Social media accounts for a significant proportion of internet time, and platforms such as WhatsApp, Twitter, Facebook, and others allow us to build wider networks and facilitate communication between individuals. However, indiscriminate use comes with the risk of wasting time and invading privacy.
According to statistics, internet users spend an average of 4.6 hours a week on social networking services (SNS). This is the highest percentage of time spent on the internet, showing that many people are paying a lot of attention to social media. So, what is an SNS that so many people use? SNS stands for ‘Social Network Service,’ and it’s a service that helps people network on the web. Usually through a specific social networking site, users can publish their information and communicate with others.
The beginnings of SNSs can be traced back to sixdegrees.com, which appeared in 1997. It was a network centred around ‘relationships across two bridges’ and featured the ability to post your own profile and friend list. It was similar to today’s SNSs, but it didn’t attract much public interest at the time and was shut down in 2000. Since then, SNSs have become increasingly popular, with the emergence of MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter in South Korea and MySpace in the U.S. In South Korea, SNSs exploded in popularity among students in the early 2000s, with most teenagers and college students using them.
Unlike offline relationships, networking through SNS has the advantage of allowing you to build a much wider network of contacts without the limitations of time and space. It is also highly accessible, allowing people to connect and communicate anytime, anywhere with a computer or smartphone. In addition, the number of SNS users has increased dramatically as it has become easier for individuals to express their thoughts, opinions, and feelings. Facebook, the SNS with the largest number of users, currently has more than 4 billion users worldwide, with about 100 million of them accessing it via mobile, making mobile SNS use very active. The evolution of mobile devices has further encouraged the use of social media.
SNSs are similar to traditional internet communities, clubs, and cafes, but they are also different. While communities are places where people who share a specific interest, such as fashion, cars, or hobbies, gather to exchange information, SNSs are person-centred spaces where you can freely share your life and thoughts. In other words, if the core of a community is a specific interest, the core of an SNS is you. Also, while communities are usually anonymous and do not reveal personal information, SNSs often reveal personal information such as your name, photo, and date of birth. This allows for more trusted communication, but it also comes with the risk of privacy leaks.
Because social media interactions are mainly between people who are close to each other or already know each other, the information is more reliable and more talked about. In recent years, companies have also been using social media as a means of promotion, and they are strengthening their communication with customers through various promotional campaigns and events. However, SNS is basically a space where communication between individuals is the main focus.
Some of the most popular examples of SNS are WhatsApp, Twitter, and Facebook. Psyworld was a service that popularised SNS in Korea and was operated by SK Communications, a subsidiary of SK Telecom. It provides a virtual space called a ‘mini-homepage,’ where users can interact with others through their profile, diary, photo album, and guestbook. Users could also establish friendships called ‘ilchon,’ which allowed for deeper interaction with those they were connected to. However, Cyworld’s relatively closed nature meant that even if you had a friendship with someone you knew, you wouldn’t be able to interact with them unless you visited their mini-homepage frequently. For this reason, the number of users gradually declined, and it is now much less popular.
Twitter is based on the concept of following and followers. Twitter users can write short posts of 140 characters or less about their thoughts or daily life, and other users must follow them in order to see them. Unlike Facebook, Twitter allows for unilateral following without mutual consent. This makes Twitter more like a public bulletin board than a personal space. Twitter’s strength is real-time information sharing, and it’s also a quick way to keep up with global events.
Facebook is a social network that combines elements of both Twitter and Facebook. Users post to their wall, and friends can comment on them. Unlike WhatsApp, Facebook offers a timeline feature that allows you to see posts from people on your friends list in one place. This is convenient because it allows you to see what your friends are up to without having to visit their pages, but it also means that everything you do is easily visible. Facebook also makes it easy to post photos and videos, and it has a geolocation-based ‘check-in’ feature to show where you’re active. However, the interface can be a bit complicated for first-time users.
SNSs facilitate communication between individuals, and the spread of mobile devices such as smartphones has made them more accessible to a wider audience. In recent years, SNSs specialised for mobile devices have emerged, such as Kakao Story. Kakao Story is a mini-homemade SNS based on the Korean mobile messenger KakaoTalk that allows users to easily connect with friends registered on KakaoTalk. These mobile-specific SNSs are becoming increasingly popular, showing the growth potential of mobile SNSs.
When used positively, social media can be a useful tool to strengthen relationships and facilitate information sharing. However, indiscriminate use and over-engagement can cause problems. For example, Alex Ferguson, the former manager of English Premier League football team Manchester United, once said, ‘Twitter is a waste of time.’ This is a warning that excessive use of social media can be a waste of time. There are also a growing number of cases where public figures have been victims of unexpected repercussions from their social media posts. In fact, some people have been fined tens of millions of won for their social media posts, and carelessness can lead to serious social problems. Therefore, social media should be used appropriately and carefully to avoid overexposure and invasion of privacy.
