When we analyze social networks, we realize that they are colonial architectures based on digital systems and aim to connect various types of people and organizations with similar goals and values.
The speed with the behavioral changes that have been happening is so surprising that it causes significant and unexpected changes to happen, for example, quickly transforming an announcer into a good or bad person based on the interlocutors’ conception of what was posted.
The Beginning Of Social Networks
The first computerized social network was created in 1997, called Six Degrees, but it was not financially successful. In 2000, new bets were placed on the market, but they were unsuccessful.
The social network that most resembled the concept used by society today was Friendster, created in 2002. One of the pioneers in the segment that obtained numerous users because it had innovative features for the time. However, the network grew so much that it did not meet all the demand.
Despite all the problems with social networks at the time, people and organizations continued to believe in the future of digital relationship channels, starting a process of studies and significant investments in developing new tools.
Current Numbers Of Social Media Use
These relationship tools are responsible for 62% of internet traffic. About 4 billion people have access to the internet, representing 52.63% of the world population, with 476 million internet users in Europe and 215 million internet users in Latin America.
Currently, sites like Facebook with 2.2 billion active users, YouTube with 1.5 billion, WhatsApp with more than 1.3 billion and Instagram with 1 billion are fevers among different types of users, according to Kurtz (2017) extracted from the United Nations Conference report.
In this scenario, some newcomer social networks have already captured the attention of millions of people; Tiktok is an example.
People and organizations also use social media to promote themselves. Countless cases of users gained worldwide recognition because of their posts. This has led artists to publicize their work through microblogging, thus maintaining more significant contact with their audience.
Organizations, motivated by this new advertising, start advertising their products and providing more excellent offers to their customers through social networks.
Each social network brings a goal to specific audiences; Twitter has attracted consumer profiles for faster information. And the differential of those who follow is the team proposed by this network, which often posts information on microblogging before being published on news portals.
And another feature that these social media brought was the accessibility for ordinary people to have a voice and express their opinions.
As with everything in life, there is a good and a wrong side. These tools allow users to express what they think, feel and live without any filter, transforming these tools into a virtual diary.
This type of user is the one who spends more time on the internet: they are people who expose their lives, often posting personal videos and photos.
Benefits And Harm
Social networks allow greater interactivity between different peoples, shorten the distance between people, and facilitate cultural exchange.
It is notorious for the low-cost social networks offered to users who intend to use them to communicate with different people. As most social media makes money from marketing to other organizations, the cost for people to interact with them is relatively low, if not free.
With social networks, companies increase their visibility in the job market, increase advertising potential and, as it is a low-cost investment, it is pretty affordable.
It is possible to establish data crossings by exchanging information about medicine, diseases, the job market, and hobbies, among other topics.
Politics On Social Media
Politics has also been using social media. This happened because of the success obtained by Barack Obama during his 2008 campaign in the American elections, which used different types of social media, such as Facebook, Flickr, YouTube, Twitter, and My Space, among others. The US president shared his thoughts throughout his career as a candidate.
This strategy has spread worldwide, and today it is practically impossible for a candidate not to use social networks to extend his government plan and attract even more potential voters.
"Wakati tunapochambua mitandao ya kijamii, tunagundua kuwa ni usanifu wa kikoloni unaotegemea mifumo ya dijiti na una lengo la kuunganisha aina mbalimbali za watu na mashirika na malengo na maadili sawa. """ "Uwezo wa mabadiliko ya tabia ambayo yamekuwa yakitokea ni ya kushangaza sana kwamba husababisha mabadiliko muhimu na yasiyotarajiwa kutokea, kwa mfano, haraka kubadilisha mtangazaji kuwa mtu mzuri au mbaya kulingana na dhana ya wasemaji wa kile kilichotumwa. """ "Mwanzoni mwa miaka ya 1970, mtandao wa kwanza wa kijamii ulianzishwa na ""Six Degrees"" na haukufanikiwa." Katika mwaka wa 2000, mashindano mapya yalifanywa kwenye soko, lakini hayakufanikiwa. Mtandao wa kijamii unaofanana zaidi na mfumo wa kijamii wa leo ni Friendster, iliyoundwa mnamo 2002. Mmoja wa waanzilishi katika sehemu hiyo ambayo alipata watumiaji wengi kwa sababu ilikuwa na vipengele vya ubunifu kwa wakati huo. Hata hivyo, mtandao huo ulikua sana hivi kwamba haukuweza kukidhi mahitaji yote. Licha ya matatizo yote na mitandao ya kijamii wakati huo, watu na mashirika waliendelea kuamini katika siku zijazo za njia za mahusiano ya dijiti, na kuanza mchakato wa masomo na uwekezaji mkubwa katika kuendeleza zana mpya. Kwa mujibu wa ripoti ya Global Relationship Survey, vyombo hivi vya mawasiliano vinaongoza asilimia 62 ya trafiki ya mtandao duniani. Takriban watu bilioni 4 wanafikia mtandao, wakiwakilisha 52.63% ya idadi ya watu duniani, na watumiaji wa mtandao milioni 476 huko Ulaya na watumiaji wa mtandao milioni 215 huko Amerika ya Kusini. Hivi sasa, tovuti kama Facebook na watumiaji 2.2 bilioni, YouTube na 1.5 bilioni, WhatsApp na zaidi ya 1.3 bilioni na Instagram na 1 bilioni ni homa kati ya aina tofauti za watumiaji, kulingana na Kurtz (2017) kuchukuliwa kutoka kwa ripoti ya Mkutano wa Umoja wa Mataifa. Katika hali hii, baadhi ya mitandao ya kijamii ya wageni tayari imevutia umakini wa mamilioni ya watu; Tiktok ni mfano. Watu na mashirika pia hutumia mitandao ya kijamii kujitangaza. Kesi nyingi za watumiaji zilipata utambuzi wa ulimwengu wote kwa sababu ya machapisho yao. Hii imesababisha wasanii kutangaza kazi yao kupitia microblogging, na hivyo kudumisha mawasiliano muhimu zaidi na watazamaji wao. Mashirika, yaliyochochewa na matangazo haya mapya, huanza kutangaza bidhaa zao na kutoa ofa bora zaidi kwa wateja wao kupitia mitandao ya kijamii. Kila mtandao wa kijamii huleta lengo kwa watazamaji maalum; Twitter imevutia maelezo ya watumiaji kwa habari ya haraka. Na tofauti ya wale wanaofuatilia ni timu iliyopendekezwa na mtandao huu, ambayo mara nyingi hupiga habari kwenye microblogging kabla ya kuchapishwa kwenye milango ya habari. Na kipengele kingine ambacho vyombo hivi vya habari vya kijamii vilileta ni upatikanaji kwa watu wa kawaida kuwa na sauti na kuelezea maoni yao. Kama ilivyo na kila kitu maishani, kuna upande mzuri na upande mbaya. Vifaa hivi huruhusu watumiaji kuelezea kile wanachofikiria, kuhisi na kuishi bila kichujio chochote, na kugeuza zana hizi kuwa kitabu cha kumbukumbu cha kweli. Mtumiaji wa aina hii ni yule anayetumia wakati mwingi kwenye mtandao: ni watu ambao hufunua maisha yao, mara nyingi wanapeleka video na picha za kibinafsi. Faida na madhara Mitandao ya kijamii inaruhusu mwingiliano mkubwa kati ya watu tofauti, kupunguza umbali kati ya watu, na kuwezesha kubadilishana kitamaduni. Ni maarufu kwa mitandao ya kijamii ya gharama nafuu inayotolewa kwa watumiaji ambao wanakusudia kuitumia kuwasiliana na watu tofauti. Kama vyombo vya habari vya kijamii hufanya pesa kutoka kwa uuzaji kwa mashirika mengine, gharama kwa watu kuingiliana nao ni ya chini, ikiwa sio bure. Kwa kutumia mitandao ya kijamii, kampuni huongeza mwonekano wao katika soko la kazi, kuongeza uwezekano wa matangazo na, kwa kuwa ni uwekezaji wa gharama nafuu, ni nafuu sana. Inawezekana kuanzisha kuvuka kwa data kwa kubadilishana habari kuhusu dawa, magonjwa, soko la kazi, na burudani, miongoni mwa mada nyingine. Siasa kwenye Mitandao ya Kijamii Siasa pia imekuwa ikitumia mitandao ya kijamii. Hii ilitokea kwa sababu ya mafanikio yaliyopatikana na Barack Obama wakati wa kampeni yake ya 2008 katika uchaguzi wa Marekani, ambayo ilitumia aina tofauti za mitandao ya kijamii, kama vile Facebook, Flickr, YouTube, Twitter, na MySpace, kati ya mengine. Rais wa Marekani ametoa maoni yake katika kipindi chote cha kazi yake kama mgombea. Mkakati huu umeenea ulimwenguni kote, na leo ni vigumu kwa mgombea kutotumia mitandao ya kijamii kupanua mpango wake wa serikali na kuvutia wapiga kura zaidi.