How Social Networking has Changed the World…

As a 44 year old man, when I heard the term “Social Networking” for the first time, I immediately thought it was what I did in bars back in my college days. Who knew it was a recent social phenomena that was taking the internet by storm. As I learned more about it, it appeared to me that the modern version of Social Networking was taking the place of what we did as kids and 20 something’s on the neighborhood play grounds and corner coffee shops. It was replacing the personal aspect of getting to know one another. The nuances of body language and facial expressions, that may have helped us make a point were lost in the process. I was convinced it would not “stick” and go the way of the pet rock; just another fad.

Fast forward a couple of years and I have found a new respect for this ever increasing social phenomena. From a business aspect, it is a priceless marketing and PR platform. For the first time is history, the “little guy” can reach out to 10’s of millions of potential customers. Market research firms can get real time feedback on potential products and services. The list goes on and on. On a personal level, it allows individuals to reconnect after years and many cases, a lifetime. I for one have reconnected with friends that I have not heard from in over 20 years. But the real value of the Social Networking phenomena has just now come to light. It is helping a repressed people to find their voice and hopefully, the plant the seeds of democracy. Without this powerful new media, the real time events of what has been happening in Iran would have never seen the light of day and the world community would have been blind to what life under the Mullah’s and a repressive regime was really like. Facebook and Twitter are truly changing a country and quickly, the world. Today, the world is a much smaller place. It quite literally can fit in the palm of your hand-

Dan Fitzgerald, Director of Sales and Marketing