As we continue into the future with the revolution of social media, you can only expect more. I personally feel that as social media becomes more and more popular with people of all different ages and walks of life privacy expectations will have to change. People have began to be more willing to share more and more personal details, such as sharing your likes, dislikes, opinions, photos, and videos. But what ever happened to less is more? As young adults we venture out into the workforce, and we’ve all heard that employers are beginning to search through social networking sites, checking into potential employee’s personal Facebook accounts and more, and sometimes that can be a very unprofessional portrayal of one’s self. Some solutions have been found with more professionally aimed sites such as LinkedIn, focused at connected and reconnecting past and present colleagues and classmates, and also helping individuals to discover insider connections within the workforce and potential business opportunities. Eventually though I do feel as though some line will have to be drawn between sharing personal experiences and information and becoming a part of the corporate world. Another frequently changing movement is the concept of a “friend network”, as time moves forward I feel there will be a reorganization of social networks, and it has already begun to be introduced with Rogers concept “One Number”, allowing users to keep one number as a representation of them to excess instant messaging, video chatting, calling, and texting, and I’m sure this can be adapted to include social networking in the coming time. Finally, one of the hugest movements happening and that will continue to happen is the use of social media as a marketing ploy, everywhere we look there is advertisements, and companies have began to create social networking profiles of their own to reach more and more potential consumers. With the technological development of the Smartphone, all of this is accessible right in the palm of your hand, all day long the latest news, gossip, or gadget is being thrown right in our face, and furthermore the ability of “Rating” these topics and items is everywhere. Whether it’s tweeting your feelings on a product or service, liking, disliking, or giving a rating out of a potential 5 stars, companies are finally getting back the feedback they need and will continue to develop the next best thing to keep the cycle flourishing. And with that being said, my only suggestion is to become or remain an informed consumer, your opinion matters!
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Can Social Media bring Social Change?
Everyone knows or has some knowledge of previous revolutions, whether it’s from history class, the history channel, or maybe even stories from relatives of a certain time period. Author Malcom Gladwell argues that social media is build around weak ties and no social change can ever come from it. But look around you, a revolution is happening right before your eyes. It may not be so immediate and in your face, but we’re in a time period that is making history based on social media alone. I recently watched a video via YouTube called “Kony 2012” and although later I discovered certain things about the video and the organization behind it misleading, this viral video brought up many great points and attracted A LOT of attention. Right now in the world there are more people logging onto Facebook, then there were on the planet 200 years ago. Using “Kony 2012” as an example, this video became a trending topic on Twitter over night, made national news the following day, and one can only imagine the donations they’ve since received. Despite the accuracy of the content, this video alone proves that through social media and networking world issues, happenings, and news can be brought to millions of people with a the click of a button. The video “Kony 2012” suggests by bringing something to people’s attention, in a time where “humanity’s greatest desire is to belong and connect, and now we see each other, we hear each other, we share what we love, and it reminds us all what we have in common, and this connection is changing the way the world works.”[1] How can one even argue that no social change can happen through social media when those at the core of dictating change to the masses, the government and political leaders, are marketing themselves through these very means. Therefore, I personally, completely disagree with Gladwell’s accusations.
Note: For those of you who haven't checked out this video, I suggest you do so! Generate an opinion of your own :)
Monday, February 6, 2012
Quality vs. Quantity. Blog Posting #2
Social media has made sending and receiving any type of information fast, and sometimes even instant. Everyone has their favorite sources to get their news from whether it’s a gossip blog like TMZ or a reliable news source like The Toronto Star, which is also now available online. Nowadays when it comes to the news, an age-old question arises "Which is better quality or quantity?" Everyone feels entitled to their own opinion, and with forms of social media like Twitter anyone is able to instantly send out information fact or fiction, and with so much news and information flooding in with the simple click of a refresh button, it becomes hard to separate between the two. The topic of social media and the information it allows us to receive and share will always be a double-edged sword. Most times a biased opinion of a story is generated and you have to visit several different sources to develop your own opinion, or someone of creditability has to set the story straight. Just like rumours, social media can have false information blown up in a matter of minutes, making headlines, a trending topic, and top share. It can also spread worldly news, sports highlights, and great causes happening, creating many typically uninformed individuals into informed citizens of the goings on. There is even speculation that sometime in the future our favorite search engine sites like Google will begin to pair up with social networking tools to provide your search with results displaying opinions and suggestions from real human beings. As the evolution of social media continues it’s main purpose seems to be participation, so whether or not the quality is there, people will continue to comment, like, and share. Blogger Anson Alexander suggests “The more people who participate in these features of social media, the more valuable their opinions will become. Imagine if every single person who read an article online had the option of “liking” or “disliking” the article. Now imagine if every single person who read an article online actually participated in the system of “liking” or “disliking” articles. We would have a pretty accurate picture of what articles are the most valuable and what articles are the least valuable wouldn’t we?”[1] So next time you’re checking up on your smartphone or surfing around on the internet, don’t be afraid to leave a comment or hit a “like” option, you’re adding to the quality of content we all view each and every day!
[1] Alexander, A. (2011). The Future of Information Sharing Through Social Media and Why Everyone Benefits. Retrieved Feb 6th, 2012.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
What is your perception of Social Media, do you think it is a fad or the biggest shift since the Industrial Revolution?
My perception of social media is that it’s a way to control the masses. Social networks have become so large that in a sense if you’re not personally using these websites you aren’t considered up to date or “hip”. Yes, I do realize that social media makes information and connecting to people all around the world instant, and super convenient through the use of Smartphones and etc. But have you really ever looked at all the other companies using social media to market their products to you? Telling what you should and shouldn’t buy, and should and shouldn’t like. There isn’t one commercial or advertisement today that doesn’t finish with “like us on Facebook” or “visit our Twitter page”. Not only are these networks spreading the latest trending topics in news and gossip, but anyone and everyone can put in their very own two cents. Yes, it is much easier to set a status thanking a large amount of people for birthday wishes or even answering a few questions via text verses a lengthy phone conversation. However my argument does go both ways. On one hand many people have benefited from social media like Match.com where you can meet potential love interests or even Kijiji were you can sell just about anything! Unfortunately on the other hand people have found ways to use social media negatively, thus “cyber bullying”, which has even caused young teens to take their lives, or that 25% of children have been exposed to pornographic material because of the internet, and 5,000,000 Pedophiles are online at any given time, day and night (Student Safety Tips). With all this information out there not only celebrities, but normal people have had their private information leaked or hacked, and it has destroyed lives and careers. So I guess what we should all ask ourselves is what is the price you’re willing to pay to have the world at your fingertips?
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