Every Social Network Has Its Own Advantages

Online social networks becomes increasingly popular due to the high accessibility of new technology and the growing population of internet users. In a Facebook-twitter age, everyone can add a new friend after their physical first meet-up. Yet, not all social networks last long, being as competitive as Facebook or Twitter, unless they have their own advantages. Managing a personal account is time-consuming, therefore, people would be reluctant to open a new social network account without enough attractions.

Thanks to Mark Zukerberg’s ex (according to the movie, the social network), Facebook stems from a conjoint analysis-like game of comparing girls. The initial goal of many people (most of them are students) having a Facebook is to make friends, especially with those singles. At the end of the movie, the social network, even though Mark was regarded as an asshole by his ex, he still tried to send friend request to her through Facebook. Yes, finding a partner is the common topic of all the college students all around the world. No matter how companies or organizations nowadays use it as a communication tool, Facebook is all about making friends and keep the connection online.

Twitter was born two years later after the beginning of Facebook, it still turned to be a successful masterpiece of the new web 2.0. Why? It consists of short bursts of information -- the unique advantages it owns. People can tweet their thoughts and ideas on Twitter whenever they want. Therefore, different groups of people gain what they want everyday everywhere. Girls communicate with each other about make-ups and clothes; guys talks about footballs and beers; young generations share their party experiences; businessmen unearth opportunities; entrepreneurs organize teams… All users can search for what they are interested in and get what they want. Concise sentences let us know the hottest news around us with regard to our habits and friends, shortening the distance between life and dream. How could one live without the bumping news and thoughts in today’s society.

Even, Renren and Kaixin, the counterparts of Facebook in China, have their unique characteristics. Although people criticize that Renren and Kaixin look like a copy of Facebook, comparing to Facebook, the two networks actually have different target audiences. Renren is popular among university students while Kaixin is a tool for working level. Kaixin spreads more funny jokes and was once extremely popular because of its game -- Stealing Vegetable and Parking. By playing these games, people feel relaxed from a stressful environment.

On the other side, Sina Miniblog – the replacement of Twitter in China also plays a significant role among young generation. It becomes the most frequently-used tool to supervise the government and a communication channel for people to discuss political or social events. The features of these Chinese social networks are different from the one in US. I admit that Facebook and Twitter might also be used for entertainment and political discussion; yet, these two functions are not that obvious due to the different social norm. Because of their own features, the counterparts of Facebook and Twitter could become popular in China, though part of the reasons should be the governmental prevention from the social networks outside. Even if Facebook and Twitter do exist in China and compete against Renren, Kaixin, and Sina miniblog, would they really beat them? Maybe just like the case of Skype vs. QQ: the latter one domains China, no matter how Skype is widely accepted in western countries.