Encyclopedia of Computer Science and Technology

social sciences and computing 441tation” from an existing member. As further proof that thetechnology is maturing, about 20 percent of adult Internetusers have reported visiting a social networking site in thepast 30 days.CommercializationIndeed, because they are now bringing so many peopletogether, social networking sites have become a very attractiveplatform for online products and businesses. Facebook,for example, is explicitly allowing selected businesses touse the site, in exchange for a portion of the revenue generated.(Even without formal relationships, many sites allowusers to add code enabling third-party services.) Some utilities(often sponsored by advertising) help users make theirprofiles more attractive, while one called MySpacelog servesusers who are anxious to see who is viewing their sites.Looming on the horizon by 2007 was Google, which isreleasing OpenSocial, a set of programming interfaces thatis expected to enable developers to create applications thatwill run on a wide variety of social networking sites.While social networking sites generally want to encourageproducts that can add revenue (and value to users), someadd-on applications can be problematic. In 2006 a site calledStalkerati let users automatically search for a person’s profileson popular social networking sites and consolidate them intoa summary. However, the perhaps unfortunately named sitedwas soon blocked by MySpace and other sites, which citedprivacy and security concerns. These concerns have becomeincreasingly important as networks such as MySpace haveproven attractive to spammers, identity thieves, and sexualpredators. (A 2007 survey by the Pew Internet & AmericanLife Project found that 23 percent of teens on social networkshad felt “scared or uncomfortable” because of an onlineencounter with a stranger. However, that same report showedthat many parents and teens themselves have become awareof potential risks and the need to more carefully managewhere and how information is disclosed.)Social networking is also attracting the attention ofsocial scientists and academics: For example, the Universityof Michigan now has a graduate program in social computing.Meanwhile sociologist Michael Macy of Cornell Universityis directing a multiyear research project, funded bythe National Science Foundation and Microsoft, titled “GettingConnected: Social Science in the Age of Networks.”Note: the term social network is also used to refer to amethod of mathematical and sociological analysis of sociallinks within organizations. Such methods can of course beapplied to the online social networking sites.Further ReadingBaloun, Karel M. Inside FaceBook: Life, Works, and Visions of Greatness.Victoria, B.C., Canada: Trafford, 2007.Facebook. Available online. URL: http://www.facebook.com/.Accessed November 18, 2007.Hupfer, Ryan, Mitch Maxson, and Ryan Williams. MySpace forDummies. Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley, 2007.Lavallee, Andrew. “At Some Schools, Facebook Evolves from TimeWaster to Academic Study.” Wall Street Journal Online, May29, 2007. Available online. URL: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB117917799574302391.html. Accessed November 18, 2007.Lenhart, Amanda, and Mary Madden. “Social Networking Websitesand Teens: An Overview.” Pew Internet & American LifeProject, January 7, 2007. Available online. URL: ttp://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_SNS_Data_Memo_Jan_2007.pdf.Accessed November 18, 2007.———. “Teens, Privacy & Online Social Networks: How TeensManage Their Online Identities and Personal Informationin the Age of MySpace.” Pew Internet & American LifeProject, April 18, 2007. Available online. URL: http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_Teens_Privacy_SNS_Report_Final.pdf. Accessed November 18, 2007.MySpace. Available online. URL: http://www.myspace.com/.Accessed November 18, 2007.Shepherd, Lauren. “Social Networking Breeds Creation of Third-Party Sites.” Associated Press/San Francisco Chronicle, June18, 2007, p. C5.Weber, Larry. Marketing to the Social Web: How Digital CustomerCommunities Build Your Business. Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley, 2007.social sciences and computingBroadly speaking, social scientists study the structure anddynamics of human societies as well as groups of all kinds.Depending on subject matter, the research can fall withinone or more disciplines, for example, anthropology, psychology,economics, geography, history, political science,or sociology. As with other scientific fields, computers havegreatly enhanced and expanded the ability to carry out,analyze, and communicate research findings.ApplicationsSocial scientists can use a variety of software throughoutthe research process. For example, researchers might usethe following:• Web and bibliographical search tools to find existingresearch on their topic• note-taking and concept-diagramming (“mind-mapping”)software• software to conduct polls or surveys and compile theresults• social networking analysis to better understand agroup’s structure and dynamics• statistical analysis tools to analyze the findings (seestatistics and computing)• map-based systems for studying geographical aspects(see geographical information systems)• modeling software to simulate the mechanism beingstudied, using mathematical techniques such as theMonte Carlo and Markov-Chain methodsGames and virtual worlds in particular are being usedin innovative ways. Games such as the classic SimCity orthe “social simulator” The Sims can be used to help studentsunderstand and experiment with economic and socialdynamics. However, virtual worlds can also be studied intheir own right—for example Tufts University researchersNina Fefferman and Eric Lofgren have written a paperdescribing how the spread of a “virtual plague” in Second