Social networking has taken over the online atmosphere and made it more personable. I remember when the Internet was strictly for business, or at least that is what I perceived it to be at the time. When I was younger, my family did not get the Internet until I was in middle school. I remember when AOL used to send the America Online cd’s through standard mail. The instructions seemed so simple; just put the disk in and click “connect.” I would relentlessly try this every time we received a new disk, hoping, just hoping that it would magically connect, but I was let down every time. It did not occur to me at the time that my parents would have to pay to have internet service installed. The cd became a false hope for me, and I was embarrassed to be behind since most of my friends seemed to have the Internet.
When we finally did get connected to the Internet, I was extremely excited. However; I had no idea what to do with it. The only thing that I had was an e-mail account that I shared with my dad, so there was only so much that I could do with that. When I learned how to create my own e-mail account, I felt like I had come up in the world. At the time, I wanted to grow an afro, so my email was afro04gul. Although my e-mail was not very professional it reflected my interests at the time and year of my eventual high school graduation. Thus began my adventure of social networking. Whenever I went to summer camps or met with friends at school, I was sure to provide them with my official e-mail.
Fast forward some years to my freshman year in college when Facebook was introduced. I never really understood, not to mention became involved with social media before then. But when my childhood friend personally called me up to tell me that EVERYBODY was on Facebook, I decided to give it a try. She went on to inform me that if you have a question mark for your picture, you were lame. J
Anyhow, Facebook, in its early forms, became a new reason for me to get online. Before then, I only used the Internet for academics, looking up information through search engines, and listening to music (legally). I was fascinated. I was overwhelmed. But it was and still is perhaps the most unique form of communication to date.
Social networking is good for just that; networking. It is a convenient way to stay in contact with family, friends, and associates near and far. Virtual Hosting offers a listing of the top 100 social media and networking sites. I appreciate all that social networking has made possible, but I worry sometimes that it will begin to precede interpersonal communication. Personally, I am one for more one-on-one interaction instead of being limited to typed words and emoticons to demonstrate how I feel. Nevertheless, social networking has allowed me access to those who were previously inaccessible, and it is a communication method that I see myself using for years to come.
