Saturday, 14 December 2013

The Use Of Social Networks In South Africa

By Cornelia White


Social networks provide a platform for people all over the world to communicate easily, share ideas, images, and meet new people among many other things. The users of social networks in South Africa have increased tremendously over the couple of years. This can be attributed to the fact that many people are becoming internet savvy and they want to keep up with the current development in technology.

These social platforms are numerous each having an added advantage to another, all in a bid to meet the different needs of users. To join most of these networks is free though there are some that may require an individual to pay some small fee. The first process to use these media starts with creating an account with them. This can be done so by use of an email or mobile phone number and filling in some personal information among other things.

To access the networks, one can use the computer or a phone, provided the individual has internet. However, there are certain platforms in South Africa that can only be accessed using mobile phones. Such networks are only for chatting requiring a user to enter only his telephone number. The individual can then chat with people in his or her phone book.

However, not all phones can access the mobile social networks. Only those with that are java enabled or having improved features can do this. Apart from java enabled devices, there are specific platforms that now require one to have a specific mobile handset brand. This is because the platform has been only made to allow people with the specific brand to talk and share things.

As mentioned earlier, people share ideas, look for jobs, advertise their business over these platforms. There are specific social systems which are specifically for professionals looking for jobs and wanting to increase their professional circle. This network has gained its popularity in this country due to the fact that one can meet people in similar profession as his in another country and share ideas.

Another great benefit of the platforms is entrepreneurial people have find them a great avenue to advertise their businesses. They do this by posting their goods and services on the systems. They then urge friends to share it among their friends and soon one is able to get a wide base of clients than he would normally have.

However, there a few challenges that have come upon as a result of these platforms in South Africa. One is the fact that many people have been conned over the internet and have ended up losing money and a few their lives. This challenge can however be curbed if users tread carefully over the networks. People must avoid sharing a lot of personal information with strangers while online and avoid meeting people one does not know.

Apart from the fun aspect, people have found a lot of benefits of social networks in South Africa. The fact that persons can send messages and receive replies immediately from people far away is just overwhelming. Internet awareness has also been improved greatly through these systems.




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