Social Networking Becoming More Than a Teenage Fad?

Most Americans have had some degree of exposure to the new phenomenon of social networking, whether it be instant messaging for hours in Facebook, or simply hearing of the dangers of Myspace on the news. Until recently, though, the revolution of social networking has mostly been contained to teenagers, with the older adults dismissing it as a simple "fad."

As popular social networking sites continue to grow in popularity, however, it becomes apparent that the older age group cannot stay out of the social networking mania forever. Many important companies, especially news channels, have started using Facebook to communicate with their customers. Even CNN, a very popular news channel on television, has created a page on Facebook in which it broadcasts headlines as the news occurs. This allows not only for people to easily access up-to-the-moment news, but also leave comments and provide their opinions on the latest politician’s scandal. CNN’s page has become very popular in Facebook, with nearly 450 thousand "fans" at the time of this article’s writing. Other major news companies have followed suit, including FOX news, ABC news, NBC Action News, and much more. These television channels have also found Facebook pages to be a great place to promote their newest upcoming show and receive viewers’ comments on that "shocking season finale."

Television channels are not the only ones using social networking to promote themselves, however. Many bands have formed Myspace pages to promote their music, and many politicians have created Twitter feeds to help send their messages to greater audiences.

Aside from being used to communicate with friends, social networking sites have also been used as resumes for both prospective college students and employees alike. Universities have found it convenient to look past the college application essays and simply search the names on Facebook, as it often provides a more complete and truthful description of a person’s personality. Employers can also use social networking sites to keep track of their employees’ actions; there have been many stories of employees getting in trouble because they lied to their bosses and talked about their lies on Myspace. These sites can become powerful tools in understanding a person because they contain not only what the person says or thinks, but also what other people – friends and enemies alike – have to say about the person.

Social networking sites, especially Facebook, have expanded from the teenage group into older generations, as well as corporations and even into universities alike. Last April, CNN did a report studying older people who used Facebook, and it found that there are 1.5 million female users over the age of 55, which is a 550% increase from the month before. Facebook and other sites have continued their exponential growth since, reaching out to new users every day. It is not uncommon in these times for a teenager’s mother to create a Facebook as well, seeing all the opportunities of jumping on the social networking bandwagon. This phenomenon has revolutionized interactions between friends and colleagues, as people can keep track of more friends than ever and instantly communicate with all of them.