social networking

noun

The interactions among a group of people who share a common interest (a social network); (sometimes specifically) The use of social contacts to network (pursue career advancement, sales, marketing, electioneering, etc).

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Meanings

nounsocial networking (uncountable)
  1. uncountableThe interactions among a group of people who share a common interest (a social network); (sometimes specifically) The use of social contacts to network (pursue career advancement, sales, marketing, electioneering, etc).
    1. InternetuncountableInteraction with other people via a social network (app or website), involving internet communities.

      Should you spend too much time purchasing and installing social networking software and only have 20 percent of your alumni registered, you are wasting your time and money.

      2008, Don Philabaum, Alumni Online Engagement, →ISBN, page 127
      3 more examples

      As much as possible, avoid the following: • Installing unfamiliar software from shady sources, such as websites you've never heard of or applications posted to forums. • Installing social networking plug-ins.

      2011, Hart-Davis, iMac Portable Genius, →ISBN

      The Internet provides an abundant amount of software to access Twitter broadcasts and many mobile phones contain pre-installed social networking applications on the device; however, in this study, students mainly used the Internet to view tweets.

      2012, Catheryn Cheal, Transformation in Teaching: Social Media Strategies in Higher Education, →ISBN

      These Social Web Applications can be public, such as Delicious, Facebook, Flickr, SWiK, Twitter, and YouTube, or private, such as a locally-installed social networking engine Elgg.

      2015, George Leal Jamil, Handbook of Research on Information Architecture and Management in Modern Organizations, →ISBN
    2. InternetuncountablebusinessSuch activity to network and communicate using shared interests, related skills, or geographical location between consumers and businesses.

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
net-raising

Translations

Finnish verkottuminen, verkottuminen
  • verkottumineninteraction between a group of people
  • verkottuminenuse of social contacts to network
  • verkottuminenuse of Internet communities
Greek κοινωνική δικτύωση
  • κοινωνική δικτύωση (koinonikí diktýosi)use of Internet communities
Polish budowanie relacji, budowanie bazy kontaktów
  • budowanie relacjiinteraction between a group of people
  • budowanie bazy kontaktówuse of social contacts to network
  • korzystanie z mediów społecznościowychuse of Internet communities
Cite this entry
APA

social networking. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/social%20networking

MLA

“social networking.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/social%20networking. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “social networking,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/social%20networking.

Source: social networking on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.