What is Social Networking?

Have you ever asked yourself what's a Social Network? You probably have a vague idea of what it might be. If you've come across Hegel, Nietzche, Smith, Marx or Kaufmann you'd probably have a notion of how social herarchies work. But what about the social structure? What role do you play in your network of friends, in your workplace or in your family? Have you taken into consideration how communications are transmitted between the members of your social network?

Alexandra Marin and Barry Wellman's Social Network Analysis: An Introduction presents social networks as "a set of nodes (or network members) that are tied by one or more types of relations" [to see the article click here]. For example, the first relationship you'd have within an organization would probably be with the unknown person you're interchanging e-mails with from the human resources department. Then you'd meet the person, who'd introduce you to the rest of the company and then you'd become "X-person: the intern" whose role is to make photocopies and serve coffee to your cubicled collegues. But is that all there is to it? Is that your only role in the business?

As I have found out, the answer is a big chubby NO. Human relationships and social networking is much more complex than that. First of all there's the way we communicate with the other members of our networks, our relationship with them, the value we give to each individual and the informal roles we take on within a network. That means that even though we may be officially "X-person: the intern" within an organization, to Jerry we might be "X-person: the one who I can depend on to do all the fetch-and-carry work" and to Jane we might be "X-person: the main source of the office gossip".

In Rob Cross and Laurence Prusak's "The People Who Make Organizations Go - or Stop" the informal roles within a company are sketched out and analysed [check out the article here]. If you come to understand the inner threads of your network then communication and tasks would run more efficiently. Actually this knowledge is rather powerful and if you wield it correctly you might find yourself climbing to the higher echelons of your network. In this case you would be able to apply the saying, "It's not a matter of what you know but of who you know." In a way it's sad, but at times this statement rings true. Why do you think there are lobbyists? What do you think politics is? Why did do you think the girl in the miniskirt got into the club first when you've been waiting in line longer than her? Connections, people, connections.

You can compare this example to other contexts, like within your family or your circle of friends. I find it amazing that there is such a thing as an analysis of our functions within society. It's like I know I breath because I need air to live but now I know that the O2 I inhale into my lungs is interchanged by my capilaries for CO2 and used to make my cells function correctly so that my body may keep on moving and thinking efficiently.

Hm. Seems like I retained something out of my biology lesson. Cool.

All this said I guess that means that social capital is just as important as monitary capital within the business world, huh? Maybe that means that my time spent on Facebook is actually productive and will bring me a job in the future...???