Networks - Dependance

The history of networking electronically in s sense, is brief. Man kind has only been able to interact socially electronically since the first cable's where laid down across vast oceans. When you think of networking, you think of the internet, and communication between two or more individuals over a small to a vast global distance and even to the ISS 'International space station'. Its everything now, the internet is essential a cybernetic web which links all commuters, PDA, phones and pretty much every digital wireless device together digitally. One of our readings for our Media Cultures module describes all networks as the 'nervous system of society', which is absolutely one hundred percent correct!

The word networks can be used to describe anything that links to another thing of identical properties, for example a canal network, road network, telephone network or even network of streams. In terms of electronic communication networks, this has been in existence non stop since the first telegraph was invented in around 1830. We are still discovering new ways of expanding and inventing new ways of networking.

'So, networks organise relations within and between levels or units of social reality' (P28. the network societies and other classifications (chap 2),

That is what i would see as being spot on when defining the term 'network', and in my opinion gives the best possible approach of understanding the term without confusion, and after some consideration, thats exactly what 'Social Networking' is.
Social networks are an unavoidable subject of discussion when speaking about networks, in modern day society, social networking is dominant in the worlds leading countries.

'98 percent of the U.S. online population uses social media... the 800-million user network reaches 55 percent of the world’s audience' (http://www.foliomag.com/2011/report-98-percent-u-s-online-population-uses-social-networks). 

 That is a HUGE number of individuals using social networking sites, 55 percent may not seem as much, but thing of how many people there are on this rock, its estimated that there are over 7Billion people on this planet, therefore it must mean that at least 3.5Billion people are using social networking websites. I don't think when they first laid those transatlantic cables down under the vast oceans of this planet that one day, over half the worlds population, (keeping in mind these are the people who can afford computes and internet access) would be almost totally dependent on social networks. Like i said before, the term 'nervous system of society' could not be more correct, without a nervous system a functioning body (society) would feel no pain and perhaps, due to its current dependance, become isolated.

As technology continues to evolve, humanity will want the next best thing, we as a race are constantly looking of for the fastest state of the art hunk of technology which at the moment are mobile phones and tablets. just to give an example of how isolated interactive networking used to be, think back around 30 years, computers where just becoming small enough to fit into a home, although expensive, everybody wanted one, black screens with greet letters, they where state of the art. 20 years ago, computers where slowly becoming affordable for a moderate income family to afford, and screens where now in colour, yet pixelated. 10 years ago, the internet was booming, everybody needed a computer in the house, emailing was the new thing amongst offices and distant family members. And it was around this time where most people had mobile phones, some with colour screens and only a matter of time before the internet was wireless and portable.

A few years later, phone's, laptops and PC's where all occupied by users on early social sites like 'Piczo' and 'bebo' and Facebook as in development. Posting pictures and comments seemed to be crucial amongst friends and family. And now in this new decade, we've seen the rise of tablet computers, smaller more portable than any computer successfully launched into the market, i believe we are just at the beginning, i believe that humans are forgetting their native instincts of communication, even old traits that where once popular such as writing letters or even a more modern approach such as phone calls are being over run by current methods. Theres nothing wrong with getting up, walking down the street to knock a door, it might not be that we are to lazy to do so, its just a quick text, or Facebook message is more convenient, and its something we don't even need to think about any more. The nervous system of society is ever expanding indeed.



'nervous system of society' - the network societies and other classifications (chap 2)

'So, networks organise relations within and between levels or units of social reality' (P28. the network societies and other classifications (chap 2)

http://www.foliomag.com/2011/report-98-percent-u-s-online-population-uses-social-networks