Most people like to socialize. Social networking on the internet is different in form but it is simply another opportunity to meeting new people and staying connected with old friends. Before the internet era some of us spent hours speaking to friends and loved ones over the phone no matter how high the bills were.
SNS added yet another dimension that was not possible before, that of impersonation. A whole lot of people would like to reinvent oneself: to look differently, to follow their vocation, to befriend new people. The reasons people spend time on SNS depend on the user group. Business oriented guys use them to build their professional networks. Teens' motives are quite different.
For teens interaction on SNS is yet another avenue to explore other life possibilities. They plunge into the world that looks like the real one but seems more responsive to their desires. It is a way of adjusting to the adult world that they are on the verge of entering and that they dread. It is especially important for kids who are different, rebellious, queer, and outcast. They want to be part of the crowd but they want to keep their personality intact. Danah Boyd has an interesting and revelatory biographical sketch on her blog page that exemplifies the aspirations and internal struggles of teens fascinated by social network sites.
http://www.danah.org/aboutme.html
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