Thursday, March 20, 2008 Toral: Dynamics and growth of friendship networks By Janette Toral Digital Filipino
THE dynamics of friendship networks is not very different from business networks. However, it is more natural as people in a friendship network know each other more.
Observing the young people in this field makes me realize that those who were able to grow their “friendship” in these communities do the following:
Birthdays are a big deal. These days when we get so busy and not care much about our birthdays, it is heartwarming whenever someone takes the time to send an e-mail or leave a message greeting us on our birthday, whether we know them well or not.
Interaction and genuine interest. Those who grow and become popular are those who take time to demonstrate their interest in what other people are doing, such as responding to their status messages, appreciating an interesting photo and posting a comment in a blog post, among others. In this situation, the person who received the attention tends to reciprocate the deed and do the same to others as well.
One’s influence in the friendship network grows as the user shares more of himself or herself or anything that makes the community exciting and fun to be in.
Among teens, there are also challenges in these friendship networks. Intrigues, gossip and competition can sometimes get in.
Competition comes in, directly or indirectly, in the sense of trying to be more “cool” than others. This is where we sometimes see young people posting photos that show they look better than the others in the looks department. This also applies to music and videos.
Some forms of competition happen in a friendly environment but there are instances when it becomes antagonistic and virtual groups occur.
Popularity, notoriety, or even just mere recognition of existence is something that can be gained by being part of these friendship networks. Depending on how involved one is, networks can influence our lives and the choices we make in a big or small way.
The culture of sharing brings another concern—piracy. A lot of people today do not give much regard to this whenever they share information or resources online. Some also create new works based on existing materials found online, such as music and video remixes, and deviation, among others.
I have a club member who approached me lately as one of her connections copied and edited her food photos and posted it in an album without her knowing. She is now asking if her copyright was violated.
Any person who has a cell phone, Internet connection, access to a personal computer, software, webcam, and microphone is capable of becoming broadcasters and content creators. Initial works made are normally shared through friendship networks.
Although some may say that this sharing culture may result in legal risks, in relation to piracy and copyright, but common sense also tells us that developments in technology today will make sharing of information and its re-use, especially in friendship networks, unstoppable.
