A comparison of information seeking using search engines and social networks, India

The World Wide Web (WWW) has become an important information repository; often it is the first source a person turns to with an information need. One common way to search the World Wide Web (WWW) is with a search engine. However, it is not always easy for people to find what they are looking for with keyword search, and at times the desired information may not be readily available online. An alternative, facilitated by the rise of social media, is to pose a question to one's online social network. In this paper, we explore the pros and cons of using a social networking tool to fill an information need, as compared with a search engine.