According to online research firm HitWise, “For the first time in three years, searches for ‘craigslist’ surpassed ‘myspace,’ highlighting the increasing popularity of online classifieds during the economic downturn.”
The reason for the news is obvious. People are looking for work. The trend represented by the second part of the data may not be so plain. Social networking may hold less attraction for participants as the recession deepens. It takes up precious time.
The first drawback to social networking in the current environment is that people who have lost jobs have to put that on their MySpace or Facebook pages or, alternatively, they can deceive their “friends”. The etiquette rules of social networking include that lying about one’s personal life debases the honesty that is supposed to be one of the foundations of the system’s openness.
The other trouble that social networking may face is that many people view it at a hobby at best and a frivolous waste of time at worst. Being frivolous is not a part of the new recession ethos. This is serious business. Online friends are not, in most cases, hiring their pals. Its time to spend the day on Monster.com.
Douglas A. McIntyre
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