Running head: BENEFITS AND IMPLICATIONS OF SOCIAL NETWORKS
Benefits and Implications of Today 's Online Social Networks
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Student’s name
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Course name
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BENEFITS AND IMPLICATIONS OF SOCIAL NETWORKS
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Benefits and Implications of Today 's Online Social Networks
According to Krebs (n.d.), “a social network is a system of relationships and flows
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between people, groups, organizations, computers, URLs, and other connected information/
knowledge entities”. This definition outlines the main feature of a social network – the fact that all people within it find themselves in a certain relationship and communicate according to it.
Social networks like any other means of communication have their advantages and
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disadvantages. On the one hand, many people claim that social networks, such as Facebook,
MySpace and Twitter, do more good than harm. First of all, it goes without saying, that they
enhance communication between people in a friendly relationship. It is sometimes difficult to
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meet or call relatives and friends to share the latest news and hear from them. Social networks provide an excellent solution to this problem - the network users can share news, photographs,
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videos and all types of media content, thus keeping in touch with all the people they know.
ev o Second, social networks allow their users to strike up acquaintances with other people, as they may search for new friends with similar interests, living in the same region or complying with any other search criteria. This feature is especially useful for lonely people, looking for new friends. Furthermore, as the communication takes place on the web, it is easier to put an end to some undesirable relationships in case such need arises.
Third, social networks may present a valuable tool for all kinds of group interactions, including study or work groups, due to the fact that practically all people are registered there and can easily access information
References: Fowler, J. H., & Christakis, N. A. (2008). Dynamic spread of happiness in a large social network: rit Kleinfeld, J. S. (2002). Could it be a big world after all? Retrieved from: http:// www.judithkleinfeld.com/ar_bigworld.html.