Remember those days long, long ago (or, you know, about five years back), when friends and loved ones used to pay each other personal visits, write each other letters and even chat on the (corded!) telephone? These seemingly antiquated rituals used to be treasured quality time with family and loved ones, and sadly, they are becoming all but extinct in the face of lightening fast technology and computer hardware. With the advent of snazzy social networks that instantly link strangers from across the globe, it’s difficult to imagine an old fashioned chat on the phone with an uncle or grandparent on a lazy weekend afternoon these days. In fact, people today rarely have any lazy or free time to spare, because everyone is constantly plugged into new technology and enamored with advances in computer hardware like BlackBerrys, iphones, and tiny notebook laptops.

If there’s only technical advancement that’s taken a stronghold on our entire society, it’s the social network. What began as a neat way to share photos with long distance loved ones has become a multibillion dollar a year industry and a hub for advertising, business connections and a force behind a global, 24/7 economy and news cycle. Not too long ago, MySpace and Facebook were mere infants, and few people even used the tools. Those who did, engaged with friends, tried to make a love connection – or listened to music on their own personal time, from their clunky desktop computers. These days, companies are hiring “Social Media Managers” and are employing entire teams to manage their social networking among clients and customers.

If a college graduate includes social media experience and success on a resume, the job is likely theirs for the taking. Just a few years ago, students would never dream of including such things on their list of credentials – but with the boom of social sites, those skills are now coveted in the workforce, and in fact make a job candidate a hot commodity. To boot, anyone can conduct business or engage customers anywhere, as long as they have computer hardware in their pockets!