Prospects of Virtual Social Networks

Prospects of Virtual Social Networks

Prospects of Virtual Social Networks

Introduction

Leading schools of thought on the subject of motivation have found out that socialization is one of the most important and basic needs of humans. Maslow studied the human motivation and proposed that after the basic needs of the person are fulfilled, the more important need is the need of socialization. The lifestyles of the generation today have been occupied by the extended work hours, commute and with other responsibilities. Families are geographically located and people travel and live in other cities which make it hard for them to satisfy their socializing needs. In this situation, companies like facebook, MySpace and other chat websites started off as a networking platform. These companies transformed themselves into a complete virtual social networking websites offering people to connect with others around the globe, communicate through video, audio and text. Recent social updates are shared with a click and people develop groups and other networks with relatives, friends and others. These platforms also created an opportunity for companies to connect with their consumers and develop a relationship and understanding of their attitudes towards the products of the company. This assignment will explore the importance of virtual social network, its benefits for businesses and people, the numerous privacy issues associated with it related to corporations and people and the potential risks drawbacks that it may pose to users.

Discussion

The idea of virtual social networks stems from the need of the people to connect with others without the hassle of physical socializing. This has also provided an opportunity for the people to express themselves as they can post their opinions freely and share with others (De Nooy, 2011). Browsing the virtual social networks, one can see people of every age and gender, irrespective of the geographic location, having the ability and availability of internet, using these virtual social networks to connect with others. Even students who meet daily with their friends use these virtual social networks to connect with them online, share their thoughts and things of mutual interest. People find these social networks as place to entertain themselves and get to know the recent updates in the lives of others.

The virtual social networks provided an opportunity to the companies who found it as tool to promote their products and gather consumer preferences. Companies are now actively involved in developing their virtual presence on social networks and have designated staff for monitoring the updates on the social networks.

Overview of Virtual Social Networks

The advent of virtualization and the benefits of connecting with other users online paved the way for the development of social networks online. People use to create and subscribe to mailing lists for connecting with their peers, colleagues, fellow students and relatives or use other passive online communication. People then started to socialize using active online chatting which is still at the heart of social networks. The chatting software, with the help of availability of high speed internet, started providing video communication ...