In this blog post, we will summarize the concept of SNS, its background, and its main advantages and types.

Background and Definition

Around 2010, new types of services such as Facebook and Twitter began to be widely used in Korea. According to one statistic, the number of Facebook users in Korea exceeded 8.8 million, accounting for approximately 18% of the population. In particular, as usage rates among people in their 20s—including college students—have risen, the number of users continues to grow. Various social networking services are in operation worldwide, with Facebook and Twitter being particularly well-known. In Korea, Cyworld enjoyed popularity starting in the 1990s, while Japan had services like Mixi and Gree. In addition, platforms such as LinkedIn and MySpace are also operated globally.
The term “Social Network” in SNS refers to a social network. A social network is a network composed of relationships between individuals or groups. Individuals may possess attributes such as gender, age, place of residence, and occupation, while groups may have characteristics such as the number of members or size. In terms of relationships, there are interpersonal relationships—such as those between family, friends, and coworkers—as well as relationships between individuals and groups, such as clubs or companies.
In the fields of mathematics, statistics, and computer science, social networks are mathematically modeled and analyzed using graph theory and other methods. Computer science has digitized and concretized these networks, and it was on the basis of these digitized social networks that Social Network Services emerged.
SNS is a service that provides various functions by creating a database of the various attributes possessed by the members of social networks, which were once abstract concepts. Based on information entered or shared by users (such as country, alma mater, workplace, hometown, place of residence, and hobbies), users with common attributes are grouped, and these networks formed by various attributes overlap to create the overall social network. For example, operating a large-scale SNS requires numerous servers and data centers; according to external estimates, major platforms are believed to operate tens of thousands of servers.

Key Advantages of Social Media

First, content-based communication enables faster and more accurate information dissemination. Content posted in cyberspace has a 1:N reach, allowing it to be quickly delivered to many people simultaneously. While newspapers and broadcasts also have a 1:N reach, social media facilitates even faster dissemination through personal networks, spreading rapidly not only across an individual’s social network but also throughout the entire network.
Second, social media makes it easy to communicate with people in one’s social circle. The immediate and rapid dissemination of social media enables quick responses, and the widespread adoption of smartphones has further enhanced this immediacy. With access available anytime and anywhere via smartphones, people communicate more frequently with a wider range of people, and it has become easier to maintain relationships with those who might otherwise have been forgotten. This helps prevent users’ social networks from easily disintegrating.
Third, social media analyzes user-generated content to generate useful information. By identifying the interests of a group through the posts its members share, the platform can infer trends within that group. The service then provides personalized information to each individual based on these interests. For example, if a piece of content receives many “likes” or comments, the platform uses filtering to highlight that content on the user’s timeline, effectively curating useful information.
Fourth, social media is conducive to marketing that utilizes personalized information delivery, known as social media marketing. Social media marketing is fundamentally similar to word-of-mouth. Content posted by a user is shared with people in their social network, and as those people in turn share it with their own networks, it spreads rapidly. It tends to be more trustworthy and faster in delivery than traditional mass media advertising, and this process of rapid dissemination is called viral marketing.

Differences in Types and Functions of Social Media

The features offered by social media vary depending on the type of service. Broadly, they can be classified into three categories: closed-loop social media, open-loop social media, and microblogs. Microblogs are a type of open-loop social media characterized by character limits. The key distinction between closed-loop and open-loop social media is whether communication with anonymous users is permitted.
Closed-network social media focuses on strengthening relationships with existing connections built through offline social networks. Since sharing posts often requires mutual friend requests, users can connect only with those they choose. Additionally, users can control the visibility of their content by grouping friends to select sharing circles. Examples of this type include Cyworld and platforms with certain features designed to be closed-network.
Conversely, open social networks are designed to facilitate the easy expansion of social networks. Content posted by anonymous users can be easily discovered through search, making it simple to establish new connections. While closed networks primarily assume two-way relationships (mutual friends), open networks often allow for one-way follows or subscriptions, meaning users do not necessarily need to be included in the other person’s network. Services like blogs and MySpace are examples of open networks.
Microblogs limit shared content to short sentences, making information transmission faster. Because they consist of short messages, they are simple to use, and since sharing content via links is common, information can be transmitted immediately without further processing. Another characteristic is that content is easy to search for using keywords or tags. Representative examples include Twitter and some domestic services.

Conclusion

In summary, SNS is a service that digitizes social networks to provide users with various functions. It facilitates rapid information delivery and easy communication, offers personalized information through content analysis, and enables marketing based on this data. While functions and purposes vary depending on the type—such as closed, open, or microblogging—all SNS platforms have had a significant impact by expanding the speed and scope of information delivery.