It is through this juxtaposition of the two network forms – the old tangible social network and the electronically mediated internet form-, that different aspects of networking can be viewed as either having been altered through the emergence of the internet, or whether the physical characteristic has just flowed over in the virtual world. Wellman states that there are two integral parts of social networks which highlight aspects of human nature: range and exclusivity (1996, p8). Within this physical framework of social networking and interaction, a great deal of evidence suggests that internet social networking has increased the potential for both networking has changed its inherent meaning in society.
The first most prominent difference between physical social networks and that of the virtual is range, or breadth of the network. The internet’s capacity has increased the ability for society to find ‘connections’ (Cotterell, 1996 23) well beyond previous geographical boundaries. Indeed while the astonishing amount of members to social networking site MySpace (at publication this number stood at almost 200 million) signifies the ease in which communication can be staged, it is the smaller more genre specific social sites that perhaps best typifies the ease at which interactions can be staged globally. The success of social networking site HKnet in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s is one such site which has enabled those of similar values to connect, regardless of their geographical location. Created initially for emigrating Hong Kong students in the United States, HKnet became the hub for all Hong Kong immigrants to find each other and discuss the then turbulent political situation in their homeland at the time. In Fung’s study on the effects of HKnet, he contends that ‘HKnet mobilised a political resistance through its unification of minorities which would otherwise go unheard’ (2002 4) and it is theme of unifying communities that could not communicate previously that lies in the crux of the success of social networks.
While the breadth of the social network has increased significantly due to the capabilities of the internet, the difficulty in finding and accessing social networks has also decreased markedly. The limited membership criterion for entry into prominent social networking sites such as MySpace reduces previous physical social barriers such as age, appearance and cultural background. This is of stark contrast to the many restrictions placed on real world social networks, where admission into a network is often fraught with angst over what Buskens terms ‘validity of membership’ (2002 59). The various studies conducted by organisational behaviour theorist Geert Hofstede (pictured) in regards to network/group formation further suggested that once an ‘in-group was created, it was hard to add additional members without an extensive initiation process’ (1980 49). The elimination of this ‘socially exhaustive’ (Hofstede, 1980 46) practice reduces the angst that is often associated with joining a network. While some sites such as Facebook require a pre-invitation from an existing user, a viable email address is all that is usually required for a personal profile.
To the relief of many internet users, knowledge in the area of HTML coding is also not a hurdle in gaining entry into the internet network, which has further fuelled the growth of the network further. Users at all levels of internet experience can fully participate and communicate within the network, as well as easily individualise their own profiles. This is in stark contrast to the physical social network, where a knowledge of social norms and ‘social cues’ (Dwyer, pp1, 2007) is required in order to integrate into the network properly. These physically evident changes in social networking of size and exclusivity should be seen as positive evolutions in human interaction. The old physical networks posed two major problems for those who were not yet in the network. While the geographical restriction seemed to be the largest hurdle, it was the need for social awareness that hindered many from even trying to interact with already formed social networks. The anonymity of the internet overcomes this problem, and society has absorbed this new aspect of human interaction willingly.
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