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