Social Networking Saved The Internet (Pt. 1)

Introduction

There is no denying that social-networking is the buzz word of the moment, along with it's father, Web 2.0. There is also no denying that nearly every new website that has launched this side of Christmas 2005 includes some kind of social features that allow everybody to connect, talk and interact with each other. This is no coincidence, and in fact, is no accident.

Social Networking saved the Internet

Picture the scene. It's 2003/2004, a few years after the .com boom had catastrophically fell it's way into the history e-books. The internet was in a sort of "limbo". Not very many new technologies emerging, and, most importantly, there was nothing particularly interesting for the man-on-the-street to use it for. An e-mail here and there. Fantastic. But not worth £25 ($50) for broadband access to send a couple of e-mails to Aunt Georgie who's emigrated to Spain living la vida loca.

Compare that situation to what we have today. We have new sites sprouting up weekly, if not daily. We have excitement, we have enthusiasm. It is often quoted as, "this is what the internet was made for". Was this an accident that appeared out of nowhere and gradually built-up to what we have today? Of course not.

Social Networking, and Web 2.0 websites in general, are beginning to allow that man-on-the-street to realise the power of a networked world. They are spotting that now they can meet new people online, and talk to all these fascinating men and women. They know that they can have a blog, watch video online, even make their own online radio show. But all this could be done previously, no?

We (actually, Memes, but I will expand on them in a later post) have made the existing resources on the Internet replicate the real world, in order for it to survive. Survival-instinct, if you will. Imagine the following: man walks into a club (or goes to MySpace.com); looks to see who is around (browsing profiles); then approaches someone to talk to (messages a user)… etc. You can see my point. The online world (just think of Second Life!) is being mirrored from offline life, in order to appeal to basic human thoughts and expectations, and thus to attract a wider user-base.

In fact, the online version of the world goes a step further. In some instances, it improves on the limitations of the "real" world. Go up to someone in a club and they stare at you in silence – you feel like running so far from the building that you could have your Kebab and throw up in an Inuit's igloo, correct? Compare that to not getting a reply back from someone you message on MySpace, and you will see my point. Social Networking taps into basic human fears, and says "there is no risk here, nothing to fear, nothing lost when you take a risk – unlike the real world". It is making itself more attractive than traditional social-methods, in order to survive as the biggest memeplex – or place-to-influence-others, on the planet. It is succeeding.

In Part Two of this article, I shall be going a bit more in-depth into memeplexes and introduce you to some other theories I have on why Social Networking is so big. I thank you for your time, and look forward to seeing your comments.

This article was written by Matt who works in England running an Interactive Marketing company.