Communicating via social network sites

Many people have turned to their mobile phones to access social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and many more. Even I have started to use my mobile phone, more regularly, to access these sites. A computer is not always accessible but with your mobile phone you can use social networks anywhere, anytime. By 2012, about 800 million people will access social networks via their mobile phone. This is changing how people communicate with one another on their mobile phones.

Previously, when using your mobile phone, SMSs and mobile phone calls were the only way to communicate but now with access to relatively high speed internet on your mobile phone it makes communicating on social networks much easier. People are using social networks rather than SMSs and mobile phone calls as social networks can offer you so much more. For example, when visiting Facebook, not only can you see the recent updates from your friends but you can also view events for the week ahead. 

Visiting social network sites on your mobile phone can even be cheaper than a phone call, encouraging many to switch to social networks to communicate via their mobile phone. Opera mini, for example, provides a cheap and easy way to access the internet via your mobile phone. Last year, Patricia de Lille complained that South Africa had the highest mobile phone call costs in the world.

Although, mobile phone calls have fallen in South Africa from R1.25 per minute to 89c per minute in March, after an agreement was reached between the cellular operators and ICASA, it is still a price to pay for mobile phone calls. Often information that can be retrieved over the mobile phone can be accessed via social network sites, encouraging more people to use social network sites to communicate with people. 

With the mobile phone you can browse on the go and accessing social networks can be easily checked while standing in a queue or waiting for the local news to come on television. When accessing social networks on your mobile phone it provides you with instant information when needed. For, example after meeting someone it is easy to browse your social network sites to find out more about that person.

People no longer use their mobile phones specifically to SMS or make calls; mobile users are now accessing social network sites to find all the information they need faster and more efficiently than before.

Thanks to IK's World Trip for the pic. Follow IK's World Trip's photostream for more images.