Social Networks | Networking, Theory, Types & Examples – Video & Lesson Transcript | Study.com

Social Network Examples

Social media has changed the way people communicate and do business. Now social networks are getting more sophisticated by the day. Businesses use social media to engage with customers and connect with potential future customers. Social networks such as Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat have created features that allow users to post stories or live videos that only last for 24 hours. Businesses can create short-term campaigns that don’t require long-term commitments, like hiring a person full-time. It also allows them to see how specific campaigns perform before investing in them.

Social media has also become one of the most effective modes of advertising. It is important for companies to know what their target demographic wants and needs to provide them with products and services that will keep them coming back. Taco Bell and Netflix have done this successfully by using social media as marketing tools for their products.

Taco Bell realized that there was a problem with their business. The company wanted to attract a new audience, but they were struggling. They wanted to reach out to Millennials and Generation Z and eventually saw an opportunity with social media. Now, Taco Bell has more than 12 million followers on Twitter. A quick scroll through their feed reveals that they aren’t just tweeting about their new products or promotions; they’re actively engaging in discussion with their audience.

Netflix is another iconic example of a company that knew how to use social media as a marketing tool for its product. Netflix uses social media to engage its audience with the help of a social media manager and a dedicated in-house team. They often post memes and gifs on Twitter and Facebook and show behind-the-scenes footage from movie sets or interviews with cast members. Their 20 million followers on Facebook and Instagram tell just how successful this strategy has been for them over the years.

The different types of social networks come in two main categories – online and offline. Online social networks are the ones that we maintain on the internet. When we talk about offline social networks, they are maintained in person and happen face to face.

Online Social Networks

• These social networks can be any website or application that lets people communicate with friends, family, and associates. They allow people to set up a profile with their names, pictures, interests, and other information. After setting up a profile, a person can start connecting with people by sending them messages or friend requests.
• Some examples of online social networks include Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

Offline Social Networks

• These social networks happen in person and usually involve one-on-one interactions rather than large crowds like in an online setting.

Academic social networks are sites or services designed specifically for academics to connect with others in their field of study. An educational institution or professional association often creates these networks to facilitate collaboration.

Professional social networks are sites or services that people use to connect with other professionals in their field, often for networking and sharing information. These networks are designed for businesses, organizations, schools, etc., but can also be used for personal use.

Hobby social networks are hubs for people who share the same hobby (usually specific types of games) to connect and share their interests.

Informational social media enables users to stay informed about the latest news in their area of interest. Users can also use this site to receive information from experts on specific topics. These sites provide regularly updated content about a specific topic or theme, such as fashion or sports news.

Multimedia sharing sites allow users to upload images, videos, and other types of content they have created or been given access to from others on the internet. Users can also ‘like’ or comment on these pieces of multimedia content, which adds a personal touch.

Social connection sites allow people to stay in touch with their friends and family.

What is the Primary Way that Social Networks Work?

Social media networks could also be called social psychology networks because they are built on human behavior psychology, which is the key to understanding how people work.

Social media uses algorithms based on comments and likes to give content that is relevant to its users.

Social media networks operate by taking advantage of intrinsic human needs, desires, emotions, and relationships. This approach is what attracts users to it in large numbers.

People rely on social media networks for many purposes ranging from entertainment to information. They use them as a tool to stay in touch with their friends and family or just be entertained in general. Social media has become more than just a marketing tool used by companies to connect with consumers in today’s world.

For example, Facebook’s (FB) algorithm tries to show content from friends and family first. This can sometimes make for a more pleasant experience, but it also isn’t always the best way to connect. FB will show best friends’ news posts before friends of those friends or followers of strangers that are in the local area. This helps create connections between people, which creates emotional bonds that could help lead to more personal interactions online.

Social networking sites provide a platform for individuals to connect and establish relationships. The virtual platforms are flexible, interactive, and offer the ability to share content and images.

The term social networking site was coined in 1997 by MIT graduate student Joshua Green. The first social network was established in 1989, but it wasn’t until 1995 that social media became a term used more often.

The majority of social networkers use these platforms to share photographs, videos, audio files, and text posts. Their content is then displayed on their profile page, which other members can see when they visit the page. Users also have the option of creating an individual blog or website as well as sharing it with others using a link at the bottom of their profile page.

This is how networks work:

• Users create profiles that they can use to share content and information with people they want to connect with.
• Profiles can also establish relationships with people on the site.
• Social networking sites can allow users to communicate through text or voice using specific apps.

In addition, these sites provide tools for sharing text, images, videos, and other content. Social networking sites like Facebook, Snapchat, and LinkedIn enable communication between members via messages, posts on walls/timelines, or direct messages.

Social networks, such as Facebook, are defined as user-driven platforms, and social media is defined as a platform that serves content to users.

Although these two terms may sound identical, there are some significant differences between social media and social networks. Social media is driven by hyper-active users who share everything from personal thoughts and feelings to news, videos, and photos. On the other hand, social networking sites allow users to create profiles that can be updated with their interests or professional backgrounds. These profiles allow users to connect with other individuals through sharing posts, comments, and likes on each others’ posts.

Social media platforms generally have a more active audience than social networking sites because they offer more content of various types that people want to consume in this 24/7 era.

Here’s another way to think about the differences.

• In social media, content is shared to increase engagement and reach.
• In social networking, the users are more focused on their relationships with other people.

Lesson Summary

Social network theory was first researched in the late 1890s. The theory attempts to understand how social relations are organized and maintained, why they emerge, and how they affect our understanding of society. Social network theory is known for measuring objects/nodes and relationships within a network of personal relationships and larger societal social interactions. Social network theory continued to be developed in the 1930s by Jacob Moreno.

Social networks are online communities that allow users to share information and communicate with each other. They are used for many purposes, including connecting with old friends and meeting new ones. Social media is one of the most well-known social networks, but many others exist today, such as LinkedIn and Google+. However, a little-known fact about social networking is that the first recorded social networking instances are represented in 40,000-year-old cave paintings.