Facebook has unquestionably revolutionized the way we communicate. It has expanded exponentially in the almost six years of its existence, and now has over 350 million users.

Unlike the days when Facebook’s fan base was predominantly confined to the United States, according to its statistics page, 70 percent of its current users actually reside outside of America. The potential that social networks, such as Facebook, have is tremendous. Just think back to the days of Xanga and MySpace, when it was unthinkable that our own parents would ever enter into the realm of social networking. Clearly, the situation has changed.

The most remarkable quality of these social networks, however, is their increasingly evident capacity for the sharing of important information. Twitter had a tremendous role in allowing protesters to communicate back and forth during the June 2009 Iranian election protests. Apart from the actual protesters involved, friends and relatives abroad were able to stay informed thanks to these online networks. This brought more than just consolation that loved ones were okay — it allowed those critical of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Ali Khamenei to coalesce into a truly global opposition force.

Although this is just a snapshot of the kind of possibilities social networking possesses, it appears that sites such as Facebook and Twitter certainly have the ability to harness the power of the people to truly influence governments, domestically and globally. Any notion of empowering the voice of the people frightens authoritarian regimes, such as the one in Iran. The solution from the government was to censor the Internet in order to hinder the protesters’ abilities to disseminate any material.

However strong this newfound power may seem, it is still fragile, and perhaps even illusory. Ultimately, it is the owners of these various companies (and possibly even the government) who exercise full authority. Therein lies the dark side of the world of social networking.

What worries me is maintaining our privacy. How can we balance our impulses to communicate quickly and effortlessly with our need for online security? This has always been the dilemma of technology. How much of our lives can we enmesh with the Internet before it comes around to bite us in the ass? One cannot brush these major concerns aside.

With great power does come great responsibility, and therefore, a balance must be struck. On one hand, companies have to guarantee users that their personal information will not be exploited; on the other, governments and people cannot put so many safeguards on this incredible technology that we smother it in its own tracks.

There is no doubt that digital social networking has worked for our well being. It’s baffling to think how far this power can take us, both in our own homes, and, increasingly, in the public sphere. Never before could people around the world share ideas and knowledge with such speed.

The power is there for us to mold and shape, even at the click of a mouse. So maybe all those hours online weren’t a total waste of time after all.