social networking

noun

: the creation and maintenance of personal and business relationships especially online

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web Pinterest launched more than a decade ago as a digital scrapbooking service with basic social networking features. —

Jesselyn Cook, NBC News, 9 Mar. 2023 Most famously, a lawsuit against Facebook was thrown out in 2021 for failing to show that the company had a monopoly on social networking, though it was later restored and is still pending. —

Casey Newton, The Verge, 25 Jan. 2023 Researchers are also finding depressed individuals use social media excessively to cope with anxiety and other problems, since online social networking can be a less threatening way to communicate with others. —

Brittany Edelmann, Discover Magazine, 27 Oct. 2022 Over the past decade, the rapid development of social networking sites has caused profound changes in the way people communicate and interact. —

Fortune Well, 3 Mar. 2023 Research suggests that time spent on social networking sites is associated with body image issues, self-harm, and disordered eating in children and teens. —

Naledi Ushe, USA TODAY, 21 Oct. 2022 Research suggests that time spent on social networking sites is associated with body image issues, self-harm, and disordered eating in children and teens. —

Naledi Ushe, USA TODAY, 21 Oct. 2022 None of these companies has a financial incentive to change: social networking sites in the United States brought in more than $72 billion dollars last year. —

NBC News, 1 Jan. 2023 Reviews are also bleeding over to social networking sites such as Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. —

Thomas Caldwell, Forbes, 28 Dec. 2022 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'social networking.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1998, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of social networking was in 1998

See more words from the same year

Dictionary Entries Near social networking

social network

social networking

social order

See More Nearby Entries

Cite this Entry

Style

“Social networking.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/social%20networking. Accessed 1 Apr. 2023.

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