http://www.whatissocialnetworking.com/How-Social-Networks-HaveChanged-our-World.html Definition from Oxford Dictionaries; noun 1a network of social interactions and personal relationships.

s. 2a dedicated website or other application which enables users to communicate with each other by posting information, comments, messages, images, etc. (

Top 5 Social Networking websites:

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest MySpace

How Social Networks have changed our world Over the last 10 years social networking has advanced from basic communication to transforming peoples lives. Politics and public services Facebook is now used as a way for organizations to reach potential volunteers or donors. Twitter is regularly used to promote politicians and their causes. Thanks to social media people now have the chance to voice their opinions and communicate with people like politicians on a more personal level. Marketing and advertising businesses can contact consumers directly through social networking as it allows them to cut out the middle man. Using the internet to advertise also allows businesses to reach a wider audience and mass market. Journalism people can now easily share links with each other. It also allows news websites to regularly update their websites so they can provide the latest accurate info to readers. Business and recruitment Businesses use social websites to promote their products/services and receive feedback from consumers. Smaller businesses may operate just from a Facebook

account. Websites like LinkedIn allow Human Resources to seek out potential employees. The future due to the rise of social networking websites, it is clear that it has slowly taken over most aspects of peoples lives.

Privacy and Social Media

When something is published online it can be redistributed online multiple times without consent. This can be a problem for those who post about their personal lives but it is good for viral marketing. Scientists consider the lack of privacy as one of the most serious social issues. A recent survey by Credit Sesame says that 35% of Americans check-in and tweet about their whereabouts and 15% of Americans regularly use social networking websites to tell their friends when they are not home. A recent report from Legal and General Group says that nearly 40% of Facebook users post details of their vacation plans on the website.

Cyber bullying
Using electronic technology as a way to harass and be cruel to others. Studies have found that approximately 30% of students in grades six through eight reported they recently had been cyberbullied or had cyberbullied another person at least once. Research shows that girls are about twice as likely as boys to be victims and perpetrators of cyberbullying and that the most common method of cyberbullying is through instant messaging, followed by chat rooms, e-mails and messages posted on websites. Some websites, like Facebook, allow people to block bullies. Children and teens are rarely concerned about internet safety. Can lead to suicides, particularly within younger people.

Online Relationships

 Websites allow people to keep in contact and connect with each other. However they may not be real as people lie online.

Social Networks Changing our Lives for the Better. . . or the Worse?
1.2 billion Facebook users worldwide. 190 million tweets are sent out on Twitter every day. over 1000 people visit Pinterest every 60 seconds. Good for socializing, entertainment and finding information. Helpful for businesses, celebrities and recruitment. Concerns: underage children using websites. Exposure to inappropriate material and paedophiles. Bullying.

Useful statistics: (http://socialmediatoday.com/stevepyoung/1656466/24must-see-social-media-statistitcs-2013) Youtube: YouTube is the #2 search engine on the web making it one great resource for traffic and leads. 700 YouTube video links are shared on Twitter every minute (source: Relevancy Group) 500 years of YouTube videos are watched on Facebook every day (source: Relevancy Group) The equivalent of 100 hours of video is uploaded to YouTube each minute (source: Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers) 99% of US online specialty retailers use YouTube, up from 93% in 2012 (source: L2) Facebook: 79% of social media log ins by online retailers are with Facebook, compared to 12% for Google+, and 4% for Twitter (source: Gigya) Facebook will account for 13% of worldwide mobile ad revenue in 2013 (source: L2) Facebook users share 2.5B pieces of content on the site each day (source: Nielsen)

70% of business-to-consumer marketers have acquired a customer through Facebook (source: Hubspot) Twitter: Twitter users send 400M tweets each day (source: Nielsen) 50% of technology companies have acquired a customer through Twitter (source: Hubspot) 25% of consumers who complain about products on Facebook or Twitter expect a response withing 1 hour (source: American Express OPEN Forum) 69% of online business-to-consumer marketers use Twitter, compared to 80% for business-to-business (source: Brafton) Google+: 70% of brands have presences on Google+, up 4% from Q4 2012 (source: Simply Measured) 41% of online business-to-consumer marketers use Google+, compared to 39% for business-to-business (source: Brafton) 12% of social media log ins by online retailers are with Google+ (source: Gigya) Facebook's share of social logins dropped from 54% to 49% during 4Q12, while Googles share increased from 25% to 31% (source: Janrain) Pinterest: 90% of US online specialty retailers use Pinterest, up from 81% in 2012 (source: L2) 83.8% of luxury brands have a presence on Pinterest (source: L2) 69% of brands have presences on Pinterest, up 10% from Q4 2012 (source: Simply Measured) 25% of online US women use Pinterest, compared to 5% for men (source: Pew Research Center) Instagram: Instagram users upload 40M photos to the site each day (source: Nielsen) 41% of brands post 1 or more photos per week to their Instagram accounts, up from 34% in Q4 2012 (source: Simply Measured) 59% of brands have presences on Instagram, up 9% from Q4 2012 (source: Simply Measured) 17% of teens say Instagram is the most important social network, up from 12% in 2012 (source: Piper Jaffray)