Social Networking Report
Next generation of social networking report calls for industry to address key challenges
- Demand for simplified privacy controls
- Need for greater protection of data to store the nation’s memories
- Copyright laws need to be updated to open up access to public information
A new report commissioned by brightsolid, the online innovation business and owner of Friends Reunited, reveals the extent to which social media will transform our lives in the future, from how we communicate and interact with friends and family to how organisations build relationships. But with this reliance on social media will come challenges, as privacy issues and the need to preserve our digital footprint become ever more important.
Growth of social networking
The report conducted by Global Futures & Foresight takes a look at the next generation of social networks, how quickly technology will need to advance in support of them and the challenges they will face along the way. Social networking has become so embedded in our lives that in May, 2010, for the first time in the UK, there was more traffic across these networks than searches on the internet1. As much as two thirds of Britons already use social networks more than face to face contact to keep in touch with friends and family2. Social networking accounts for 23% of total time spent on the internet3 and people are increasingly sharing more about their lives online than ever before.
Chris Van der Kuyl, CEO brightsolid, comments: “The changes that we’ve seen so far in the way we communicate are just the start, as this report highlights. It’s becoming the norm for people to record their lives online, but social networking sites have been criticised for how poorly users’ privacy is controlled. Individuals need to take control of their own privacy and social networks need to make it easier for users to understand what they’re exposing and to whom.”
Preserving our digital footprints
As we share more of our lives online, there is a huge challenge to digitally store this personal information for future generations. The success, or failure, of individual social networking sites will rest on their ability, not just to serve the here and now but, to store and protect memories and to enable users to move as freely through the past as the present.
Chris Van der Kuyl, CEO brightsolid comments further: “There is a danger that precious memories will be lost forever if we do not take steps to protect our personal history. Today’s social networks are anarchic and have not been built for the long term. That’s fine if people are living in the moment but there comes a point when an event transcends from the here and now into something they may want to look back on. We need to protect our data for longevity or we’re in real danger of becoming the lost generation.
“At brightsolid we have been at the heart of this drive to protect the nation’s history through our leading genealogy businesses findmypast.co.uk and genesreunited.co.uk. In May, we also announced a ten year project with the British Library to digitise up to 40 million pages of historic newspapers. As part of this project we’re collaborating with publishers and rightsholders to help them take full advantage of the revolution in digital technology. But we could all make more of these opportunities to digitise the nation’s history if copyright laws were updated.”
David Smith, CEO Global Futures and Foresight, comments: “Our interconnectedness is truly global and at the same time we wish to develop and preserve our connections with our friends and family and also with our history. This report raises some of the exciting opportunities and key challenges that social networks will face through the expanding use of technology. The Government is also beginning to realise the power of social media, it is at the heart of the coalition’s “Big Society”, to enable like-minded individuals to act collectively to bring about change.”
