OFcom referance (794221), страница 12
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This type ofincident has been reported in the media over the last 12 months.A number of users in our qualitative sample had either been to or had heard about, partiesthat had been organised via a social networking site and which had subsequently got out ofhand. This was usually due to the fact that the organiser had publicly announced the party totheir entire network and therefore had little or no control over who attended. Some usersrecounted stories where homes had been ‘trashed,’ possessions damaged and the policecalled to disperse the party.I went to a party which was advertised on MySpace and loads of people turned up that hedidn’t know. His Mum and Dad were upstairs and they called the police in the end because itgot so out of hand. The word can get round so much quicker on these sites.
People don’trealise until it happens to them. – Male 20, rural/semi-ruralNo one in our sample had actually hosted such a party but many people mentioned this as aconcern. Some users had closely followed similar stories of out-of-control parties in themedia.6.4Other functions on social networking sitesSocial networking sites have numerous other functions, in addition to setting up profiles,communicating with friends and loading personal photos and videos.
It is not possible tooutline all of the potential uses in this report, and in such a dynamic industry, any list offunctions would quickly be out of date.The purpose of this sub-section is to introduce some of the other functions that werementioned in Ofcom’s research, and to look at some of the themes explored in recent thirdparty research.Applications add versatility to social networking sitesSocial networking sites have become increasingly versatile. Beyond basic communicationand networking, users can keep up with favourite bands and add applications such asgames, quizzes and virtual gift giving.45Social NetworkingIt’s really versatile; you can not only keep up with friends, but play games and meet newpeople – Female 27, urban/suburbanThere are a vast number of computer applications which users can add to their profiles atthe click of a button.
This has been made possible because sites such as Facebook andMySpace have opened up their interfaces to third-party developers who design applicationsfor use on the site. Each social networking site has its own brand of games and activitieswhich the user can download. These range from applications which let you turn your friendsinto zombies, to maps on which you can record all the places that you have visited. Some ofthese applications have proved very popular among site users and have helped to maintainthe momentum of social networking sites use.Two other features of social networking sites that have proved very popular are the ability toadd music and video content. Most social networking site profiles can have music players orvideo players embedded into them. These players let users listen to or watch an almostlimitless number of songs and videos while they browse their profile.Unsigned and new music artists have been a key driver in the popularity of certain sites,notably MySpace.
The popularity of some of today’s artists such as Lily Allen has beenwidely reported to have been assisted by the interest generated on MySpace.43Bebo has pioneered development of broadcast video on social networking sites with itssignature show KateModern. This is a video drama series, funded by product placement. Ithas attracted 27 million views since it was launched in August 2007.446.5Using social networking sites to engage in political and social issuesA common complaint about people generally, and young people in particular, is that they areincreasingly apathetic about politics, and due to the popularity of social networking amongthis group, some see social networking sites as an ideal way of reaching them.Aside from individuals’ profiles, some social networking sites allow users to set up their owninterest group profiles, which individuals can add as ‘friends’, receive updates from and beinvolved with the group.
There is a wide range of groups on social networking sites includinggroups based on brand appreciation, geographic location, music bands, activities, charities,social issues, political issues and political parties.Very few respondents in the Ofcom qualitative sample used social networking sites for thepurpose of taking part in social or political issues. A minority (mostly older users)acknowledged that social networking sites could have a wider application beyond their socialcommunication purpose and that they could be used to bring about positive social or politicalchange.
No one had yet done this themselves, although one respondent reported using hispage to raise awareness about the charity that he ran.Despite the lack of actual participation, many people in the sample though that this was agood idea and should be encouraged.4344http://observer.guardian.co.uk/omm/story/0,,1776732,00.htmlhttp://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/tv_and_radio/article3198167.ece46Social NetworkingCase StudyBrian is 36 and lives in an urban/suburban area.
His wife introduced him to social networkingsites and he has since set up a page to raise awareness about his charity.He does not use social networking sites for making new friends, nor does he spend muchtime catching up with old ones – ‘That’s my wife’s job’ – but he does use his site to raisemoney and awareness of his charity and to find out what’s the latest in the vintage carworld. He only tends to access his account when he has a specific need and is quitenegative about people who spend hours socialising through these types of sites. He wishesthat people would use them more for positive social good.Despite social networkers’ comparatively low participation in social and political activities,compared with other activities such as communicating with friends, the media and socialliterature do give examples of this happening.An example of a charity using a social networking site in practice is the Facebook group setup to support the poppy appeal. An article by Hitwise Experian (2007) stated that the RoyalBritish Legion had set up the Facebook group Poppy People with the aim of encouragingyoung people to volunteer their time to the poppy appeal.
By early 2007 it had received 300volunteers in the group.Hitwise Experian reported on the further success of the campaign in increasing web trafficfor the Legion. 45 While the Legion’s homepage received less than 2% of its traffic fromFacebook during the campaign, the micro-site it set up specifically for the Poppy Appeal(www.poppy.org.uk) received over 10% of its visitors from Facebook.46As noted by Williamson (2004) “…the internet is a powerful tool for connecting people withinformation.
ICT is valuable when harnessed (like other media) for communicating amessage, however, it also extends the traditional concepts of media into an interactiveexperience, where the views of many can be expressed and potentially disseminated widely.It is this potential that sets ICT apart from traditional print and electronic media and whichoffers great potential for citizens to become more involved in the political and democraticprocesses.”Campaigning networks and social networking site groups have been set up by organisationssuch as Amnesty International and Stop the Traffik.47 And hundreds of pressure groups havebeen set up by grass-roots activists - over 400,000 people joined a group set up to supportthe protests of the Burmese monks against military rule in October 2007.48While registered organisations can benefit from social networking communities, individualsare also using social networking sites to organise support for their causes. A recent exampleof this is a protest campaign launched on Facebook to stop the Bristol and Bath Railway45Hitwise Experian, The Impact of Social Networking in the UK (2007), p.
5.Williamson, A. (2004, Apr). Getting ready for eDemocracy: A five-stage maturity model. Paperpresented at the Australian Electronic Governance Conference, Centre for Public Policy, Melbourne,VIC.47http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/oct/09/news.uknews. See alsohttp://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=233860517 and46http://www.myspace.com/stopthetraffik48http://www.burmacampaign.org.uk/pm/weblog.php?id=P30947Social Networkingbeing used as a bus lane.49 The site aims to raise awareness of the issue among interestedparties as well as to bring the protest to the attention of decision-makers.On a national political level, the use of social networking sites in the 2008 US electionsdemonstrates some of the potential for using social networking sites to mobilise youngpeople to participate in politics and as a tool for promoting individual candidates.
There areseveral ways in which politics and social networking sites have come together, including:6.6•politicians establishing a social networking site profile and using this to communicatewith supporters;•fora set up by the site to allow users to debate issues, post comments and take partin polls or offer political content; and•on Facebook, ABC news reports and videos are streamed onto the forum and thenews reports have their own profilesAdvertising, marketing and information miningThis report has already established that social networking sites have uses over and aboveindividuals setting up profiles and communicating with other individuals. In addition toorganised groups for bands, charities, political, social and interest groups, there arecommercial opportunities for businesses on social networking sites.As already mentioned, almost all respondents in Ofcom’s qualitative research used socialnetworking sites for personal communications purposes, but we also spoke to a very smallnumber who used it for other purposes.
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