1.

Introduction to Social Networking

Social Networking is based on web development on communication media that enables the

users to have discussions, share the data or knowledge and create content.

The network is shared across a variety of computer networks. The social networks are

integrated into computer networks to connect the individual to share knowledge. It can

incorporate a wide variety of communication tools that operates on a laptop or desktop. It

is integrated on mobile devices to share digital video or photo includes weblogging entries

such as blogging.

2. What is social networking?

Social networking is the practice of using a dedicated online platform to maintain contact,

interact and collaborate with like-minded individuals, peers, friends and family. Popular

social networking sites -- such as Facebook, Yelp, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok -- enable

individuals to maintain social connections, stay informed and access, as well as share, a

wealth of information. These sites also enable marketers to reach their target audiences.

Social networking sites have come a long way since the first social networking site,

SixDegrees.com, was launched in 1997. Today, the world is rapidly adopting newer social

networking platforms. According to DataReportal, a Kepios analysis from January 2022

indicated that there are more than 4.62 billion social network users worldwide.

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 Figure 1: Top 10 social media sites 2022

3. Why Social Networking is Popular?

It is so popular because it is widely applied in all sites and domains such as government,

business, medical, education, finance, political and crowdsourcing, and entertainment.

Many government agencies use it to promote any scheme such as vaccination date,

examination result, and application methods, etc. People nowadays feel it easy to apply for

any government exam because of the government site, file any government-related issues

and ask any queries related to any chaos or policy in force. NASA has grabbed the merits

of Facebook and developed tools to check the country is in sustainable growth and achieved

a strong foundation in space where other countries failed to do that.

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 Figure 2: Social Networking Revolution

4. Impact of social networks on politics

In the previous two decades, there have been significant changes in the political

environment. This shift has been significantly influenced by the internet. Particularly in

today's political campaigns and public discourse, social media plays a significant role.

On Facebook and Twitter, candidates and their supporters frequently express their

opinions. Each party has its own webpage from which it posts appeals for funds and

distributes propaganda. Let's examine some of the main political influences that social

media has nowadays.

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• News Around the Clock

The speed with which news, poll results, and rumors spread on social media has

changed politics in a number of ways. Online news is a 24/7 phenomena, unlike the

pre-internet era when consumers had to wait for the next newspaper or TV newscast to

acquire the most recent information.

Social media has developed this idea. While there are numerous websites where you

can receive news at any time, most individuals choose to spend their time on social

media platforms like Facebook and Twitter rather than serious news or political

websites. This implies that every time you log on, you will see the most recent news

items and opinions posted by your friends.

• The Impact of Polls

Each campaign's use of political polls is crucial. They are frequently perplexing

because a number of polls with conflicting findings are frequently published on the

same day.

We now see a lot more poll results every day thanks to the internet, just like with other

political news. This has been accelerated even more by social media. Social media

platforms not only post poll results, but you can also take part in Facebook polls.

Election outcomes are greatly influenced by polling data. Even if they have flaws, this

is still true. A poll may have a tendency to become true. People can decide there is little

purpose in voting for the underdog if they believe one candidate has a significant lead

in the election, for instance. There is a lot of pressure on politicians to outperform their

rivals when people broadcast the most recent poll findings on social media throughout

the day.

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• Direct Interaction with Politicians

Social media gives people the chance to communicate with candidates and elected

officials more easily, which is one of its beneficial effects on politics. In the past, you

had to go to a live event if you wanted to meet a politician or candidate. Not everyone

has this ability. Nowadays, you may participate in live streaming events and

communicate with candidates and politicians by attending virtual events.

• Demographics and Targeting

To ensure that advertisements and messages are delivered to the appropriate audience,

targeting is employed throughout the advertising sector. Politicians also engage in this.

Politicians and candidates for office can now target their campaigns in the era of social

media.

Candidates can now modify their statements to speak to the issues of women, college

students, seniors, Latinos, or any other category of voters. Candidates and politicians

have the same access to analytics and targeted advertising as Facebook advertisers do.

Therefore, it is not a coincidence if political messages seem to be speaking directly to

you.

• Rumors, Fake News and Conspiracies

Every news that circulates on social media, genuine or not, has an impact on political

campaigns today. Online, it's becoming more and more challenging to distinguish

between real news and fake news. This difference is especially unclear in social media.

A blend of fact, fiction, satire, and speculation make up the never-ending stream of

memes, links, and rumors regarding political figures and candidates.

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 There are many phony or satirical "news" websites today that frequently publish articles

that seem real. There are other others now, albeit The Onion is the most well-known.

Some fake news websites aren't even funny; they just post tales that will get people to

click or harass readers who don't do their own investigation.

• The Power of Confirmation Bias

Confirmation bias is one of the unspoken factors at play on social media. This is

particularly effective when discussing contentious subjects, such as politics. The bulk

of your social media friends and followers likely share your perspective if you're like

most people. This indicates that a significant portion of the tweets, Facebook posts,

pins, and other content you read on these websites tend to express the same viewpoint

as your own.

4.1 social media and the Future of Politics

We're only now beginning to notice social media's effects on society because it's a

relatively new phenomenon. Politics will undoubtedly change significantly as a result of

social media. There are currently plans for online voting, which might increase election

participation. Given that people might vote right away after reading the most recent

comments or links they discovered on Facebook or Twitter, this could increase the

influence of social media even further.

Politics will alter as a result of other developments. The use of polling techniques on social

media will increase and hopefully improve. There will be more online town halls and rallies

for politics. Social media's influence on politics will only grow as it gets more widely used.

It will be intriguing to watch how this develops.

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5. Impact of social networks on business:

The evolving business environment in which companies compete for competitive

advantage is constantly changing and emerging. Companies are now not only responsible

for plans and strategies; they also must ensure that the plans are carried out in a proper

manner. On today’s world, a constant rise in social networking and the impact of social

networks penetrates into every kind of business. Social networks are often used as a source

of information and to spread knowledge of consumer’s views and opinions. The presence

of social networks belongs among very important business marketing techniques and it

helps to create new business opportunities at a very cheap cost by developing a stronger

market position among consumers. The study deals with the issue of social networking and

its influence on the business and society. It classifies the most used social media for

business and explores the possibilities of social networks communication in business. With

the wide use of social networks business owners must concentrate on ethical issues, threats

and challenges in commercial usage of social networking. Using social media in the

business ethically is has become a competitive advantage and its impact will rise rapidly

in the future.

5.1 Most used social networking platforms for business

• Facebook: Facebook pages and groups are transforming how organizations and

business market themselves and communicate with their audiences. Especially, small

businesses are increasingly trying to adopt social media tools to market themselves and

gain competitive advantage. As a social networking site, Facebook has features which

function primarily as communication tools. Facebook is a prominent player in the

SNSs. According to its first quarter 2016 earnings announcement, it revealed that it has
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 1.65 billion monthly active users and 1.51 billion mobile users. Facebook now has 1.09

billion daily active users and 989 million mobile daily active users.

• Instagram: Between posts, ads and stories, there’s no shortage of potential small

business marketing tools on Instagram. Instagram has joined in the trend in 2010 and

provided another favorable marketing platform for marketers to interact with their

customers. Instagram is a worldwide used social media network, which has been used

as a marketing tool by many global business companies. Businesses of all sizes and

across industries are finding marketing success on Instagram. The platform is highly

effective for achieving branding goals. It is a significant marketing tool that allows

business communication to take place.

• LinkedIn: According to LinkedIn’s About Us section, it currently has more than 675

million members. This is a huge audience for any business. That’s the real power of

LinkedIn for business: the ability to tap into existing connections and grow a brand

through word-of-mouth. It’s also the top-rated social network for lead generation.

according to insights from LinkedIn, completed Company Pages generally receive

twice as many visitors than those with incomplete pages and organizations that post at

least monthly generally gain followers six times faster than those that don’t.

• YouTube: YouTube is a growing as a company and as a community. It has become a

widely popular platform for individuals known as YouTubers and for companies to

promote themselves and their products. However, YouTube is a fairly young company.

It was started in 2005 and was not a big player in the emerging media game until recent

years. YouTubers are able to profit for themselves in multiple ways.

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5.2 Social networks for business functions:

Social media help companies to reach new customers. New areas where companies can use

social media include web-based training, team-based projects, distribution of updates about

plans and activities to employees, search for new offers and verification of information

during staff recruitment. Although initially treated as a tool for social communication,

social media are increasingly common in other domains of socio-economic life. Traditional

way of business has changed and been replaced by the emerging social networking

platforms.

Traditional Media Social Media

Information content homogeneous for all personalized

Interactions with consumers one-way to the two-way dialogue

customer

Building a product range company company and online

communities

Product or service offered mass scale niche, using Long Tail

A group for market research focus group brand community

Figure 3: The differences between the use of traditional media and social media

in business

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• Marketing: Social media marketing is the new mantra for several brands since early

last year. Marketers are taking note of many different social media opportunities and

beginning to implement new social initiatives at a higher rate than ever before. Social

media marketing and the businesses that utilize it have become more sophisticated. One

cannot afford to have no presence on the social channels if the competitor is making

waves with its products and services. Global companies have recognized social media

marketing as a potential marketing platform, utilized them with innovations to power

their advertising campaign with social media marketing.

• Human Resources: With the quick transformation of technology and social media,

there has been limited research on the effects that it has on human resource managers.

By understanding the importance of social media sites in human resource managers’

job functionality, it will help to improve their day-to-day tasks such as recruitment,

retention, reduce the number of mistakes such as wrongful termination, and strengthen

the internal environment of a corporation (Collins & Clark, 2003). Social media helps

HRM to strengthen the internal functions of an organization such as efficiency,

collaboration, retention, and knowledge.

• Sales: In business context, social media is a new communication channel between the

companies including SMEs and customers, which allows them to interact directly.

Social media platforms have made it very easy for large companies to introduce

products and services to their followers directly. Taking a direct sales approach only

works when the business has a large number of followers, as it’s more likely they will

get some amount of buy-in for their posts. If a large business directly markets a product

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 or service and points to where it can be bought or incorporates an online sales portal

through social media directly, they can see success in sales.

• Customer Relationship Management: The 1990s and early 2000s witnessed the

widespread implementation of customer relationship management (CRM) technologies

that were mildly successful at 34 best, as a result, managers are integrating social media

applications with existing systems to foster stronger relationships with customers.

Leaders who use social customer relationship management effectively could maximize

new entry market opportunities, trends, and development. although social customer

relationship management is a relatively new domain, marketers can benefit from the

use of social media for growing sales and profitability, creating advertisements,

acquiring new customers, retaining them and gain brand loyalty.

5.3 Social networks for market leadership

• Visibility: Visibility refers to the public presence of an individual or organization in

the media, and has an influence on organizational perceptions in times of crisis, buying

preferences, and trust. Social media visibility refers to how frequently social media

users discuss an individual, organization, or related issue. Those organizations with

strong media or brand presence are more on the mind of individuals and publics, as are

the organizations that individuals interact with on a daily basis, leading to higher levels

of organizational trust, greater brand or product loyalty, increased sales, etc.

• Reputation: Online reputation management is management of corporate reputation on

the new environment, which is the social media. This phenomenon is managing and

monitoring of what stakeholders are saying and keeping track of their dialog about

industry information and follow up of different sharing of ideas on social media.

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• Approachability: As we know, strategic decisions are critical for firms as they have

long-term implications on the direction of the firm such as what the firm would like to

be or perceived. If we take specific strategic business decisions such as decisions for

expanding market share then it becomes more approachable to customers and

stakeholders.

• Recognition: Social media is a valuable but difficult to master marketing tool used by

business owners to increase their sales and improve their brand recognition. Many

marketers struggle with getting their brand recognized online; this is due to a large

number of business social media profiles online. Facebook, for instance, has a

stunning 60 million business pages on their website. Consumers love businesses that

engage with their audience in the comments section and have a unique personality.

Social media profile is a valuable asset that can help improve reach, appear more

reputable, and engage with the audience.

6. Advantages and disadvantages of social networks:

6.1 Advantages:

• Word-of-mouth: Word of mouth involves consumers’ opinion of a product or service

based on their experience that could influence the receiver’s behavior or purchase

decision. Presently, social media is a popular HR technology used by organizations.

The advantages of technology have been evident through the success of websites such

as: LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, College Recruiter, Simply Hired, Career Builders, and

variety of others. Human resource managers use social media sites and websites for

recruiting, staffing, selection, discipline, and termination. Word-of-mouth creates great

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 opportunities for any business to reach leads. There are numerous opportunities to reach

leads and to engage them on these different platforms.

• Communicating with customers: Social media is one of the few marketing strategies

that allow a company to connect directly with its audience. Companies know who is

interested in their business because they choose to follow their social media account.

When organizations know their audience better, they can deliver more valuable content

to them. The companies make the content more personalized to their customers interests,

which leads to more engagement on their page and with the business.

• Market research: With the help of social networks, it has become easy for

organizations to research their competitors. They can easily project what strategies are

the competitors going to apply and quickly make a backup plan. This works as a great

advantage for businesses.

• Cost control initiatives: Social networking has made it easy to promote brands at a

lower cost. Instead of spending tons of money on offline campaigns, companies can

now just post their campaigns online with the help of social media. This has not only

increased customer reach, but also has given an opportunity for cost control.

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6.2 Disadvantages

• Strategic shift: It’s easy for posts to go viral on social media. People keep a close eye

on the good and the bad on social media. If the company is not careful about the content

of their post, they can end up embarrassing the entire company and getting caught in

an awkward situation. This tendency has handed over the major power to the audiences

and customers. Business owners no longer have the control over what consumers are

going to like or dislike. This is a vast strategic shift that companies are struggling to

accept.

• Reduced control: Whether an employee is on the clock or off the clock, it is important

that their social media usage does not misrepresent the organization. Online review is

a social media tool for consumers to voice their opinions about a product, service, or

brand.

• Bad publicity: People use social media to post content they love, but they also use it to

share experiences they didn’t love. If someone had a poor experience with a business, it

opens a door of opportunity for them to share their poor experience with others. This

negative feedback comes in different forms.

• Risk of execution: Social media platforms are catalysts for complaining and leaving

negative feedback. People use their profiles to help others understand their poor

experience. Many people feel there is a social obligation to share their experience to

prevent others from having the same experience. Having too much negative feedback

can negatively impact the future marketing efforts of a company.

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7. Impacts of social networks on human life

Knowledge is an increasingly valuable resource that needs to be shared among people,

researchers have argued for a long time. This knowledge has a global reach thanks to the

Internet and modern communication technologies. We can now communicate with anyone,

anywhere in the world, at any time. Social media sites have grown to be an integral part of

our lives.

According to researchers, knowledge is a resource that needs to be shared amongst

individuals since it is becoming more and more valuable. This knowledge is now accessible

to a worldwide audience because of the Internet and modern communication technologies.

We can now communicate at any time with everyone in the world. Social media has grown

to be a necessity in our daily lives.

With the aid of technology, people are changing their methods of communication every

day. They have the ability to instantly make and receive free international calls and

messages. Additionally, the fact that the majority of social media applications are free

encourages individuals to utilize them quickly. As a result, individuals started using social

media and messaging apps instead of talking to one another in person, which had an impact

on people's communication abilities. Social networking applications today are also

advancing technology. Technology companies and manufacturers are attempting to

develop new goods based on the habits of social media users. In a 2019 article published

online by the Washington Post, Arthur C. Brooks discussed how, 150 years after the

invention of the telephone, some people claimed that it was the enemy of the Republic and

that people would become asocial and stop attending churches or concert halls. However,

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phones changed how we communicate, so their predictions were irrelevant and biased. "By

figuring out how to use the technology effectively, we advanced. Today, we are typically

the masters and not the servants of the classic telephone.

7.1 Positive impacts of social networks on human life

(1). Building Relationships and Staying Connected

Making new acquaintances or finding groups of like-minded individuals can be simple with

the help of social media. Finding a tight-knit group of people can give us a sense of worth

and acceptance. Social media makes it simple to maintain relationships with distant

relatives and acquaintances. To keep in touch, send messages, send photographs, make

calls, or conduct video chats.

(2). Showing Empathy and Kindness

Online, people frequently disclose personal information or issues that they are having. You

can demonstrate empathy when you relate by encouraging and supporting others through

texts and remarks. Make an effort to show your friends—and even those you've never

met—that you are concerned about their position and are aware of their perspective.

Observing how others handle difficult situations can be motivating and open our eyes to

new possibilities.

(3). Better Communication

Social media is renowned for generating fresh debates. Even while many discussions (or

disputes) may seem too contentious and divisive, they can bring up significant issues to

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explore with individuals you value and trust. You can also join groups for particular

hobbies or professions to participate in discussions, gain knowledge, and develop.

(4). Motivating Young People

There are countless prosperous companies, company owners, and influencers on social

media. Everyone can find inspiration in this, but notably students and young professionals

with lofty ambitions. Many leaders freely impart their wisdom to foster others’

development. It can alter your life to follow people who encourage you to uphold your

principles, dream big, and make a difference in the world.

(5). Spreading News

There are countless prosperous companies, businesspeople, and influencers on social

media. Everyone can find inspiration in this, but young professionals and students with

lofty ambitions should particularly benefit. To aid others in developing, many influencers

freely impart their knowledge. It can be a life-changing experience to follow those that

encourage you to uphold your principles, dream big, and improve the world.

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7.2 Negative impacts of social networks on human life

(I). Depression and Anxiety

On social media, there are an infinite number of successful companies, businesspeople, and

influencers. Everyone can find inspiration in this, but young people in school and in the

workforce with lofty ambitions should especially find it motivating. A lot of influencers

freely impart their knowledge to others in order to foster their growth. It can be a game-

changer to follow people that encourage you to uphold your principles, dream big, and

make a difference in the world.

(II). Cyberbullying

Bullying was a practice that could only be carried out in person before the advent of social

media. Online bullying is now a reality, whether perpetrated anonymously or not. Everyone

today is aware of what cyberbullying is, and most of us have witnessed the damage it can

cause to a person.

(III). FOMO (Fear of Missing Out)

The Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) phenomenon gained popularity about the same time as

social media started to take off. It comes as no surprise that this is one of social media's

most pervasive negative effects on society.

The term "FOMO" stands for "fear of missing out," and it refers to the feeling of anxiety

you get when you're afraid of missing out on something enjoyable that someone else is

doing. You might, for instance, spend the entire day checking your Instagram feed to make

sure no one is doing anything fun without you or you might recurrently check your

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messages to see if anyone has invited you out. Additionally, you can view images of an

activity that your buddies were able to enjoy and feel left out because you couldn't go

because you had another commitment.

(IV) Unrealistic Expectations

As most individuals are certainly aware, social media shapes our perceptions of life and

friendships, leading to unreasonable expectations.

Online authenticity is sadly lacking on the majority of social media platforms. People use

Snapchat to post on Facebook about how much they adore their significant other, discuss

their wonderful travels, and flood their Instagram pages with heavily contrived

photographs.

(V). Unhealthy Sleep Patterns

Spending too much time on social media can impair sleep quality in addition to raising the

prevalence of worry and despair. The rising usage of social media has been linked to poorer

sleep quality, according to numerous research.

Try to limit how much time you spend on social media if you feel that your sleep patterns

have become unreliable and are causing a decline in productivity.

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8. Conclusion

Social networking sites are steadily penetrating in the lives of adolescents in world. The

advantages on quality of life for daily users of social networking sites versus nondaily users

are enormous. Also currently, Internet use might not have reached the levels where it

embarks on the existing state of health; therefore, continuous and critical observation of

the changing trends is warranted.

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1. https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/negative-effects-social-media/

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_Effects_of_Social_Networking_Sites_Such_as_Facebook_among_Asia_Pacific_

University_Scholars_in_Malaysia

3. Arnold, A. (2018). Why Millennials Need To Reduce Social Media’s Impact On

Their Relationship. Retrieved from

4. https://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewarnold/2018/03/21/why-millennials-need-to-

reduce-social-medias-impact-on-their-relationship/

5. Satterfield, H. (2022, March 17). How Social Media Affects Politics. Meltwater.

https://www.meltwater.com/en/blog/social-media-affects-politics

6. Khan, M. Laeeq & Boehmer, Jan. (2013). Small Business use of Facebook for

Marketing: The Case of a Family-Owned Mediterranean Restaurant.

7. Lim, Sook & Yazdanifard, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Rashad. (2014). How Instagram can be

used as a tool in social networking marketing.

8. Yodit Zenebe Tafesse, June 2012, The Role of Online Reputation Management in

Strategic Business Decisions in Ericsson

9. Social Media Strategies for Increasing Sales, Loretta N. Ezeife, Walden University,

2017

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