International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Vol. 4 No. 4 [Special Issue – February 2014] 46 Usage of Social Networking Sites and Technological Impact on the Interaction- Enabling Features Abdullah Ali Alassiri Mariah Binti Muda Rahmat Bin Ghazali Faculty of Mass Communication and Media Study University Technology MARA (UiTM) 40450, Shah Alam Selangor, Malaysia Ubani Charles Ahamefula 2 School of Applied Physics Faculty of Science and Technology National University of Malaysia (UKM) 43600 Bangi Selangor D.E Malaysia Abstract Technology mediated social networking site conveniently allows its users to communicate, develop and maintain friendships. The usage pattern of social networking consumes time and exposes users profile information to online threat. Increasing security concern necessitate for a study especially as the population of the mostly used online social networking site has rapidly increased to about 4.545 billion users spending an average time of 2 hours 43 seconds daily. The technological impact of social networking site reviewed focuses onthe information used for communication, interaction and to socialize with other users. The study highlighted alternative pathway to circumvent online security risks. Key Words: Social networking, Communication, Interaction, Online, User’s information. 1. Introduction People around the world are rapidly integrating victual form of communication in their everyday lives (Haythornthwaite and Kendall, 2010). Specifically, social networking sites users consistently log online to communicate and interact with other users. The convenience of the networks is technology-mediated unlike the social communities found in the physical world that requires face-to-face contact. Digital social networking site are operated and confines with the internet (Boase and Wellman, 2006). The rapid growth of online network is transforming interpersonal relationships with a shift to the digital world (Buffardi and Campbell, 2008; Putnam, 2000) changing landscape of social communities from the physical to the digital realm and developing contrasting views in cultivating and maintaining online social connectedness that befits face-to-face relationships (Putnam, 2000; Ellison et al., 2005). However, media networking site affects social, emotional and cognitive development of youth accounting for a large portion of their time (Roberts and Dunbar, 2010). Among the online application that has grown rapidly in prevalence and popularity in recent years such as Facebook, MySpace, Friendster, LiveJournal, and Bebo, are Internet-based and allows users to post profile information, such as their name and photograph (Peluchette and Karl, 2010). Sending public and private online messages as well as sharing photos online while communicating with other users exposes their personal information to unknown users. The rapid growth of online social networking site represents an alternative communication platform that necessitate for further research (Fox et al., 2007). Social networking dominant all form of communication over the internet.