Social networks have changed our lives completely. They have changed the way we communicate with our friends, relate to other people and also the way in which consumers relate to brands and companies. Therefore, in this article I am going to explain what are, what they are for and what their main benefits are. What are Definition are spaces on the Internet formed by communities of users who are in contact with each other due to common interests and exchange information. In Spain, nearly 27 million individuals use them, with WhatsApp and Instagram being the two Social Networks with the highest frequency of use IAB Spain 2021. Alfred Radcliffe-Brown and John Barnes define them as “a social structure made up of people or entities connected and united together by some type of relationship or common interest.
Characteristics of social networks Social Networks
It is advisable not to confuse them with the term “social media.” Social media is the set of these and other 2.0 spaces such as blogs or forums. The appearance of social networks has made it possible to break the old one-way communication company data scheme: a company sends a message to the user and they receive it. Now communication is two-way. Now the receiver says, gives his opinion and is listened to . Thanks to social networks, consumers have a voice and the ability to influence. These tools allow the user to know what their contacts do and think, share photos, videos and documents, invite to events, contact other professionals, participate in forums, share knowledge, raise doubts.
Milgram's 6 degrees of separation theory
It is, therefore, an online system open and under permanent construction that brings together individuals with common characteristics who interact with each other. It was not until the beginning of the 21st century when social BQB Directory networks emerged. The first was Friendster. Soon others appeared that achieved greater acceptance, such as MySpace and Facebook. Most important milestones of social networks 2002 . The first social network is born: Friendster. 2003. LinkedIn is created. Currently, it is the longest-running social network. 2004. Mark Zuckerberg creates Facebook. This year, others such as Bebo, Flickr or Orkut, Google’s first attempt at a social network, also emerged. 2005. This is the year YouTube was born. 2006. Twitter.
