The rate at which technology and social media are expanding is taking hold in people’s lives and taking ‘being plugged in’ to a whole new level.

You would be hard-pressed to find someone who has not heard of Twitter, Facebook, smartphones and 3D television. At the last count, Facebook was projected to hit one billion users by the end of this month and Twitter had 140 million users. The rate at which both have grown is incredible. Social networks really began to take off in 2005-2006 with sites such as Hi5 and Myspace among others. But it was only in 2007 that Facebook revolutionised the world, and now it is all tied in.

All websites are linked to Facebook, Twitter and others. Most people now have a smartphone and that also means that they are plugged in 24/7. Social networking sites are evolving. They are becoming a manifestation of the user’s very self. It takes the Google personalisation concept one further. Google began to gather data on people’s searches and also linked that to their gmail accounts – an email service offered by the same search engine. In that way, the information it delivers on every search, for every different user, is different and more tailored to their needs.

The king of them all, Facebook, takes it one step further. Since the new Timeline concept was introduced, the virtual Facebook world changed. It used to be a place of ‘record’ and communication. Now it has become a virtual home where people communicate, share news from other sites, link blogs, campaign politically, advertise products and much more. What is even more worrying is that the concept of privacy has gone – everyone is connected to everyone else, all the time.

Another issue is that social networks are a place where internet myths abound. Quite often, the intention is good, but the amount of misinformation that gets through is now reaching proportions where one cannot differentiate between what is true, what is meant to be a joke and what is meant to be serious. 

So the question arises... are we addicted to social networks and what effect are they having on our lives? Are we richer, or poorer, as a result of their creation? In truth, it would be a mixture of both. Social network sites have given people a ‘free’ and easy way through which to communicate. They have also given people a platform on which to militate in protest against governments – Egypt being the prime example. 

But we also have the flipsides of organised crime, internet addiction, paedophilia, misinformation and alarmism. In this day and age, it also has an effect on economies as markets react to online newsfeeds when governments attempt to auction off bonds.

Just like fire, the wheel, writing, the telegram, the telephone, electricity and televisions changed civilisation, so has social networking. We always wonder whether it is for better or worse, but we will look back to what we said before – what life would we have if we had not discovered these technologies?

Time will prove that social networking was merely the next massive change in the way humans lead their lives. 60 years ago it was the radio. A few decades ago it was mass television. Now, it is mass communication.