As a typical college student, it’ll be pretty hard to meet someone who doesn’t have a clue what social media is. How often do you come across a parent now who doesn’t know what Facebook is? Or maybe even a commercial or website that doesn’t include a link to their Twitter account? But because we are the typical American young adult, we don’t realize that nationally…barely majority of people are really connected through these popular internet outlets. That comes as a surprise to me because I don’t have a single friend who ever said to me “Sorry, I don’t have a Facebook.”
Now looking at this from a business standpoint – most small businesses don’t even realize the benefit of online marketing. And surprisingly, many larger companies are also afraid of social because it’s difficult to harness and control. Here is an infographic that provides a prospective we don’t usually see. So how do you think these statistics will change in the next 5-10 years? How will that affect the way society operates?
I’m excited to live during this era of innovation and new reaches of technology and networking. Facebook helps “connect” me with friends that go way back to elementary school. And Twitter gives me real time updates of world news (and what my friend had for lunch). However, will these sites really benefit us in the long run as national usage continuously increases? I am afraid that we will drown in all the noise that social media provides and unconsciously lose sight of what is truly important – human interactions and deep relationships. Without a doubt, these social platforms have provided me with convenience, efficiency, and interaction that would’ve been lost otherwise. Nonetheless, I don’t think anyone can compare the connection felt from a hand-written letter to what we merely feel when we receive a message in our inbox.
I can’t help but admit that these social platforms are my guilty pleasures. However, it's summer and I need some good old face to face, let’s-have-a-good-talk-over-tea, kind of interaction. Just like I want to believe that chivalry ain’t dead, I hope that traditional means of communication and relationships never go out of style – despite how cool Google+ hangout may be.
What’s your take on social media in regards to personal and business relationships? Will you be tweeting about this (not a real question, just trying to be funny)?
Now looking at this from a business standpoint – most small businesses don’t even realize the benefit of online marketing. And surprisingly, many larger companies are also afraid of social because it’s difficult to harness and control. Here is an infographic that provides a prospective we don’t usually see. So how do you think these statistics will change in the next 5-10 years? How will that affect the way society operates?
I’m excited to live during this era of innovation and new reaches of technology and networking. Facebook helps “connect” me with friends that go way back to elementary school. And Twitter gives me real time updates of world news (and what my friend had for lunch). However, will these sites really benefit us in the long run as national usage continuously increases? I am afraid that we will drown in all the noise that social media provides and unconsciously lose sight of what is truly important – human interactions and deep relationships. Without a doubt, these social platforms have provided me with convenience, efficiency, and interaction that would’ve been lost otherwise. Nonetheless, I don’t think anyone can compare the connection felt from a hand-written letter to what we merely feel when we receive a message in our inbox.
I can’t help but admit that these social platforms are my guilty pleasures. However, it's summer and I need some good old face to face, let’s-have-a-good-talk-over-tea, kind of interaction. Just like I want to believe that chivalry ain’t dead, I hope that traditional means of communication and relationships never go out of style – despite how cool Google+ hangout may be.
What’s your take on social media in regards to personal and business relationships? Will you be tweeting about this (not a real question, just trying to be funny)?
In response to your worries, I am sure that personal relationships will never be drown out by the noise of our constant social media. Although it may be distracting, I think because we are such social and relational beings I'm sure in light of this sad situation, we as a population of "humans" will realize soon enough the needs of real contact and slowly but surely work towards meeting those needs.
ReplyDelete-cL
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ReplyDeleteBusiness - I'll have to disagree with the business perspective on social medias. Although it's probably better that a small company has an online website or does online advertising, I want to say that the results of doing so can be insignificant based on their competition. A small business will probably benefit by having a TV commercial versus simply newspaper advertising, and a website on said commercial would also really help vs just simply listing the store's address (who really pays attention anyway?) but I don't think that, say, a small electronics store could realistically compete with a big business like Best Buy. The only good way of competing there would be the simple word-on-the-streets.
ReplyDeleteUnless people are comparing products sold by the company online, in which case having a website and competitive prices would DEFINITELY be of great help.
OMG I guess I got carried away typing, but I mean, what else do I have to do with my summer..
hello carol :)
ReplyDelete@Connor - I agree! I don't think personal relationships can ever be fully replaced with anything.
ReplyDelete@Matt - You wrote more than me :) Yes, I think social media is great for networking and widening your circle of connections. If I were to meet someone at a networking event, I'll easily be able to still stay "connected" to him/her whereas back in the day, I think it would've taken more effort/time.
Obviously small businesses can't compete with the oligopoly of larger corporations. And I completely agree that word of mouth is still one of the strongest marketing yet! I still feel that having a steady (even if the slightest) presence on the internet nowadays can really boost your profitability.
You already know, but you're awesome for writing so much!!!
@Welby - Hi!! :)
Dear Carol,
ReplyDeleteAs your post states, with the advent of social networking, it has become much easier to keep in touch with friends we previously would not have been able to continue contact with. Your post also seems to suggest that regardless of our intentions to facilitate interaction, these sites may actually hinder our ability to have true and meaningful relationships. At first, I completely agreed with you. However, the more I think about it, the more I find myself pleading the other case. As you mentioned, networking sites provide us with the convenience to talk, plan dates to meet...
you know what... i dunno anymore.. i'll let you know how i feel about them after not using them for a while.. maybe a month or so. sorry for the lack of explanation...