By Audrey Bailey and Meredith Boyd
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In light of the destruction caused by the earthquake in Haiti, senior Hayden Urbanus and his band, The Gnashers, decided they wanted to do something to help, so they created a Facebook group promising to donate one penny to Haiti relief efforts for every person who joined. They also used the group to promote a Haiti relief concert. Soon the group accumulated over 25,500 members, and the number continues to grow

“We thought it would be a good way to help and do what we like to do,” Urbanus said. The Gnashers’ use of Facebook to promote its band and raise money for a cause is just one example of how social networking sites, an idea that has only been around for a little more than 10 years, have become so prevalent in society today.

Social networking not only offers ways for people to keep in touch but also allows for fans to follow celebrities, clubs to organize events, people to play games and charities to promote their causes. According to Debra Lesjak, Facebook user and business teacher, even many businesses utilize these sites to reach and attract new customers.

“Social networking sites allow businesses to tailor advertising to the customer in quick messages,” she said via e-mail.

According to the Journal of Computer Mediated Communication, a Web site that publishes scholarly articles about technology-based communication, the idea of a social networking site began with a Web site called SixDegree.com in 1997. The site quickly fizzled out in 2000, but similar Web sites appeared and the idea soon became mainstream. Now, according to Pew Research Center, 55 percent of teens who use the Internet use social networking sites and 4 percent say they check these sites daily or more.

Lesjak said she believes “social networking definitely has arrived,” but also said teens need to be careful of what they post on these sites remembering that it is all public information.