Communication has progressed ever since its conception in society. During the infancy stages of communication, the telephone was considered a legendary invention. Decades later, mobile phones took human connectivity to another level. With the Internet boom starting to peak, instant messaging (or IM as it is popularly known) took the web-users by storm. And just when everyone started believing that connectivity couldn't get any better, the Web-pundits unveiled another ace called Social networking. Today the Web is brimming with Social Networking Sites (SNS) which allow Internet users to connect with other net-savvy individuals across the world. Sites like Facebook, Orkut, MySpace and Hi5 have become platforms to initiate new alliances and rebuild old friendships. Social networking has not just rewritten the rules of socialisation, but also triggered a new interest into people to stay connected. The youth, in particular, loves the wonder-world of social networking. It's ultra C - cool, convenient and costless.

Apart from the ultra C's, the most enticing facet (and asset) of social-networking sites is the opportunity they provide to reconnect with old-time peers.

Brett Shaw of the Australian International School certainly swears by the above statement. ÒThat's the foremost aim of every social networking website.'

Roha Daud, a student at the Cambridge School, Dubai offers a more intelligent PoV. ÒI am guessing social networks help us communicate hence developing our communicating skills. Other than that, I feel it's important to be a part of a social network in this generation. Computers have become such an important medium of communication because of its user-friendly nature, thus attracting many youngsters into joining a social network. Social Networks help us catch up with new things happening in our society and on what track we're on. Discussion threads and Forums play a vital role in letting others know how you feel about a certain issue and it makes you aware of what others think about it. Other than that, people who want to make new friends or mates can use Social Networks.' Clearly the benefits of joining a social network are good and many. How else would someone explain the booming bubble of social networks on the Web? Amongst the several SNS, the ones calling the shots are Facebook, Orkut, Friendster, Tagged, Bebo and Hi5.

Afiqah Farhana, 14, is a fan of Friendster. ÒBecause it's simple and it's easy to use. Mostly, all of my childhood friends and relatives are using it back home in Singapore. I don't really use Facebook because there are too many applications and that just annoys me sometimes.'

One brickbat, however, isn't enough to beat the addicts of Facebook. Kawar Singh, a class 12 pupil of the Universal American School is one of its die-hard loyalists. He opines that Facebook is far more secure and user-friendly than its other competitors.' The social utility has an active user-base of nearly 60 million, and has weekly growth rate of 3 percent since January 2007. In comparison to other top social networks, Facebook rules the roost on the Web in the UAE. The most apparent reason for this favoritism stems from the perks Facebook offers to its users

Hasleen Kaur from Dubai Scholars gives proof. ÒI feel it is better and more enjoyable. Facebook has many applications and groups that people can join and keep themselves busy with and even have fun answering different types of quizzes. They can even play games and chat. You can send gifts to your friends on their birthdays and other occasions. You can even adopt pets in Facebook which is quite different. Facebook also gives you more privacy than any other sites and is safer and you always find something new in Facebook every time you login.'

Now, which social utility can offer you so much in a single package and still keep getting better? That's exactly the emotion being echoed about Facebook by the UAE Gen-X.

UAE's net-savvy youth is sidelining other major networks because of lack of access and awareness. 

Abdeali Taheri, a grade 10 student at the Dubai Scholars isn't amused by the popularity of Facebook in the UAE. ÒIt is one of the social networks which can be easily accessed and besides, every single person in and outside your social circle is there.'

Azin Alipour of Grade 9 from Al Mawakeb School is yet another Facebook-fanatic. In her opinion, Facebook finds mass preference because of the privacy and security tabs available on the website. In all fairness, Facebook does deserve brownie points for ensuring user-privacy at all times. Not many social networks deliver such promises, and if they do, most of them are half-measures. But even if the leash is tightened, is social networking really 100 percent safe business?

Mishka Hassam, 14, says, ÒIt really depends on which site you are using, all the privacy settings are different on all social networking sites.' True, that! Over the last year or so, social networks such as Orkut and others have faced public bullets for their open-for-all nature. Even internet-watchers and critics have not shied away from participating in the blame-and-slam game. Brett finds that there's still room for more measures to be implemented to control privacy-invasion on the Web. ÒSocial networks need to stop the troubling trend of people creating fake profiles on these websites.'

The phenomenon of sham identities on the Web is not a recent one. Youngsters all over have incidents to narrate wherein they have been foxed by individuals' fake profiles on SNS.

Kawar makes an interesting narration. ÒI once received a private message from a guy who had the same name as mine. In the message he wrote 'join the Kawar family'. I was taken aback as I did not know who the sender was'.

Messages, scrap entries, wall-posts from the unknown and anonymous often annoy many of us. But we are left with no option but to deal with it. However, every fancy trend has a dark side to it, social networking is no elision. Zainab Husain, from Grammar School considers privacy and its maintenance to be an individualistic issue. ÒIf each one of us keeps control over the content we post on our profiles, I don't think there would as many problems then.' Perhaps, Zainab is talking right. Most often it has been observed that users post all the news about their lives via pictures, videos and  notes. With so much personal fodder on display, it is but obvious a reason to invite troublesome attention. Ismail Abbas, 18, an ex-student of the Arab Unity School finds that everything popular does have side-effects, too. ÒSocial networking is good, but that doesn't mean we narrow down our social life to these websites. Surely these websites are good connecting tools, but the fun of meeting friends in person is much better.'

Certainly agree on that, dude! It cannot be denied that perhaps the addiction of social networking has reduced many of us to mere 'keyboard kommunicators'. And the youth and researchers seem quite cool about this transformation. A number of surveys and studies conducted in the last two years or so find that social networking websites are the reality television of the Internet. Over the last year, social networking has become a global phenomenon. Most social networks began as university networks and then gradually snowballed into becoming a worldwide rage.  Research indicates social networking has grown nearly 47 percent in the last on year. The most apparent cause of social networking's fame is that it helps in establishing an identity. In fact social networking has grown into an industry and is seen a valuable marketplace. Says Roha, ÒThere is no extent to how far people can go in these websites. These websites help young people serve as a platform for showcasing their talents through audio or video, many websites help unsigned talented people gain attention of big record and media companies. The first artist that comes to my mind on this topic is ÒSolja Boy' whose first show casted his globally hit ÒCrank Dat' Song on YouTube from where he gained the attention of Super Producer ÒMr Collipark' who later signed him on his Record label and look at him now, he's gained fame and fortune and he's living in his mansion and we're just sitting here thinking 'how did he do it'.' Now, that's definitely factoid not many of us knew.

Orkut, Facebook, Hi5, MySpace, whatever your choice may be, social networks have altered the definition and manner of 'keeping in touch'. Whether it's connecting with old-time or newbie friends, or expanding professional prospects, or just to be called a part of the craze, social networking is a trend that's not going out of vogue unless something more innovative comes knocking at the door. Until then ... happy walling and scrapping!