Network Laws

After reviewing all of the network laws I would say that I agree most with Reed's Law. Reed's Law claims that the utility of a network that "n" members increases exponentially, or 2^n (2 to the nth power). This Law explains the power of social networks and the various groups that form because of network affiliations. In other words, the more connections you make the more likely you are to be successful. In today's society, social networks and media sites rely on their viewers to gain popularity and power. Without ratings and viewers they have no power, and therefore no way to stay competitive with their competition. The more people that a social network can get to be involved and join as members or users, the more connections they are more likely to make. If a network doesn't have many viewers/users to share their information with then that limits their ability to make connections and relay important information. The reason making connections and striving to grow and expand is so crucial is because this is the most effective way a network advertises themselves. This is the the most sufficient way that advertisers reach out to different businesses and people. Advertising through social media offers the quickest way to reach out to a large number of people as well as doing it in a cost efficient way. If networks don't use their platforms to market themselves and advertise then ultimately it's just a wasted resource. Over time the ways in which people find their information has changed drastically. With the way that technology keeps emerging with advancements it's hard to say that traditional media such as newspapers and articles will ever be the prime source of gathering important information again. Five years from now we'll look at today's top technological products as outdated and probably rarely used. If I could use one world to describe what I feel the future holds for social networks and media it would be "growth". Technology has taken media and society to a whole new level. Before it's all said and done I believe everything will move to electronic and ultimately push society to have a "paperless" philosophy. I believe changes are coming and I think it's coming very soon.