The evolution of internet technology and subsequent increase in the use of online social networking applications have been undeniably considered as a milestone in the web history. Recent advances in web science allow users to create websites, manage their identities and stay connected with others, providing comprehensive digital traces of social actions, interactions and transactions. With its profound impact on our daily lives, social media has become the most important conduit for brands to build loyalty, empowering the consumers with a wealth of information at finger tips. No doubt, online social networks have revolutionized the practice of interaction among the researchers, who demand new methods and tools for collecting, processing and mining the data. Being a bundle of techniques and technologies, these networks are really an extensive attempt to promote the researchers to render the ideas of communication, collaboration and collection. Such networking resources help us in developing collaboration among different organizations, universities around the world by exploring the benefits of research activities and also by extending the promotion of academics. Organizations find it an advantage for reaching a  large pool of potential consumers with less time and effort. Now, with the effective display of  online web based tools, collaborative working ambience is the need of the hour, for any academic institution, for enhancing the productivity and for promoting the results. However, this type of socializing has raised concerns about the privacy and security of internet users. The present paper briefly discusses the task of social media in research and academics, the various networking resources  and tools and also their impacts on researchers and students.  

Keywords: Internet Technology, Social networks, Social media, researchers, academics, online