Social Networking

Some of the ways that social networks are currently being used in the corporate sector is for the further advancement of relations between customers and companies, others are harvesting data in order to be used in suit the needs of the consumer in different products, and it also allows companies to collaborate on different issues in order to solve problems. Creating products based off their consumers’ needs is being explored by IBM which can be clearly shown in the article ‘What’s next? Your future in Social Networking”.  All of these are current uses for social networks that companies use in the corporate sector.

The benefits of these new technologies can be clearly seen in the article “Why is Nissan mimicking MySpace?” by Kenji Hall. In the article the author shows that Nissan was developing a social network for their employees. One of the beneficial points of the creating this tool was to be able to bypass certain restrictions between employees. It basically allowed employees to discuss ideas they had faster and more efficiently. By doing this new technology would be created faster and more cost effective. 

I feel there is dark side to social networks. Many people I know who are currently seeking a job are being requested to write down their link to their Facebook profile so that the company can look into their personal life. Many people including myself feel that this invades that person’s right to privacy. But the problem is that if you do not give up the information to your Facebook profile they won’t even give you an interview. Some companies I have heard even ask for your login details.

For me I hope these technologies develop to become better in the future. There are many occurrences right now about different social networks harvesting your data to sell to private companies. I would hope that this practice would stop. I hope that social networks spur growth in the economy.