Social networking can be described as a network or community of people that have common interests. Social networking can be face to face however it is most popular online. Social Networking sites such a facebook, twitter and myspace allow users to stay in contact with each other without being face to face. This creates large scale communities with a range of interests whether it is for networking for personal reasons or business.
Social networking has become one of the most influential ways to advertise and promote business activities. This is evident in the breast cancer campaign "I like it on..." the campaign allowed any facebook user to write a status "I like it on..." the couch, the floor, the kitchen table etc. The users are actually writing about where they like to put their hand bag/purse however the sexual connotations are a successful marketing ploy. The campaign is to raise awareness for breast cancer and is successful at capturing a large audience.
http://mashable.com/2010/10/06/i-like-it-on-facebook/
Twitter uses similar marketing activities however it allows celebrities to advertise themselves. Twitter was also a marketing tool used in the past election with many politicians writing posts to gain votes.
A recent episode of futurama comments on the use of social media, the paraody "twitcher" was created with a virus that could control users minds. The episode comments on how the social media captures such a large audience and is generally used for nonsensical humorous videos.
I personally do not use twitter, however i do read tweets when they are posted on other websites. E.g. Pete Vs Toby is a clothing label that posts lots of interesting things on their blog about their designs, other creative activities and also shows their twitter posts. I think twitter is a really useful tool for anyone who has anything worth promoting or anything worth talking about. I wouldn't recommend an average joe to join twitter as no one will want to read your tweets.
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