contacts on Twitter or Instagram.
Creating Social Change Through Social Networking
Social media is a potent driver for social change, which is unlikely to be a surprise, given how many people use it both domestically and overseas. One of the most profound examples of this is personified by the Arab Spring protests in 2011, in which mass uprisings, significantly supported by social media, transformed governments in the Middle East. However, when it comes to utilizing online social networking to spark change, promoting democracy is merely one aspect.
Online social networks have been used to raise awareness of a wide range of social issues across the globe, from the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020 to ongoing conversations around mental health stigma to the current (as of 2022) demonstrations against religious tyranny and misogyny in Iran.
Such events help to spread social change by challenging people's assumptions, creating empathy and solidarity, and ultimately altering social norms and behavior.
Fig. 2 - Online social networks help to spread awareness and bring social change.
The Risks of Social Networking
Not all impacts of online social networking are positive, of course. Let's explore some of the risks of social networking and how it negatively influences our relationships.
Corporatization and Lack of Authenticity of Social Media
Online social networks, according to sociologist Manuel Castells, are essential to the growth of both current businesses and new ones. Through increasingly more advanced algorithms, websites created for social connection and information sharing are now arenas for business transactions.
Facebook, which began as a free social network for college students, is now a very successful corporation that subtly sells goods and services through advertisements.
One example of this is how it popularized mobile games - once a person 'likes' the Facebook page of a game such as Candy Crush, they receive endless updates and exclusive deals on the game, which already offers additional paid upgrades. In this way, Facebook became a forum for marketing and promoting consumption.
Similarly, many social media applications such as Instagram and TikTok are now used, directly and indirectly, to create brand identities and to market and sell products by both individuals and companies. Even those that claim to be crowdsourced, like Yelp, are not shielded from corporate influence (such as paid promotion for positive reviews).
All of this can impact the authenticity of the social networks that people create online - personal contacts are often transactional, hobbies are monetized, and social media prioritizes advertisement and sales over connections.
Issues with Privacy
Although online networks present appealing chances for people to socialize with others, they also raise worries about security and privacy. Online engagement tends to be more open than face-to-face socialization, when people are hesitant to share personal information with strangers. We can view a staggering quantity of personal information about people when we look at their internet profiles - often much more than would otherwise be public in real life.
Academic institutions will only reveal the most basic information about pupils in accordance with the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974. However, many high school and college students divulge a great deal of personal information online on the daily.
Concerns with Safety
Related to privacy is the concern of safety that comes with online social networking. When it comes down to it, utilizing social media involves interacting with strangers, who all have different intentions and biases. People, especially those with a following of any size, can be exposed to a range of harmful influences and individuals online on an everyday basis which can affect their well-being (bigotry or age-inappropriate content, for example).
As mentioned above, sharing information online is also often on a much more open and revealing basis than in person. Posting intimate details about one's life to a forum of strangers can pose many risks, especially since social media is used by increasingly young and impressionable people.
Social Networking - Key takeaways
- In sociology, a social network refers to a series of social connections that links one person directly to another and, subsequently, to yet more people through them.
- Colloquially, social networking refers to the act of interacting with people and organizations and sharing information online.
- Sociology is interested in the study of social networks because it involves studying social relationships and the impact they each have on the individual. Sociologists also study how social networks operate in contemporary society - the digital age.
- The benefits of online social networking include socialization, especially of young people; the accumulation of social capital; and inciting social change across the globe.
- The risks of online social networking are the corporatization of online spaces and relationships, issues with data privacy, and concerns about safety.
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