SOCIAL NETWORKING

There are many different ways for individuals to use social networking sites. Websites like myspace and facebook have allowed millions of people to stay in contact with old friends, and even meet new people. Other social networking sites like LinkedIn are used for professionals and career oriented activities. The site allows users to post resumes and interests to find future jobs. Whether these social networking sites are used for personal or professional activities, both include detailed information that instantly spreads from one persons profile to the next. The sites use photos as well as videos to add even more content.

Recently more companies are finding ways to incorporate these popular social networking sites within the workplace. By creating these networks, companies are trying to establish tighter and closer knit friendships. They want to create an environment where workers can depend on one another for answers. In other words they want workers to be less intimidated by each other. One particular company that is using this concept is Nissan. In the BusinessWeek article, “Why is Nissan Mimicking Myspace?”
Kenji Hall, describes Nissan’s latest creation, N-Square. This social networking site has been created to “connect up to 50,000 of the company’s 180,000 employees worldwide, letting them create online profiles and blogs, and swap data files.” With a program that targets collaboration Nissan is urging coworkers to share ideas and help employees care more about their positions within the company. By creating this site, Nissan will ultimately create a new corporate culture, making workers see each other not just as coworkers, but more specifically as friends. Their work environment will be more fulfilling. As Hall writes the result will be “happier employees who feel more attached to their jobs.” Employing a social network will help Nissan not only cut costs, but also unify their staff. It is an excellent way to bridge global workers.

While helpful, these sites also have several drawbacks. In Stephen J. Dubner’s New York Times article, “Is Myspace Good For Society?” different experts describe the pros and cons associated with social networking websites. As described by Nicole Ellison, an assistant professor of Telecommunications at Michigan State University, she wrote “Undergraduates who used facebook intensively had higher social capital scores than those who didn’t. These students were using facebook to increase the size of their social networks and therefore their access to more information and diverse perspectives.” In this case social networking sites are allowing students to try and make new friendships.
Other professionals like Steve Chazin, the former Apple marketing director, stated how “disconnecting is becoming increasingly hard thanks to social networking sites.” Tools like the blackberry are becoming like electronic leashes, forcing users to constantly feel anxious when they don’t check their emails at least 600 times a day. In cases like this individuals can become addicted to these sites.

With technology moving so face no one can tell what type of new social networking site will be created. In the future I believe that more companies will incorporate networking sites to help workers foster creativity as well as bond. By using these networking sites work may actually become bearable. Interns could be more useful and less bored, and there could also be an appreciation for the different branches that exist within large companies. More sites like Twitter will arise. As described in Clair Cain Miller's article, "Putting Twitter's World To Use," companies like Starbucks and dell are able to see what customers are thinking by reading user's tweets. The world of market research will be transformed. Twitter reports could even become the new replacement for surveys.