The Information Revolution:

How Social Networking is changing the way we communicate and

do business

Tonya Rapley
Age of Revolutions: Summer 2010

How Social Networking is changing the way we Communicate and Do Business 1

 INTRODUCTION
We are amidst the information revolution. Encompassing the way we entertain ourselves,
exchange knowledge, opinions, ideas, and news; the information revolution arguably affects
more people across the globe than any other revolution underway in the twenty-first cen-
tury. In 2003, 61.8 percent of American households owned a computer and of these homes
87.3 percent had access to the internet. 1 Americans are also paying the cost to play in the
industrial revolution. According to the Consumer Electronic Association, the average U.S.
household spent $1,251 per household in 2005 consumer electronic devices in 2007 com-
pared to the average of just $84 spent in 1975.

Unofficially, the information revolution began with the creation of a Sumerian writing sys-
tem in 3000 B.c. What began with pictures depicting words to convey ideas eventually led
to the creation of papyrus in 500 B.C. Prior to papyrus long manuscripts were contained on
pieces of stone or clay. Papyrus revolutionized the way information was stored, making it
easier to carry and store. It wasn’t until 100 A.D that the first bound book appeared in
Rome. Rather than rolling and unrolling papyrus scrolls the bound book allowed its readers
to simply turn the pages to search for information or read. In 1455 Johann Gutenberg in-
vented the printing press. For this invention alone Gutenberg was selected as A&E Biogra-
phy Channel's most important person of the last 1,000 years. Gutenbergs inventions made
the production of books easy, reducing the cost and giving birth to a learning explosion that
would begin in Europe and envelope the rest of the world. In 1837 the telegraph was in-
vented by Sir William Cook and Sir Charles Wheatstone that allowed people to overcome
the communication obstacles once posed by distance. The telephone would be invented by
Alexander Graham Bell in 1877 and after several other advances in the information revolu-
tion, ARPANET was developed by the US Department of Defense in the 1960s. AR-
PANET began as a network of government, university, research, and scientific computers
designed to enable researchers to share information. Since this was during the Cold War pe-
riod the idea was that we would most probably be subjected to a nuclear attack someday,
and the ARPANET network would route traffic and data flow during the instability. the
next major development came in 1971 then the micro-processor chip was created. The crea-
tion of this chip facilitated the creation of personal computers ultimately birthing the digi-
tal revolution. 2

1 A Nation Online: Entering the Broadband Age, US Department of Commerce, Washington D.C, September 2004 available at
http://www.ntia.doc.gov/reports/anol/nationonlinebroadband04.htm

2 Dates and data taken from http://www.jaysromanhistory.com/caesars/COMM.HTM

How Social Networking is changing the way we Communicate and Do Business 2

According to Wikipedia, the Digital Revolution is the shift from analog and mechanical
electronic technology to digital technology, that has taken place since c. 1980. Based on a
digital logic board this includes the technologies but not limited to computers, cellular
phones, and fax machines. The digital revolution is quickly changing what is considered
normal among the population. In 1990 .25 percent of the worlds population owned a cellular
or mobile phone. By 2002 19 percent of the population owned cellular phones and by 2010
67 percent of the global population subscribes to some sort of cellular phone service.

The digital revolution has recently received a great push a new phenomenon. The concept
of Social Networking is defined as web based services that allow individuals to 1) Construct
a public or semi-public profile within a bounded system, 2) articulate a list of users with
whom they share a connection, and 3) view and traverse their list of connections and those
made by others in the system3 . Type of usage typically varies from site to site, but the ap-
pearance of social networking is arguably one of the greatest and revolutionary develop-
ments of the information revolution since the invention of the micro-processor chip in 1971.

Thanks to the digital revolution, elements of the information revolution are critical to other
revolutions occurring simultaneously. Facets of the digital revolutions, particularly social
networking serve an important role in the ongoing human rights, environmental reform,
feminist, and religious revolutions. Through social networking and online communities, key
figures in these revolutions utilize the advances accomplished from the information revolu-
tion to promote their ideas and communicate them with the world. Social Networking is
changing the way we communicate and do business.

Assignment 1.
From the invention of the Sumerian writing system in 3000 B.c. to the invention of the
micro-processor chip in 1971, several advances have been made in the information revolu-
tions. Have a look at the timeline on the following website.
http://www.jaysromanhistory.com/caesars/COMM.HTM

Aside #om Johann Guttenbergs invention of the printing press, what do you believe are the 3 most signifi-
cant inventions or events in the information revolution and why? What do you think his opinions would
be towards the current state of the information revolutions? How have recent advances threatened im-
portant innovations of the information revolution? Think about the impeding co%apse of the print indus-
try and the way in which news is now spread.

3Boyd, D , Ellison, N. (2007) Social Network Sites: Definition, History, and Scholarship. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication retrieved June 2007 from
http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol13/issue1/boyd.ellison.html

How Social Networking is changing the way we Communicate and Do Business 3

Social Networking and Online Communities
As stated previously, social networking sites allow individuals to construct a profile, define a
list of “friends”, and view and explore informations uploaded by their friends and others in
the system. Social networking has many forms: email, instant messaging, blogging, message
boards, and external social networking sites. The primary purpose of social networking is
communicating and maintaining relationships. Social networking activities include status
updates (updates often based on whereabouts, emotional status, activities, sharing photos
and events). The status update once only an aspect of most social networking sites has be-
come a social networking field of its own with the advent of Twitter.

Defined by consulting firm, Tweeternet4 , Twitter is a social networking and microblogging

service that allows you answer the question, "What are you doing?" by sending short text
messages 140 characters in length, called "tweets", to your friends, or "followers." As with
most processes in the digital revolution, twitter made it quicker and easier for its users to
communicate ideas without complex profiles. Twitter is a favorite among its users because
of their ability to follow once out of reach “celebrities” and it reduces the barrier once be-
tween a public figure and their fans. Rather than await the release of a press release or news
story, followers of a celebrity can discover once personal information. For example, R&B
singer Erykah Badu “tweeted” her entire labor experience or her recently born child. Badu’s
followers/fans were able to receive up to the minute updates on her progress from the the
initial onset of labor to Badu’s post labor emotions.

An integral part of the social networking is the online community. In essence, online com-
munities facilitate organized mediums for social networking. An online community is a
group of people who interact in a virtual environment They have a purpose, are supported
by technology, and are guided by norms, rules, and policies5. The characteristics of an online
community are determined by the social interactions of its members, the size of the com-
munity which can range from 5 members to over 50 million members, and the policies that
guide them. 6 On the following page is a timeline of the launch dates of major social net-
working sites/ online communities.

4 www.tweeternet.com

5 Preece, J. (2000). Online communities: Designing usability, supporting Sociability.Chichester, England: John Wiley & Sons

6 Preece, J. & Maloney-Krichmar (2002). History of online communities.University of Maryland Baltimore County

How Social Networking is changing the way we Communicate and Do Business 4

7

7 Image Courtesy of http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol13/issue1/boyd.ellison.html

How Social Networking is changing the way we Communicate and Do Business 5

 Assignment 11.
According to Socialnomics.net 96% of the world population under 30 have joined some social net-
work. In less than one year, Facebook added over 300 million users.

Find one person under the age of 30 that does not use at least one of the fo%owing services: Facebook, Twitter, or
Myspace. Briefly interview them with 5 questions of your choosing that provide insight into the reason (s) they
chose not to use social media.

Read the fo%owing articles.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703701004575113792648753382.html
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2010/01/17/opinion/opinion_30120439.php
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-siciliano/social-media-privacy-and_b_245857.html

How has social media had an impact on your live positively or negatively? Are you concerned with the issues of
privacy that have been raised?

How Social Networking is changing....

The way we communicate
Traditional communication mediums are being transformed and replaced by social network-
ing and its mediums. Examples of such mediums are Email, Chat or Messaging Systems, and
centralized networks of online communities. What used to take months even years via rail-
road and ship is now communicated by form of electronic letter in minutes.

Electronic Mail or email is considered one of the first forms of social networking communi-
cation. It was created in 1971 as part of the ARPANET center and the @ symbol was imple-
mented in 1972 to distinguish a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) address from an email ad-
dress. In a 2009 Wall Street journal article it was cited that in august 2009 alone, 276.9 mil-
lion people used email across the U.S, European Countries, Australia, and Brazil. This num-
ber is up 21% from 229 million in august of 2008. Email and the access to email has become
such an important aspect of American life, that many individuals check email upon waking
up, arriving at the office, reaching a destination during travel, and before going to bed at
night. The demand for connectivity has led to a push in consumer demand for “smart-
phones” or phones with advanced capabilities such as automatic email receipts, video and

How Social Networking is changing the way we Communicate and Do Business 6

audio capture capabilities, and the ability to use applications or specialized software pro-
grams. No longer dependent on postal courier services, with many free options available
such as Yahoo, Gmail, and Hotmail, email is the fastest and cheapest way to send informa-
tion. Email has facilitated telecommuting and the ability to reach many different people in
different places at the same time. With the use of email, face-to-face or voice communica-
tion is being replaced.

Another form of social networking that is revamping the way we interact with one another
are chat or messaging systems. Chat rooms were once one of the most active social network-
ing activity on the web. Previous
chat room or messaging formats
required all involved users to be
physically online. Chat room par-
ticipants were enabled the ability to
hold instant communication with
anyone in the world as long as they
were on the same chat system. The
chat room also changed the way
members of the opposite sex met
and meet. Rather than going to a
local hang out spot, men and
women searching for a companion
have turned to the web and chat
systems to find mates. According to
Socialnomics, 1 in 8 couples mar-
ried in U.S. met in Chat rooms and
Example of AOL Instant Messenger communicated via messa ging.
Among the most popular chat
room services were Yahoo, AOL, and MSN chat rooms. Typically chartroom conversations
are rapid and each conversation is short8 . Depending on how many users are in the chat-
room and how many messages are being sent, older messages are usually scrolled off the
screen automatically and replaced by more recent ones. However as users shifted offline to
texting and handheld messaging services the demand for chat rooms began to phase out. In
2006 one of the largest chat room communities, MSN, shut down it chat operations.

The current phase out of chat rooms are due to the increased sophistication and availability
of wireless technology on mobile handhelds and devices enable users to communicate via

8 Preece, J. & Maloney-Krichmar (2002). History of online communities.University of Maryland Baltimore County

How Social Networking is changing the way we Communicate and Do Business 7

instant messaging, text messaging, and other methods once only available on desktop com-
munication. As noted previously, in 2010 sixty-seven percent the world subscribed to cell
phone service. The increased capability for wireless users to connect to their social media
networks have led to the online decrease in certain services. Users can access their online
communities, engage in instant messaging, and to transmit images and videos from their
wireless devices.

The centralized network of online communities is used to mobilize, advertise, and bond its
users together under a common pretense or purpose. An interesting example of a centralized
network concept is the site, meetup.com. The primary function of Meetup.com is enable
the organization of local geographic group or find one of the thousands or registered users
seeking meeting up face-to-face about a variety of issues and interest. The interests range
anywhere from politics, to local sports teams, to book clubs. Meetup is unique because it
uses the online community to facilitate the lines of communication for offline communities.
Over 6 millions people visit meetup.com monthly and the site boast the facilitation of ap-
proximately 180,000 offline meetup’s per month. Still focused on the networking and the
common ties that link people together, linked in enables people to effectively find groups of
people with other interest and passions as them.

The way we do business

In particular, email and centralized communities are changing the way we do business. Chat
and Messaging systems tend to focus more on recreation, however several business and or-
ganization no have the “Live Chat” option available on their site. This feature in particular
utilizes a Java software based system to provide online customer service and support, rather
than the customer using the
telephone to receive customer
service.

Aside from interpersonal com-

munication, E-mail is the pre-
ferred method of office and cor-
porate communications. Email
replaces most inter-office mail
envelopes. Rather than having
to send over documents for
signing, a secretary can draft a
copy of the document on her
computer and email it to the
Craigslist pages are relatively simple
appropriate person or persons to

How Social Networking is changing the way we Communicate and Do Business 8

print out and sign. Office announcements and important appointments can be confirmed
can be made by way of an office “blast”. The usage of an email blast list is not only for use in
office, but is also the preferred method to distribute press releases to media outlets and con-
vey company promotions and events to their consumers. With email, companies are able to
hire employees to work off site and important correspondence can be communicated by e-
mail. Another use of email that is growing in popularity is the concept of paperless billing.
Utility companies and companies that issue monthly bills to its customers have adopted the
concept of paperless billing. In light of the current environmental revolution, paperless bill-
ing enables customers to receive their utility bill by electronic mail, reducing paper waste,
and providing consumers with access to their bills promptly after their billing cycle has
ended.

A forerunning example of a business centralized online community is the website Craigslist.

Founded in San Francisco in 1995, Craigslist was founded by Craig Newmark and with its
simple design, it is one of the leading sites on the internet. Craigslist features free online
classified advertisements with sections devoted to jobs, housing, personals, for sale, services,
community, gigs, résumés, and discussion forums. It is in over 450 counties and cities around
the world. With over 5 billion page views per month Craigslist is a prime example of a cen-
tralized network online community. It enables its users to browse items for sell from animals
to vehicles, to roller skates. Craigslist model has replaced the need for business to advertise
in the classified section. Because of sites like Craigslist and the like, traditional print publi-
cations are seeing a decrease in advertisements in their classified sections. Where in a per-
son used to pay $75 and up to run an advertisement about their couch for sale or Yard Sale
in the local paper, Craigslist enables them to advertise their item for sale free of charge.

Assignment 111.
Over 170 million emails were sent daily in 2007 according to ABC News. Email has
changed the way in which we send information. In the meanwhile the original mail de-
livery choice in the United State struggles among a tough economy and decreased de-
mands.

Research the history of the United States Parcel Service and construct a timelines of it important
events. As many companies now offer online catalogs, newsletters ,and publications, Do you think
email wi% eliminate the need for mail service? What cha%enges do you foresee for the USPS?
What actions do you recommend they take to ensure their position in the the lives of Americans?

How Social Networking is changing the way we Communicate and Do Business 9

Conclusion
The greatest proponent of the rapid growth in the digital revolution as part of the informa-
tion revolution is privacy. With unexpected or undefined privacy, individuals are willing to
volunteer personal information. The increased move to online systems means less informa-
tion is safeguarded by human hands and more is placed in highly complex technology sys-
tems that can be decoded making the leak of precious private information possible. Infor-
mation such as consumers credit card numbers, social security numbers, and home address
are all available to the person who is able to hack into systems.

From wood tablets to iPads, the information revolution is quickly changing the way the
world communicates. Extending users the opportunity to live stream conferences from the
Western hemisphere to Eastern, the ability to upload videos and pictures, the option to in-
form friend where they are and what they are doing at all time using GPS location based
services, social networking is a part of everyday life.

How Social Networking is changing the way we Communicate and Do Business 10

Bibliography
A Nation Online: Entering the Broadband Age, US Department of Commerce, Washington
D.C, September 2004 available at
http://www.ntia.doc.gov/reports/anol/nationonlinebroadband04.htm

Boyd, D , Ellison, N. (2007) Social Network Sites: Definition, History, and Scholarship. Journal of
Computer-Mediated Communication retrieved June 2007 from
http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol13/issue1/boyd.ellison.html

Dvorak, J. Chat Rooms Are Dead! Long Live the Chat Room!. Retrieved from
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2231495,00.asp

Horng,E. (2007)No-E-Mail Fridays Transform Office: After Initial Doubts, Co-Workers

Learn to Deal With Each Other in Person. retrieved on June 22,2010 from
http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=2939232&page=1

Information Revolution Timeline. http://www.jaysromanhistory.com/caesars/COMM.HTM

Meetup. Do something ,Learn something, Share something, Change something

http://www.meetup.com/

Moore, R.. (2008). The Good, the Bad, the Ugly: E-mail Communication. Cost

Engineering, 50(4), 8-9.  Retrieved June 22, 2010, from Research Library. (Document
ID: 1477232371)

Preece, J. & Maloney-Krichmar (2002). History of online communities. University of Mary-

land Baltimore County. Retireved on June 16, 2010 from
http://www.webbizideas.com/learn-things/articles/history-of-online-communities.html

Socianomic- Social Media Blog. http://socialnomics.net/

Tweeternet http://tweeternet.com

Vascellaro, J.  (2009, October 12). Technology (A Special Report) --- Why Email No Longer
Rules... ... And what that means for the way we communicate.Wall Street Journal  (Eastern Edi-
tion),  p. R.1.  Retrieved June 22, 2010, from Wall Street Journal. (Document
ID: 1877316841)

How Social Networking is changing the way we Communicate and Do Business 11