Man is a social animal. This has been true for thousands of years. Regardless of the progress made by mankind over generations which now allow people to live quite comfortably on their own, people continue to crave the company of others. For this reason, there have always been places where people could socialize.

It could be a pub or a tavern, or maybe the weekly gathering at a church. People have always found such avenues to satisfy their social craving. However in the modern world as people get busier and busier, they often find it difficult to get time to socialize as much as before.

People do not have time to visit an old friend or relative. Yet the desire for their company remains the same.  People also wish to meet new people and make new friends. But where is the time for all this in today’s hectic world? Social networking it seems is the answer to this great need. Social networking websites such as Facebook and MySpace have proved to be wildly popular and has taken the world by a storm.

Now people socialize from the comfort of their homes and offices. You no longer need to travel great distances to catch up with old acquaintances. All you need is a laptop with an internet connection and maybe a webcam. You no longer need to find time exclusively for socialization.

You can talk to your friends online in between checking your work mail. This has huge effects on society. The social networking phenomenon has essentially rewritten the rules of society. It has blurred the usual distinctions between countries and region, keeping everybody connected.

The world which was once vast has now turned into a global village with the only citizenship needed an internet connection. Society has truly gone online.