第六次作业：The Social Network Service is Booming（by 1048307 章含芳）

A ‘storm’ called ‘Gangnam Style’ has swept across the world. How this South Korean song, with its comical horse-riding, could manage to overwhelm the world? In my humble opinion, it is the power of Social Network Service that helps.

According to the definition in Wikipedia, Social Network Service is an online service, platform, or site that focuses on facilitating the building of social networks or social relations among people who, for example, share interests, activities, backgrounds, or real-life connections.

Facebook, serving as a perfect example of the rapid development and magnificent power of social websites, had over one billion active users in September 2012. And another world-renowned social network service is Twitter. It becomes internationally identifiable by its signature bird logo, with a slogan of “Share and discover what's happening right now, anywhere in the world!”

In spite of the astonishing popularity of Facebook and Twitter, they have already been blocked in several countries. Take China for example, Chinese mainland users will permanently have no access to the Twitter official website. The reason lies in the fact that Twitter doesn’t restrict uploading of contents bearing violence, ***ography, malicious libel, slander, and views against the Chinese government. Facebook has met with controversies, too. I have even read an article titled “More Than Top 10 Reasons You Should Quit Facebook”. In it, the author describes Facebook as a bully who pulls a classic bait-and-switch, condemns its deficiency in protecting users’ privacy, and criticizes its incredible difficulty in truly deleting one’s account.

Now that Chinese can’t visit Facebook or Twitter, let us jump to the embrace of Qzone, RenRen and Weibo, which functioning as the top three of Social Network Sites in China.

Qzone permits users to write blogs, keep diaries, send photos, and listen to music. Besides, users can set their Qzone background and select accessories based on their preferences. Compared with Qzone, RenRen finds more favor in people’s eyes, especially the college students. It is reported that nearly one third of netizens are RenRen users. In their eyes, it serves as a platform in which they show and express themselves as well as a database in which they share knowledge and information. With its help, people find friends even those who have been out of touch for a long time. What’s more, its real-name registration system enhances the sense of reality. When it comes to Weibo, there is an equation which can vividly describe its functions: Weibo = Twitter + Facebook + YouTube + News. Besides, Weibo takes the fancy of common people as well as stars and celebrities.

All I want to say is that the Social Network Service is booming. And actually, it is a reality, not a choice.