Is Social Networking Common Practice?

Social networking has literally saved lives. Remember the man who was whisked off to prison in a foreign country and had just enough time to send out a message on twitter from his cell phone? That act of microblogging essentially saved him from an open-ended stint in a foreign prison.

This story received press coverage and acclaim on mainstream media and in the blogosphere alike.

Apparently, popular culture was not paying attention. A MediaPost Publication released this morning quotes that 58 percent of the general population does not know what social networking is. How exactly is this possible?

The article goes on to say that over one-third of those who are engaging in social networking say it is losing its luster, and they are subsequently losing interest. Most other studies, reports and predictions hail that social networking is still an up-and-coming forum that holds amazing marketing possibilities. So who should we believe? Marketers or the public?

Is social networking destined for greatness and mass adoption or join the ranks of outdated fads before it?