POSSIBILITIES OF USING SOCIAL NETWORKING WEBSITES

Over the latter decade a rapid development of information communication technologies has been going on in various directions. Technological possibilities have increased very significantly (Lamanauskas, 2012). The development of internet and technologies related with it has been extremely fast. A lot of internet service providers have appeared in the market, their number still continues to grow. The internet diaries, social portals, technologies allowing live communication on the internet (Internet Relay Chat, IRC), talk programme Windows Live Messenger (MSN), ICQ forums and other have occurred and are spreading. Thus, today a consumer can create his profile on the internet, can make friends, communicate in the interest groups and so on. It can be stated, that every human being contributes in his own way to the internet and at the same time to ICT development, in general. It is obvious, that together with technological problems also arise social internet problems. Social networking websites are closely related with economical, psychological, educational, valeological and other aspects. There is a shortage of researches grounding socio-educational social network aspects. Research purpose is to ascertain how Lithuanian university students use social net-working websites, how they value them, what opinion they have about various social networking websites, what they know about them. The main research questions are: What social networking websites do students know and use most frequently?; What social networking website functions do students use and why?; Do students like social networking websites and why?; What do students know about how social networking websites use published personal and other type of information?; What is students' attitude to opportunities provided by social networking websites? It has been stated, that the majority of the respondents use the internet a few times a day, besides, more than a half of them visit social networking websites a few times a day as well. Only a small part of the respondents haven‘t created their personal profile in social net-working websites. More than a third of the respondents very favourably value social network-ing websites, they like them. Even those who don‘t like social networking websites, all the same, periodically visit them. It has been asserted, that though the respondents know a lot of social networking websites, the most frequently visited and most popular are three: You Tube, Facebook, Google+. The most important functions are: communication, learning and exchanging information, texting. It is worrying, that only a small part of the respondents know how social networking websites use published and other type of information. Though SNW is an excellent means of communication, a perfect opportunity for finding out various news, for making friends and so on, students are firmly convinced, that communication in virtual space will never substitute direct people‘s relations. Such their position is valued as positive. On the other hand, it is obvious, that educational social networking potential has rather poor expression in students‘ evaluation and it raises a grounded concern.