Social Networks such as MySpace are great cases of study as they provide evidence of something that our readings highlight: Great success gathering users and web traffic doesn’t necessarily mean economic revenue and business sustainability in the long run.
Social networks face a contradiction here. In order to be successful and became powerful networks they need to facilitate online access to a vast mass of people. Connecting users and facilitating interpersonal communication is the core of their networks. However, users are not willing to pay for Internet services and take for granted the benefits online networks provide.
As Napoli (2011) points out technology innovators “frequently take advantage of the interactivity inherent in the new media environment to produce audience information systems that move beyond the traditional exposure metrics that have long held the dominant position in the audience market.” (p. 88)
I believe this is the case of social networks. They provide a new audience information system that allows them to dominate public conversation. However, the challenges consist on transforming that network power into a sustainable business model without affecting people’s privacy and independence within the network.
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