Social Networking

Fundamentally, what social networking does for Corporate America is make companies appear more shoulder to shoulder with their customers. Long have companies attempted to influence and exploit the most effective marketing technique in existence, mouth to mouth. The positive review of a friend or family member is by any measure far more effective than multi-million dollar marketing campaigns and the like. With Social
Networking companies are quite nearly allowed into the social circle of people, acting as a "Corporate" Buddy that may provide them advice and information about their products. By aligning themselves shoulder to shoulder with their current and potential customers, companies get more voice, and more power over tweaking their products to their customers needs and zooming in on potential markets they have yet to establish themselves in. In return to the consumer, companies have to become more honest and transparent, as the vitriolic rant of someone in California, through twitter or Facebook now can be painfully heard by a New Yorker or a Bostonian. The barriers to true and reliable information about products have been lifted, and like a sprawling city that booms after its
transportation systems are modernized, the democratization and increased fluidity of information are both to bolster profits for Corporate America, and increase the general satisfaction with the products customers choose to purchase.
In regards to a potential "Dark Side" as far as I'm concerned there is no dark side. The decreased viscosity of information is to benefit everyone universally. Though it does not exist already, there is one potential dark side however anything like it has yet to become a serious threat. One can reckon it to the fears of the Federal Government during the dawning of the United States. The Age old Argument, the States vs. the Federal Govt. Wildly fearful of a central govt turning itself into a monarchy like our British brethren across the sea the founding fathers created the Articles of Confederation, but they quickly realized it created a Federal Govt. too weak to do anything. In the vast sea of information available to each one of us now lies a threat very similar to the age old States vs. Federal Govt powers. Though the democratization of information is good, social networking cannot be manipulated. One central entity cannot reign control over twitter and Facebook, or exploit information such as our GPS locations, the names of close families and relatives and our addresses. By posting our information freely, we also increase our vulnerability to "Central Entities" that may "watch us" and invade our privacy, though actions are rarely seen with "watching" (I'm referring to Google for example, knowing your schedule your contacts, your emails, even Buzz, social networking) the idea that someone may be watching all of our activities on Twitter and Facebook is discomforting. However, despite this ominous possibility, people will always voice their opinions, and if one day the possibility that the Govt. or other entities may seek to seriously exploit social networking, the public backlash would be severe enough to tame the threat.