Facebook

After looking in a previous post at some of the technological reasons behind the success of social networks, let us now consider what the new wealth of this social era is, and what opportunities and risks it creates for science. 4 The new wealth: data and the stream In the scenario described so far, the new wealth consists partly of data and their ownership, and partly of the possibility of sharing them and keeping this continuous flow, the so-called stream, constantly updated. Data ownership can be fairly easily connected to economic wealth: statistical and IT tools for exploring data (data mining) make it possible to extract valuable information that can be used strategically in economic contexts. This action is also promoted at intercontinental level, in the United States and Europe, through initiatives that spread open data policies, meaning policies that encourage opening data to everyone. See the two Italian examples at national and regional level. The data flow, or stream, is equally valuable because it attracts a large number of users: this is what happens on Facebook when users check their wall for friends’ updates. This guarantees a constant user presence, to whom advertising messages can be delivered and who can also be directed toward content of interest, such as advertising or online shopping sites. In this context, we will focus on the aspects most closely related to science. ...

After seeing in a previous post what social networks are and some of the social reasons behind their success, let us now look at some of the technological reasons for their enormous spread. 3 Technological reasons behind the success of social networks The needs described above could find at least partial satisfaction also, and above all, thanks to a technological evolution unprecedented in human history, which made the spread of SNs possible through: ...

After introducing the topic in a previous post, let us move to the core of the issue: what social networks are and the social reasons behind their success. What is a social network? A social network (SN from now on), or social network platform, is an IT platform generally accessible through the World Wide Web (www) that allows users and groups of users to interact by sharing information and data. These networks are usually thematic, for example dedicated to music, science, friendship, and so on, although the most widespread ones today, such as Facebook, tend to integrate different users and interests. ...

Just over ten years have passed since a Harvard University student laid the foundations for what, today, is the network almost automatically associated with the expression “social network”: Facebook. M. Zuckerberg, the now former student and new millionaire, managed to become the spokesperson and interpreter of the social dimension of the web. In a relatively short time, especially when compared with the hundreds of thousands of years humanity needed to introduce technologies such as ironworking, this helped drive an enormous and widespread adoption of computers and, more specifically, of the web. ...