After watching the social media revolution video in Gee's class, it really opened my eyes. I wouldn't say that I thought social media was a fad, being a part of Generation Y I am very much involved in Facebook, Twitter and other social media outlets. However, I never realized what an immense impact social media has begun to take on the world around us. Sure, all my professors have told me to clean out the "cyber skeletons" in my closet because future employers now stalk Facebook accounts; but it wasn't until this class that I realized social media really is the way of the future.
Take in to account when you watch an E!News segment, they are constantly bombarding their viewers with celebrities' Twitter updates/reactions on recent events. For example, after Kanye's outburst at the VMAs last week, many entertainment news stations mentioned celebrities' reactions via their blogs, Twitter or Facebook account. Even larger (more serious) news stations have noticed the advantage of connecting to its audiences thru social media. CNN has a Twitter account (which I follow) and they also have CNNLive which is linked through Facebook. Nancy Grace has a Facebook fan page that includes status updates about most recent crime headlines. The list goes on and on as to what major corporations reach their audiences thru the internet. Social media is instaneous, it gets its message out to its audience as soon as something is posted vs. waiting for the next morning's paper to mention what already happened.
The whole purpose of social media is fast, instant interaction with others. We live in a society where people expect near instant gratification. If I want to know what's happening RIGHT NOW in politics, easy - go to CNN.com, click on their politics section and you're updated. CNN.com updates its homepage every few minutes, at times within seconds. Not to mention Google, Yahoo, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.
Social media is the easiest way to get information without ever having to leave your home. When was the last time a student honestly went to the library to research something? Not very recent I can assure you. Eresereves are huge on college campuses as well as pdf downloads for reading materials. You can even order electronic versions of the textbook your professor requires and save tons of money. iPhones, Blakberries and other smart phones allow its owner to access internet anywhere, anytime.
Status updates, tweets, blogs, youtube videos, iChats, etc have now become the newest, most acceptable way to communicate with one another. The internet has a worldwide audience with so many people who are willing to listen. The only thing we need to remember is safety - ever since the first news article was published (8 or so yrs ago)about MySpace stalkers/pedophiles, parents and educators have been drilling it in to our heads that we need to watch what we post on the internet. Especially now when it comes to looking for a career, whatever a company can find about you on Google, Facebook or Twitter will no doubt overrule what's on your resume. There's no doubt in my mind that social media is NOT a fad.
In case you missed it in the title, here's the link to the "Social Media Revolution" video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVXKI506w-E
3 comments:
I agree that social media is great way to share information instantneously but I think we have to monitor what is "apporpriate" to be published for social meida sites like Twitter and facebook becuase messages can easily be misconstrued or even manipulated espcially when dealing with large news resources like CNN or even E! news.
Definitely agreed! People act shocked when old Facebook posts/pictures come back to haunt them via Google - but if you put it up on the internet for all to see, you took that risk. I do as much as I can to protect my privacy on the social media sites while still watching what I post.
I agree- When I saw all the facts from the YouTube Video Gee showed us I couldn't believe it. Facebook could be its own country? that's insane.
Social Media has made all information instantaneous. Think of when MJ and Farrah died- it was on Twitter before any news station could formally report on it. Social media sites such as facebook and twitter will just keep growing until all our news and entertainment information is streaming solely through those mediums. I think its an interesting concept to think of and how long it will take until that really happens.
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