Social networking Web sites began as a way for friends to keep in touch but have transformed into ways for families, friends, co-workers and business contacts to remain connected. With a click of the mouse, users have updated information about what everyone in their network is doing, thinking or viewing.

Technology transformed

After opening the formerly college-students-only site to anyone with an e-mail address, Facebook announced Sept. 15 it had reached 300 million worldwide users, marking a continuing trend of increased interest in social media. Charles Steinfield, a telecommunication, information studies and media professor, said it’s breathtaking how quickly the Web site’s popularity has grown.

“We are only talking about five years of service being in existence,” Steinfield said. “To reach that level is amazing. I look at all other technology, and I can’t think of a technology that has achieved that.”

Although Facebook began as a site dedicated to college students, that no longer is the case, Steinfield said.

“Facebook has opened up to many different types of populations,” Steinfield said. “Traditionally, it was only students at college and you had to have an e-mail address to belong to the university’s network. Today, it’s open to anyone. Facebook reports its fastest growing users are over 30 years old.”

Steinfield and two colleagues found that 94 percent of the students they randomly surveyed use Facebook.

“(Online sites) are evolving very fast, becoming a more comprehensive Internet platform,” Steinfield said. “Today, it’s important that every business thinks about what their business is with social media.”

Social capital

Social networking sites such as MySpace, Twitter and Facebook allow people who might not be the closest of friends to remain connected, providing benefits for users, Steinfield said. During his research, Steinfield found that students involved with these sites benefitted in different ways, which he referred to as “social capital.” One of the forms is bonding social capital, which gives users emotional support. The other is bridging social capital, or access to information that normally would not be in the user’s network, Steinfield said.

“Students are connected to people who can provide them with information that can be useful for them in various ways,” Steinfield said.

But while private citizens use social networks to maintain social ties, recruiters and employers also have found a way to benefit from the social media craze. For them, the sites offer a tool to find information about applicants, said Nicole Ellison, an assistant professor in the Department of Telecommunication, Information Studies and Media.

The practice could prove dangerous for students whose online identity includes photos of felonious activity, she said.

Ellison said she recommends students enter their name in online search engines to see what comes up and be proactive about the information they allow people to see.

“Students would be well advised to Google their name to see what their online sites say about them,” Ellison said. “If you share a name, you can’t control what they are doing. You can be proactive about putting information online in ways to you want to be presented.”

Soloway said she chose to set her profile settings on private.

“It’s important to keep your life private and limit the information everyone can see,” she said. “Everyone is taking pictures constantly. It could show something you aren’t proud of.”

Career implications

Although some colleges and universities look at social sites during the admissions process, MSU Director of Admissions Jim Cotter said MSU does not look at social networking sites and doesn’t plan to start doing so next year. Instead, admission decisions are formulated from high school transcript, ACT or SAT test scores, a personal statement, letters of recommendation and extracurricular activities.

“MSU, for many years, has used these issues as very efficient factors,” Cotter said. “It’s not a tool that we feel at this time would be an advantage to the decision-making process. Some would question if that would be very efficient.”

Other networking sites such as LinkedIn, a professional Web site, allow users to connect with colleagues and potential contacts in the business world.

“They can be a valuable tool for presenting one’s self and one’s experience in a professional way,” Ellison said.

Whether social networking sites are used to find a job, to remain connected with friends or to spy on potential employees, Steinfield said these sites contain one common theme: Information flows to the user without much effort.

“Facebook used to call itself a utility,” Steinfield said. “Now it’s broad and you’re at a disadvantage if you don’t have it.”