Has Social Networking Become the New Hanging Out at the Mall?

Submitted by wadeinni

TC Relationships

Is it just me or does it seem like half my friends spend way too much time on social networks. Perhaps yours does too? My question is, has social networking replaced hanging out at the malls?

There's so many of them now its hard to keep track. The big daddy of them all of course is Facebook. In only a few years it's managed to attract just about everybody and their mother (literally speaking) in one big online playroom.

Remember not too long ago teens and college students pretty much lived by cellphones and text messaging, with the occasional visits to the mall, bowling alley, or skating rink. Now social networking has exploded with Myspace, Xanga, Hi5, and Myyearbook. Thats nothing compared to what has become Facebook and Twitter, (the jury's still out on teens and college students with Twitter use though).

If I don't wake up to a daily post on my comments wall, it just doesn't feel normal, or knowing every useless detail of what my friends are currently doing just feels irritating but so commonplace at the same time.

Its strange but most young people spend most of their days on social networks texting, emailing, and dropping comments on walls, even sneaking time in while they're in school. They prefer to text over making phone calls now, and even do frequent updates using cellphones over PC's.

Its a runaway train with enormous momentum. Its also clear the new phenomenon of 24 hour connectivity to friends and family is hear to stay, and has become the cyber version of hanging out at the mall all day.