by Mathias Scriptor

Created on: March 02, 2010   Last Updated: March 03, 2010

The proliferation of social networking sites such as Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, and LinkedIn can be attributed to many factors; many of which revolve around our fast-paced, instant gratification type culture.

The majority of those who use social networking sites are younger people. The young person in the society of 2010 varies completely from the youth of previous generations. The teen of days past would spend free time by participating in neighborhood sporting events, reading, or simply conversing with other people. Now, in this digitized age, the majority of free time is spent in front of a screen. Whether that be computer, television, or video game, teens today rely heavily on electronic entertainment. How has this contributed to the boom in social networking popularity? The teen of today has become accustomed to receiving instant gratification. Press a single button on a remote: ta-da, television. Turn on an Xbox 360: consider yourself occupied. This idea translates to the realm of social networking as well: type in www.facebook.com, and instantly peruse the social lives of others. Gratification. Just like that, literally at the tips of the fingers. 

We as Americans do not like to wait; we live in a fast-paced, ever-changing society. Social networking has found its niche by becoming the way in which we communicate. In the really old days, people would communicate by (gasp) actually writing, with pen and paper, a letter to another. Then came the telephone, then the cell phone, then email, then cell phones, then text messaging, and most recently social networking. Albeit a crude outline, one trend is inescapable: each progression resulted in less and less time being spent communicating (as well as a certain decline in simple social skills). What used to take an hour, now takes seconds. People can now update their statuses, inform their ‘friends’ about events in their life, join groups, and chat. All instantaneously. 

Another contributing factor to the popularity of social networking stems from human nature. Meeting new people is a difficult task. Period. Forming and fostering relationships takes a certain amount of courage and fortitude. Social networking provides a level of anonymity and comfort. It is much easier to type thoughts and feelings from the comfortable computer chair than talk to a person face-to-face. Is this a positive effect of social networking? That is a different argument; however the ramifications of today’s youth holding the majority of their conversation through electronic means (email, text messaging, instant messaging) will undoubtedly result in a lessening of personal conversation.

The popularity and proliferation of social networking forums is a direct result from the very fabric of American society. There is a reason Facebook has over 200 million hits each month, social networking has become an integral factor in our daily lives, and has revolutionized the way in which we communicate.

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