Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

September 5, 2008 10:49:09 PM CDT

Learn about Newser Points »

« Back to the grid | Next story »

Online Social Networks Redefine 'Friends'

Posted May 23, 08 11:00 AM CDT in Technology 

(Newser) – Online social networks such as Facebook and MySpace have altered the meaning of friendship, writes Steven Levy in The Washington Post. Instead of genuine chums, people are collecting hundreds and even thousands of friends without any real-world contact. When it comes to rejecting friend requests, "it's socially awkward, and very hard to draw the line," says one researcher.

Facebook limits one's friend count to 5,000, infuriating some users, though celebrities such as Barack Obama and Amy WInehouse can use special pages that allow an unlimited number of "fans." MySpace has no cap—and even non-humans can sign up. The profile of one potato has 2,965 friends. Of course, all this "hand-wringing" belongs to the older generation, writes Levy; young folks seem to have no trouble with it.

Source Washington Post

0 comments | Print E-mail | Digg Seed this on Newsvine Add this link to Del.icio.us StumbleUpon

Related Newser Stories

  • WB Favorites Survive Online

    Sep 2, 08 2:53 PM CDT
    WB Favorites Survive Online Fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer can rejoice: The defunct WB network relaunched last week as an interactive website. TheWB.com features on-demand episodes of its classic teen shows, alongside original programming aimed at the 16- to-34-year-old market, Advertising Age reports. The site also sports "sharing features," including an application that lets users add WB content to their Facebook pages.  More »

  • Baseball Strikes It Rich With Online Content Pitch

    Aug 29, 08 4:03 PM CDT
    Baseball Strikes It Rich With Online Content Pitch Major League Baseball’s full-bore embrace of the internet is paying off for its online service, Jay Yarow writes in BusinessWeek. Most professional sports leagues limit web content for fear of encroaching on TV ratings, but MLB’s Advanced Media allows streaming video of full games, downloadable highlights from every game, and a mountain of stats—nearly all of it accessible on mobile devices. More »

  • Facebook the Movie? It's in the Works

    Aug 28, 08 6:35 PM CDT
    Facebook the Movie? It's in the Works Facebook is going Hollywood, PC World reports. West Wing writer Aaron Sorkin has signed on with Sony to pen a movie about the social networking site’s founding. The movie will probably focus on Mark Zuckerberg’s initial work while at Harvard. But Sorkin may have some research to do first: “My grandmother has more Internet savvy than I do,” the screenwriter quips, “and she's been dead for 33 years.” More »

  • Facebook's Vision Nets 100 Million Users

    Aug 26, 08 5:28 PM CDT
    Facebook's Vision Nets 100 Million Users Facebook has just crossed the 100-million-user plateau, and it’s more notable than when MySpace achieved the feat 2 years ago, Stan Schroeder writes on Mashable. First of all, Facebook says it counts only active users, unlike its rival. But more importantly, Facebook has a vision of how to cater to and expand its user base—and how to make money.
    More »

  • Facebook Getting Aggressive With 'Wall Spam'

    Aug 25, 08 8:07 PM CDT
    Facebook Getting Aggressive With 'Wall Spam' “Wall spam” has gone from minor annoyance to publicity problem for Facebook, and it seems the social-networking giant is getting more aggressive in its attempts to combat it, reports Caroline McCarthy in CNET. Within 2 hours of receiving a spam post yesterday, McCarthy found it had been deleted by Facebook. Until recently, the site has merely been disabling links in suspected messages. More »

This image provided by Facebook shows the social networking site's new look, Wednesday, May 21, 2008.   (AP Photo/Facebook, ho)
This image provided by Facebook shows the social networking site's new look, Wednesday, May 21, 2008.   (AP Photo/Facebook, ho)
This photo photo provided by the Medill News Service shows a Facebook web page seen in Washington, Thursday, Feb. 14, 2008.   (AP Photo/Medill, News Service, Lillian Cunningham)
This image provided by Walt Disney Imagineering shows comedian Don Rickles posing with his "Toy Story " alter ego, Mr. Potato Head.   (AP Photo/Paul Hiffmeyer, Walt Disney Imagineering)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
Our editors also recommend:

Threads (1 of 5)

Tags

Internet  • Facebook  • social networking  • MySpace  • online


Loading...

Premium Articles from HighBeam

Find more articles like this

Today's Most Popular


Other Technology Stories

What is Newser?

2008 Codie Finalist

Newser gives you more news in less time. We search for the best and most important stories all over the web, read them for you, and deliver concise and sharp summaries—along with links to the full text. Newser provides a way to stay on top of an ever-expanding horizon of news and opinion—politics, sports, business, trends, technology, personalities, crimes, and controversies. Newser keeps you not just better informed, but, with our signature graphic interface and smart condensed format, more enjoyably informed.

Learn more »