"Interestingly, despite all the talk, the water cooler pronouncements, the breathless media coverage, and the teenage conversation you may have heard at home and in your communities social networking remains an under-examined topic.
What's real? What's true? What's work?
Nobody really knows"

 

This is how the Never Ending Friending - A length research commissioned by MySpace about social networking, begins. In early 2007 MySpace aimed to change that, and went on a quest to explore and understand the social networking users. The results are all gathered in this fascinated 68 PDF Leaflet.

The findings were quite amazing, and proved that the way we are consuming our media has completely changed as of the social networks rise. For an instant, when asking the social network users "What do you do when you have 15 minutes of free time?" the answer was simple: Visit their favorite social networking site. That, among with "talk on the cell-phone" was the most likely activity they'll chose to do, even before watching TV or surf the web generally! If that's not a reason to use 8hands then we really don't know what is.

Users of all ages report their real and virtual worlds need to be synced throughout the day, with each making the other more vivid. One responded even said she hates to go to school if she hasn't been on MySpace the night before, because she feels too "out of the mix". 15% of the social networking users age 14-40 said they're checking their favorite social site first thing in the morning!

The people who are used to blame the "MySpace generation" about living in a "virtual world" with "virtual friends" will be surprised to find out that reality is what social networking users rely on to deepen their existing real-life relationship. 58% of the social networking users said they are using the site in order to "stay in touch with friends", 44% said it is for re-establishing old contact.

Interestingly, taying in touch is actually twice as popular as "meeting new people" is. Other popular activities on social networks are pursuit of fun, self-promotion, finding people with same interests and sharing content.

During the whole research, social networking users consistently report that life with their favorite community is simply better then life without. Three-forth of respondents reported they're never bored on social networks. Roughly half said their social networking experiences have helped them have more fun, made life more interesting, or simply added fun to real life.

To summary the research, social networking became a big part of our lives in so many ways. It's like "the new phone number" as described by Andrew, 19: "Instead of getting someone's phone number, you can just get their MySpace, and communicate with them through there".

There is no doubt about it - social networks simply changed the way we interact with each other, with bands and brands, and with the entire media landscape.