Social Networking Sites

Are the sites for socialising or consignment to the Internet Graveyard? My foray into the SNS has only marginally ameliorated my perspectives slightly shifting from deep to neutral scepticism. In my mind, the question of ideology is central to the problem of social networking. Does the SNS genuinely allow for "mediated publics" or is it an hyperbola? There are three contentious issues which came to my mind whilst experimenting along the SNS. One, popular social networking is intricably linked to commodification of the Internet. As the Internet has proved it tends to lay several sites to rest in its dark graveyard without a memory. The marriage between popular SNS and advertisement revenues is an uneasy one. Revenues play a key role in sustaining the SNS hence the commodification of technology is the central determinant of whether the popular social sites can truly act as mediation. Two, SNS as aspects of public socialising and creation of social groups through technology necessarily impinges upon the public and private domains. It may appear that technology blurrs this distinction however in reality the Internet and the SNS are confronted with legal and ethical issues. The question of free speech, privacy and surveillance are directly correlated to the SNS. Three, a social site the SNS begs the question of one's identity, what and whose identity there exists. In light of the foregoing issues, can educators truly enhance the social contexts of their students? The factors at play are far too greater than the sum of them for a considered and measured educational role. For education, the sense of reality and truth far exceed in importance than the question of the use of SNS which offers facile means to communicate.