Social networking service
A social networking service, also known as a social networking site, is an online platform that people can use to create social networks or social relationships with other people who have similar personal or professional content, interests, activities, backgrounds, or real-life connections to themselves.
The structure and amount of features available on social networking sites differ from one another. They may contain a variety of innovative information and communication tools, which can be used on desktop computers and laptop computers, as well as on mobile devices such as tablet computers and smartphones, among other platforms. This might include digital photo/video/sharing as well as journal entries posted online (blogging). When it comes to developers and consumers, online community services are frequently referred to as social-network services, yet social-network services typically give an individual-centered service, while online community services are focused on groups. Social networking sites, which are generally described as "websites that promote the construction of a network of connections in order to share different forms of material online," give a space for engagement to continue after in-person interactions have taken place. These computer-mediated interactions connect members of diverse networks and have the potential to help individuals establish, maintain, and build new social and professional ties.
Users of social networking sites may exchange ideas, digital images and videos, postings, and information about online or real-world activities and events with other members of their social network. Social networking sites are also used to connect with individuals outside of their social network. However, although in-person social networking – such as meeting in a village market to discuss current events – has existed since the beginning of civilization, the internet allows individuals to interact with others who live in various parts of the world (dependent on access to an internet connection to do so). Members may be able to communicate with one another using social media platforms, depending on the platform. A member may also contact anybody they have a link to, who in turn can connect them to anyone else they have a connection to, and so on. Today's society demonstrates the popularity of social networking services, with Facebook boasting a whopping 2.13 billion active monthly users and an average of 1.4 billion daily active users in 2017, demonstrating its domination in society. The majority of members of LinkedIn, a career-oriented social-networking site, must first get to know one another in person before they may communicate with them online. Some services, like as instant messaging, need users to have an existing connection in order to communicate with other members. With the introduction of COVID-19, Zoom, a videoconferencing platform, has firmly established itself as a vital tool for connecting people all over the globe and facilitating numerous online contexts, such as school, university, business, and government gatherings.