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If you are like most people, you already use at least one social media platform, but you may still have some questions about social networking. Is social media helping or hindering your life? Is it safe? Can it really increase productivity and build brand awareness - or is it simply a place to waste a considerable amount of time?
No matter if you are searching for a former college roommate, your first first-grader, or an international friend, no easier or faster way to make a connection exists than social media. Although Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Pinterest are probably the most well-known social networking communities, new websites are popping up regularly that let people connect and interact over the Web.
With each of these sites, individuals can make new friends, build business connections or simply extend their personal base by connecting and interacting with friends of friends - which can have a multiplying effect.
These connections can help with a variety of things such as:
In many ways, these social communities are the virtual equivalent of church socials where family and friends gather to exchange news and get updates. Even the age-old custom of connecting with pen pals has been upgraded as private messages can be sent over social media. When it comes to getting information, few methods are faster than social media.
When you opt to participate in a social network community, you can pick and choose individuals whose likes and dislikes are similar to yours and build your network around those commonalities. For instance, if you are a chess aficionado, a book lover or have a particular political leaning, you can find and interact with those who share your interest.
It can also be a great way to share tips and ideas. Sites like Pinterest have been very successful due to the ease in which a person can learn - and share - information about hobbies, crafts, cooking, gardening and other do-it-yourself activities. By pinning and sharing, you can attract like-minded individuals into your circle.
But, just as these virtual groups can help hobbyists exchange ideas and techniques, other social network groups offer solutions for more vexing, real-world problems. For example, social media groups can be lifelines for individuals suffering from a rare disease. Churches, synagogues and temples also use social media to reach out to members who may be unable to attend services.
Many social networking sites incorporate an instant messaging feature, which lets people exchange information in real-time via a chat. This is a great feature for teachers to use to facilitate classroom discussions because it lets them utilize the vast store of information available on the Web. This can be a great time saver for the teacher - since students no longer need to visit a library to conduct research- and it can be a great way to engage distracted learners.School is not the only setting where this type of real-time information sharing can be beneficial. Social networking can provide a tool for managers to utilize in team meetings, for conference organizers to use to update attendees and for business people to use as a means of interacting with clients or prospects. Some leaders are going so far as to include Tweets or other social media updates during presentations. This approach can make events more interactive and help the presenter reach a larger audience.
Whether you are a nonprofit organization that needs to get the word out about an upcoming fundraiser or a business owner marketing a new product or service, there's no better way than social media to get your message in front of millions of people 24/7.
Although social media can be used to spread a company's message for free, fee-based advertising options are also available. One of the best aspects of social networking is the ability to deliver your content only to those users with the most potential interest in your product or service. Each social platform offers an array of tools that enable a business to deliver specific content to a very specific target group. This approach can maximize targeted reach while minimizing waste.
Undoubtedly, social networking has revolutionized the speed of the news cycle. Most news organizations now rely on social media sites to collect and share information. Social media - especially Twitter - is steadily becoming a mainstream source for breaking news. Today an individual can know, in real-time, what is happening throughout the world. This has led to the development of a nearly instantaneous news cycle as everything from terrorist attacks to local car crashes get shared on social media, quickly alerting their intended audience of the event.
Part of the increase in the speed of news can be attributed to smartphones. The percentage of individuals accessing social media via their phone or mobile device continues to rise. A 2014 Pew Center study states that 40 percent of smart phone users access social media from their phones - and 28 percent do it on a daily basis.
A joke among friends is one thing but a joke with the world-at-large is much different. When potentially offensive content is posted online, the amount of feedback can be excessive and is often brutal. This is particularly true with highly opinionated subjects like politics and religion. This backlash can also have a long-term impact on a person's future, especially in a world that has fallen prey to over-sharing. Even high school students are learning that comments they post on social media can influence whether a college approves their application for admission.In an age where selfies are the norm, the over-sharing may even be altering our worldview by creating a more narcissistic mindset.
Use of social networks may expose individuals to other forms of harassment or even inappropriate contact. This can be especially true for teens and younger children. Unless parents diligently filter the Web content their family views, children could be exposed to pornography or other inappropriate content.
Besides unleashing age-inappropriate content, the digital age also gave birth to a social phenomenon - cyberbullying. It is often levied more harshly against young females that males and, unlike traditional bullying, it is not limited to physical interaction. Cyberbullying can happen 24 hours a day, every day of the week. Adding to this realm of cyber abuse are the anonymous social media sites which can elevate the severity of the assault - under the false promise of privacy.
Whether you like it or not, the information you post on the Internet is available to almost anyone who is clever enough to access it. Most thieves need just a few vital pieces of personal information to make your life a nightmare. If they successfully steal your identity, it could cost you dearly. A report on Bankrate reveals Millennials are one of the fastest growing groups to be victims. This is linked to the group's comfort with sharing everything online - including personal information.
Business Insider reports that social media is the most popular use of the Internet - surpassing email - and smartphones and other mobile devices seem to be the driving force behind this trend since 60 percent of the traffic is from a mobile source. The GlobalWebIndex poll shows that 28 percent of the time spent online is on social networks. With these type of numbers, some of the time spent on social media occurs at work. When these visits are for non-work related activity, it can cost companies money through lost productivity. A report on Forbes states that 89 percent of responders admitted to wasting time on social media while at work.
Social networking invites major corporations to invade your privacy and sell your personal information. Have you ever posted a comment on Facebook, only to notice an advertisement appear with content related to your post? Last year, Facebook earned an estimated $16 billion in ad revenue. That's not bad for a free site.
If Facebook and other social networking sites don't charge their members, however, how do they make so much money? They do it by selling the ability to specifically target advertisements. On social networking sites, the website isn't the product - the users are. These sites run algorithms that search for keywords, web browsing habits, and other data stored on your computer or social networking profile and provide you with advertisements targeted specifically to you.
Because networking and online social communities are so widespread, several studies have looked at the effects of social networking. A common complaint, highlighted on debate.org, suggests social media is making us less social and more aggressive. Comments on social media sites are often more blunt than the statements would be if they were made face-to-face. But other sources, like Psychology Today, suggest that social networking, like any other technological tool, is as good as a user makes it.
When using any social media platform, take responsibility for your own safety and never join a group just because it is trendy or all your friends are doing it. In evaluating the advantages and disadvantages of social networking, it's best to err on the side of caution and protect your privacy. Be careful with what you post and treat others as if you were in a face-to-face situation.
Chuck Reynolds
Contributor
