MoZ: Social Icecream

In one of our last sessions we discussed about social networks. What is a social network? Who is part of a social network or can anyone NOT be part of a social network? What influence do networks have on our life?

Somehow the discussion always led us to one special network: The internet. We talked about internet "friends" and contacts, whether they are real friends and influence our lifes. We talked about how helpful the internet is when it comes to staying in contact and whether writing a letter is still seen as "better" than writing an email. In my eyes, the internet is one of the most important social networks. It makes communication easier and communication is what networks are about, right?! It's being connected and we can only be connected via communication.

What made me think, was the term "social". What makes a relationship social? Ain't any contact to another person social in a way? And then I read another term, that irritated me even more: Social Media. Internet is claimed to be "social" media, but why is that so? What makes internet social in contrast to other media like TV and radio? I found this great clip, that helped me to understand the phenomenom better..