The impact of the social media on all aspects of modern life cannot be questioned or underestimated one bit. Certainly, the social media has changed how people interact and socialize amongst themselves. Of course, the kind of penetration the social media has achieved has not been possible without huge leaps and bounds in technology. In fact, the advancement and heightened popularity of the social media goes hand in hand with the advances made in technology, with mobile devices and internet tablets becoming increasingly mainstream and affordable for the masses. In addition, the social media itself has grown dramatically from what it was just a few years ago.
What started as a mere social network that connected a few hundred students across the Harvard campus has now become the most popular social networking site in the world. Moreover, the social medial lineup has been made even more impressive with the presence of websites such as Twitter, MySpace, Instagram, Flickr, and even YouTube.
The sheer popularity and the way it has affected social interactions has meant that the social media comes as a given for the modern person. As such, Facebook is a part of life; a method of staying connected with the world. Certainly, for me personally, the use of my mobile device to connect with the outside world through the social media has become a natural process. At this point, I would like to admit that I use one social media website (Facebook) more than any other social media website. In fact, my use of Facebook is so much that many a times, Facebook becomes the sole method through which I connect with my friends.
Moreover, another application that I use a lot is WhatsApp, and that too, is a messaging service. For me, personally, WhatsApp has overtaken text messages in terms of ease of use, and phone calls are rarely required. Personally, I find it impossible to go without using any form of social media for a few hours maximum. And, there is a reason why I cannot go without using any form of social media as well. As stated earlier, the social media is the sole method through which I connect with my friends, and to some extent, my family as well. Therefore, not using the social media and not being able to communicate with these people would make it very difficult for both the parties.
While many people would like to right off the social media and its importance to businesses, truth be told, it has been businesses that have benefited from the presence of the social media more than anyone else. Simply put, businesses, no matter how large or small, require marketing to push their products in to mainstream popularity and in the eyes of the target market. Traditionally, these marketing efforts were limited to TV, radio, newspaper, and to some extent, internet adverts. Now, however, the social media has allowed businesses to market their offerings on an almost limitless scale. Websites such as Facebook allow businesses to create their very own pages, and since the number of users on Facebook range into the billions, the potential is endless. Twitter too, has allowed businesses to always be on the top and on the action by being ever ready to post about new happenings. Businesses have now been handed the chance to interact with their target customer base in a very personalized manner, and this was simply not possible before.
All in all, the social media, whether people hate it or love it, is here to stay, and for many, it is the only way forward.
References
Positive and Negative Effects of Social Media on Society. (n.d.). TechBead. Retrieved May 21, 2014, from http://www.techbead.com/positive-and-negative-effects-of-social-media-on-society/
Impact of Social Media on Society: 5 Times Social Changed the World. (n.d.). Social Media Sun RSS. Retrieved May 24, 2014, from http://socialmediasun.com/impact-of-social-media-on-society/
