Discussion Board Response to Four Posts
Discussion Board Response to Four Posts
The point you made about social media enabling various and growing formats was important. With the natural need for humans to interact with one another, the increasingly accessible technological advances began bridging gaps that could accommodate not just global businesses but global families. Over time with increased ease of transportation, changing economies, and cultural shifts in roles and expectations for women, families began to move apart and having three and four generations all near one another began to decrease significantly (Luscombe, 2014). Email meant no longer waiting on a letter to keep those families in touch. Social media not only simplified it even more, but added new ways of doing it simply and quickly. Sharing family memories was no longer limited to copying a VHS tape or sending pictures through the mail. Families can connect from all around the world in many ways: digitally recorded videos and pictures, and even live feed. And, as you noted, it all happens instantly between users to allow instant connections.
I had not considered how similar Linked In and Facebook are compared to the other two. I also see a similarity between Facebook and Twitter. Both of these are more for entertainment value. Although, as you said, Twitter is more in the here and now and addresses the immediately occurring trend, it still serves as more of a means for entertaining. Similarly Facebook is mostly used for entertainment. Although, like you noted, Facebook is focused on more of a relationship-building idea, it still shares an entertainment-based sort of communication among its users. It allows people to connect and interact in a more socially-based way as opposed to a more formal business way as you noted Linked In does. Also, I agree that YouTube is completely different. While also used for entertainment, it does now allow for the kind of interaction among users that the other social media formats provide.
I appreciate your pointing out that marketing does not limit itself to a single social media platform. As you noted, there may be multiple market sectors to reach, meaning more than one platform may be used. It also think using the social media has the ability to multiply the amount of marketing and whom it reaches exponentially. By identifying the right medium to hit the target audience, the use of social media allows for trending and users can share the information, thus spreading the marketing dollar spent in the first place. This creates the opportunity for larger audiences. I am sure it is every advertisers hope to have the commercial that goes viral.
I think the most important point you make is about the permanence of the social media message we leave. If our message is one of faith and love, and a message that reflects us as children of the living God, then it is out there for innumerable unknown people to see it. It has the potential to stand permanently as a light to give others hope and inspiration. But, no matter how we use it – personally or in business – if the message we send out to the world is one of negativity and non-Christian values, then that, too, is permanent.
References
Luscombe, B. (2014). There is no longer any such thing as a typical family. Time Magazine [online]. http://time.com/3265733/nuclear-family-typical-society-parents-children-households-philip-cohen/
