Social Network Sites and
Society: Current Trends
and Future Possibilities
Nicole B. Ellison

Michigan State University | nellison@msu.edu

Cliff Lampe Michigan State University | lampecli@msu.edu

Charles Steinfield
Michigan State University | steinfie@msu.edu

nologies is the articulated social network, which is at the heart of these systems. Social network sites allow us to digitally represent our connections with other users—meaning that we can use these sites to model our network of social relationships by requesting and accepting “friends” or “contacts.”

[ 1] boyd, d. m., and N. B. Ellison. “Social Network Sites: Definition, History, and Scholarship,” Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication 13, no. 1 (2007). <http:// jcmc.indiana.edu/vol13/ issue1/boyd.ellison. html>

Social network sites (SNSs) have
the potential to fundamentally
change the character of our
social lives, both on an interper-
sonal and a community level.
Changes in interaction patterns
and social connections are
already evident among young
people, who are the heaviest
users of these sites. As adoption
spreads to a wider audience,
we expect such changes to be
amplified across all segments
of society. At an interpersonal
level, the identity informa-
tion included in public profiles
serves to lower the barriers
to social interaction and thus
enable connections between
individuals that might not oth-
erwise take place. On a com-
munity level, the organizing
features of these sites lower the
transaction costs for finding
and connecting with others who
may share one interest or con-
cern but differ on other dimen-
sions. Both of these processes
have the potential to have posi-
tive effects on society at large
because they encourage dis-
parate individuals to connect,
communicate, and take action.

In the past few years, social network sites have become integrated into the daily practices of millions of U.S. users, most visibly those of young people, but usage is rapidly spreading to older people and other groups. SNS adoption is a global trend as well, as indicated by sites like QQ in China and Cy World in South Korea. As social scientists who study the social impacts of new media, we believe it is important to consider the social changes that might accompany mainstream use of these sites.

Like all “new” communication technologies, social network sites replicate features found in earlier communication tools. A site profile resembles a personal webpage, and the sites often incorporate established communication features like messaging and photo sharing. In addition to allowing users to engage in online self-presentation, social network sites allow users to explicitly articulate connections and to view their own social network and the networks of others [ 1]. What truly distinguishes SNSs from earlier tech-

Managing a Large Network
of Weak Ties
In our everyday lives, we fre-
quently encounter people with
whom we may want to recon-
nect at some point in the future,
but the social or logistical barri-
ers to do so are insurmountable.
It may feel creepy to ask for a
phone number; there may be no
easy way to share contact infor-
mation; email addresses may
be misplaced. When we meet
these potential acquaintances at
parties or parks or post offices,
each step of the process is
fraught with potential pitfalls
that can prevent individuals
from reconnecting in the future.
The potential benefits of keep-
ing in touch—a playdate for
a child, a chance to discuss a