Couchsurfing- the reversed social network

Within recent years there has been a huge increase in the number of networking community websites on the internet. I discussed this topic in my previous blog, looking at the information increase due to the internet and also the niche markets which have become more prevalent and, more importantly, more accommodated through the phenomenon. In this week’s blog I plan on discussing this idea further by looking at the effect that such online networking and online communities can have on the physical world. An example of the virtual communities’ effects on the physical world can be seen through the website or social network- whichever you would prefer to call it – Couchsurfing.com.

Couchsurfing is a unique online network which has taken the virtual community and created a physical network, in which participants of the network can find like minded individuals through the website and end up crashing on their couch for a night or a few nights, as a form of accommodation when travelling intrastate, interstate or even internationally. Rather than the other regular networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace, where you would mostly only network with individuals you have at some point physically met in your life first before adding them as a contact to your profile before continuing contact through the use of the internet, Couchsurfing has really just reversed the direction of the relationship and has created a networking platform where strangers are given the opportunity to communicate electronically first before meeting physically later.

As a traveller myself, I have met a number of people who have taken the opportunity to use Couchsurfing and thoroughly recommend it, as well as have friends who are currently couchsurfing their way around the world. When I discussed the process with my mate Andy, a fellow Aussie currently couchsurfing around the USA and now South America, he made the comment, “it’s really all about good karma” (2008). I believe this comment really captures the essence of networking websites such as Couchsurfing, which are connecting individuals and cultures all around the world, daily. It highlights the fact that while the internet was previously seen as a new technology merely for the dissemination of information on a wide scale, the internet has now become its own very powerful networking tool to aid not only individuals in their quest for free accommodation, and businesses alike, but also international relations and education in a sense.

Another huge difference with a networking site such as Couchsurfing is also the trust that is involved for both parties. This trust not only involves the two contributing parties themselves, but also the rest of the social network, as once the safety of the network is compromised, so too is the success of the whole network. However this is also one of the main reasons as to why Couchsurfing and similar social networks are so successful and not only that but are also assets to the global community, promoting international relations. With such online sites linking strangers all over the world, it seems the global community is shrinking in size. Through the relationships established via online networking facilities, I believe it is fair to say that the internet and online networking sites are having a positive effect on the global community and may even one day have greater impact on international relations, even though this may just be my very optimistic world view.

References:
Andrew Balzat, April 2, 2008.