Jun 24 2008
Social Networks in the Media
Virtual Social Networks still have somewhat of a stigma if you are above the age of 35 and ‘grew up’ with Old Media.
That becomes even more clear when you see how Old Media treats the popularity of Social Networks on-line and how they are used.
Let’s take a look at some of the ways Social Networking - and some of the activity that goes on there - are portrayed in the media.
Young Teachers Going Wild on Social Networking Sites
This story is about questioning the behavior of teachers - which is a fair and reasonable thing to do. But if this had not included the, in many people’s minds, almost mythical ‘online networks’ it may not have made its way to prime time.
Panel discussion at Zeitgeist
As can be expected from a Zeitgeist discussion session the topic - in this case Social Networking in marketing - is covered at a level of details and rather un-biased. It’s interesting to hear the thoughts of people that created services like LinkedIn and BeBo.
CNN on online stalking - Dark Side of Blogging
[Warning: This collection of clips contains some scenes of a violent nature. Adult supervision recommended when viewing]
This shows CNN covering the story name ‘The dark side of Blogging’ - and how internet stalkers are taking advantage of the anonymity of the internet.
BBC on ‘Social Networking…Dangerous?’
A BBC feature on the dangers of Social Networking for younger users (that is also the majority of the users of these services).
So are Social Networks getting an unfair treatment when featured in Old Media? I don’t think it’s as much ‘unfair’ as it is a result of a generation gap where many people (producers as well as viewers) still have a hard time grasping what social networks are all about. Having said that it’s also not uncommon for news to focus on shocking, tragic and destructive news - when was the last time the Headline news was that it’s a Beautiful Life?
As Social Networking matures and becomes even more an integral part of many people’s lives we are bound to see both good and bad stories come out of it. Just remember that it’s not the tool that is in question - it’s what you decide to do with it.
3 Responses to “Social Networks in the Media”
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This is a good post. The stalking is what most people wonder about when setting up accounts.
I’ll be honest I think the stalking can happen both online and off, I’ve dealt with the offline and that is extremely scary. This person just followed my daily routine. I’ve heard of a ton of friends being stalked online but thankfully it was only virtual and never showed up at their door.
The social networks seem to be getting bigger now with businesses too. I overheard a few nurses while waiting to sign in. They were talking about joining myspace to bug some girl they work with. Reminds me of old school days.