SOCIAL NETWORKING

Systems Theory and Social Networking



Systems Theory and Social Networking

Abstract

Systems theory is often applied to various systems in order to find out their impacts on the environment and surrounding objects. Today, researchers use systems theory for evaluating various organizational systems including information systems. The systems theory provides significant help in the investigation and evaluation processes, because this theory not only evaluates the system as a whole but also considers the interdependence and relations of individual components of the system. Therefore, systems theory and its later versions such as social systems theory and living systems theory offer a good framework for evaluating role of latest technologies for organizations (Miller, 1990); for example, the role of social media for community colleges. Over the past few years, use of social media has become an essential part of our everyday life. Among countless other organizations, social media has been increasingly adopted by the community colleges and their students. The ultimate aim of the community colleges' administration while implementing social media technologies, is to strengthen the connections between the college and its stake holders, including the prospective students, donors, and alumni. As it is more logical to evaluate the role of social media on the environment, instead of evaluating the relationship between internal components of the social media system, living systems theory is proposed to be used for evaluation purposes. This paper makes use of systems theory for evaluating the role of social media in the community colleges settings.

Introduction

System theory has been widely used for investigating the interdependence of systems in organizations, where system can be defined as group of interrelated activities or components. According to Von Bertalanffy, systems comprises of the elements that practice some sort of standing relationship (Bertalanffy, 2008). Systems theory applies to a wide array of topics, ranging from mechanics, and biology to social systems. The metaphor of systems theory has been evolving over the period of centuries. For example, during the seventeenth century, the fundamentals of systems theory were related to the physical concepts of inertia, force, power, attraction, space and time. During the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the metaphor of systems theory changed from machine to organism, and organic model was promoted for understanding the society and social systems (Bausch, 2002). The concept of equilibrium and homeostasis were developed in the mid twentieth century, for understanding the systems which interact with their environments.

With the evolvement of social systems, more dynamic models are developed for the social systems during the late twentieth century. For example, process model is developed which deals with the development and interaction of organizations. Living systems theory is developed that focuses on the interaction of system and environment. These theories provide the researchers with more logical framework, in order to understand and evaluate the changing society and social systems.

In the 21st century, the social systems and information systems began to use extensively. The society is now considered as a “Networked Society”. The information and communication technologies have evolved the social fabric and communication ...