The introduction of the internet opened up countless opportunities for users across the world. Internet has become the virtual medium of connecting people closely and in fact supports the real world in many ways. Using internet people find the information that they are looking for quickly and mostly accurately. The studies shows that the internet users are no longer just the onlookers but in fact involve actively on creating online contents without much knowledge of technology. These sorts of contributions on the internet are attributed to ‘Social Media’. In other words, minds and thoughts come together on social media sites and whether it is personal or professional, such interaction brings great satisfaction to the participants.
Definition of Social Media:
Even though there are numerous definitions available to ‘Social Media’, I prefer to adhere to the definition given by Joseph Thornley which is more appropriately describes recent developments of the same. Joseph Thornley put it as:
Social media are online communications in which individuals shift fluidly and flexibly between the role of audience and author. To do this, they use social software that enables anyone without knowledge of coding, to post, comment on, share or mash up content and to form communities around shared interests (Source: http://propr.ca/2008/what-is-social-media/).
Social Media, is it a fad or the biggest shift since the Industrial Revolution? In my opinion, since the evolution of Social Media is still in its early stages, it is neither merely a fad nor the biggest shift since the Industrial Revolution. Let me explain why.
In my view, usage of Social Media by the youngsters is a fad. Even though the young generation is heavily using the Social Media such as Facebook, Twitter, and so on these days, their perception of using these Media are merely a fashion. In other words, the youngsters are directly or indirectly face the peer-pressure to use the Social Media to blog their daily activities and interests, share the photos, etc.
On the other hand, now there are almost all industries pay attention to the Social Media to enhance their business and operations. In fact Social Media has become a great marketing tool for my businesses. They also use the Social Media to connect the employees and inform the latest developments to them within the organization. In addition, Social Media such as LinkedIn and Xing help to establish healthy connections between the like-minded professionals. They share their knowledge, inform the new developments in their area of interests, and even find better career opportunities through these connections.
That said, while Social Media is still a fashion among the young generation, it indeed made some changes in the industries. However, I feel that it is too early to jump and declare that Social Media has made the biggest shift since the Industrial Revolution on the life of ordinary people and the industries as a whole.
I like your point of view because it is different than mine. I like how you said social media is a fad among the younger generation. I think that there is more to come in development, with technology also. My younger brother is 16 years old and he spends most of his time on Facebook, my space and connects with friends on his x box as well. It's amazing to see so much time spent on socializing, where as when I was his age I was playing sports and not so much into social media sights. I agree with you when you say younger generations are using these tools as fashion, in regards to sharing photos and what they do in their spare time. Thanks for your input. I enjoyed your point of view.
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