Facebook

Why do you think social networking sites are so popular? What are the main appeal factors?

I think social networking sites have become popular because of several reasons...our societal structure has changed so much that we no longer live in physical communities any longer. Our houses are built so that we do not need to connect with our neighbours and our workplaces seem to get further and further away. We no longer interact with those in our community during our daily activities and errands as we go outside our communities to do so. Facebook and similiar social networks are taking the place of these communities. We used to be able to take a walk around the block or go to the grocery store to meet and chat for social context, now we go online. It also changes who we meet and who is part of each of our communities. This in itself has many implications but I think as our physical communities change our social networks will also change.