Social Network Sites: Definition, History, and Scholarship

Link: http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol13/issue1/boyd.ellison.html

There is one image that is working looking over, just a quick summary of the "Launch Dates of Major Social Networks".

Abstract:

Social network sites (SNSs) are increasingly attracting the attention of academic and industry researchers intrigued by their affordances and reach. This special theme section of the Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication brings together scholarship on these emergent phenomena. In this introductory article, we describe features of SNSs and propose a comprehensive definition. We then present one perspective on the history of such sites, discussing key changes and developments. After briefly summarizing existing scholarship concerning SNSs, we discuss the articles in this special section and conclude with considerations for future research.


For those interested, be sure to read the section "Networks and Network Structure" as well as "Bridging Online and Offline Social Networks"! There is analysis about "an analysis of the role of language in the topology of Friendship , "research into the importance of geography in Friending" (note that Kleinberg has strong thoughts about this aspect, as mentioned in one of the previous blog entries on this forum), and "studies on what motivates people to join particular communities".

Another entertaining discussion is about how online interactions interface with offline ones amongst both friends as well as complete strangers!
Other discussions include issues of mainstream attention, privacy, global phenomenon, Expanding Niche Communities, as well as Impression Management and Friendship Performance (another cool section to glance over).