Social Media

For this assignment I had to discuss my opinions on social media. I discuss the uses for social media, how it has changed, and the benefits and disadvantages of using it. Enjoy!

Social Media (“Social”)

According to Margaret Rouse, social media can be defined as “the collective of online communications channels dedication to community-based input, interaction, content-sharing and collaboration” (2015). Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, LinkedIn, and Twitter are all examples of social media.

Social media is extremely popular and many people use it for a variety of reasons. I tend to use social media for personal uses. I primarily use Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat and enjoy using them to connect with my friends and family. I see most people using social media in this way also. According to Kimberlle Morrison, “social media has changed the way we communicate, gather and share information, and given rise to a connected global society” (2015). Social media makes it very easy for us to communicate and share information with those that we do not see on a regular basis.

However as time has progressed, social media has changed and grew into something more than just a communication tool. As our society becomes more and more technology savy, I see people using social media more for educational and job purposes, rather than personal purposes. Today social media is used for inexpensive marketing, banner and text ad advertising, customer relation management tools, global exposure, and online meeting places (Baker). Social media used to be used primarily for personal use, but now is widely used by companies and businesses. Baker states that “the various ways that social networking is used continues to play a role in the overall profitability of many businesses, both those businesses that are solely online and those that are both online and offline.”

Using social media has many benefits. It allows us to connect with people, as well as promote ourselves. It allows us to create a brand for ourselves for family, friends, employers, and more to see. It can be used to promote ourselves, showcase our work, apply for jobs, networking with businesses, and more. Everything we post on social media represents who we are and is visible for all to see. This is beneficial because it allows us to showcase our brand, however, it can be detrimental. If the brand being promoted on social media is not good or professional, it can potentially prevent you from obtaining jobs. It is very common for employers to view potential employees social media sites, and if they do not like what they see or if they think that we will not represent their company well, then they might disregard our job applications.

Overall, social media is a great tool to use to communicate with others, as well as promote ourselves or businesses, but we always need to think carefully before posting on social media sites because what we post represents our brand.

 

References

Baker, S. (n.d.). What are social networks used for?. In Love to Know. Retrieved April 13, 2016, from http://socialnetworking.lovetoknow.com/What_are_Social_Networks_Used_For

Morrison, K. (2015, May 29). The Evolution of Social Media. In Social Times. Retrieved April 13, 2016, from http://www.adweek.com/socialtimes/the-evolution-of-social-media-infographic/620911

Rouse, M. (2015, May). Social Media. In WhatIs.com. Retrieved April 13, 2016, from http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/social-media

[Social Media]. (n.d.). Retrieved April 13, 2016, from http://www.bp.com/content/dam/bp/images/general/graphics/1-1/social-media.jpg