The term "social networking" has evolved from when it was first used in newspapers to now being used in scholarly articles.
The first usage of social network was in the Los Angeles times in 1958. The article is titled "Businessmen Now Employ 'Wet Seal,'" and describes the drinking habits of businessmen during this time. The term is used to describe how the drinking habits of businessmen depend on the social network they belong to and not where they live. This is interesting because today one of the most recent usages of social network was in an article describing how the use of social networking sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter is expanding in hiring decisions and whether or not this is a smart idea. Before, the term social network in business describes the relationship among businessmen and now the term social network describes the websites online that help make hiring decisions.
Social network was also used in 1963 regarding network aid for the elderly using federal grant money. In this article, the term is used to describe nutrition services increasing the social network for the elderly to create a better quality of life. Today, it seems the term social network is rarely used among the elderly unless they are one of the few logged into Facebook. Instead, the term social network is now commonly used in the younger generation. A lot of recent scholarly articles that I found describe the use of social networks in learning among this new generation. Today, schools are trying to integrate social network sites to create a new learning environment. The term has evolved by being used among the elderly to being used among the younger generation.
The term social network has changed throughout the years in the way it is used and described and even who uses the term.
I didn't even realize that a term so commonly used for a technological advance that hasn't been around for that long would even be used before the arrival of these advances. Its interesting that it was used for elderly federal aid. It's crazy how words change so much in meaning and denotation depending on the era.
ReplyDeleteWhen I think of the phrase "social networking" I imagine a newly coined word. I had no idea it has been around for so long! It's interesting to see the evolution of the phrase, and I'm curious as to where it will go in the future. Not many phrases change drastically throughout the years so it's cool to know what it used to mean in the past!
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