CRyder Design

My Own Relationship With Social Media

As a 21-year-old who grew up alongside the development of social media, it has had quite an impact on my life. I grew up with the development of MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and the list goes on. Although I didn’t have my own accounts until the mid-2010s, social media has always been a part of the conversation my entire life. I know no life where social media does not exist. 

It affected not only my personal life but also my educational and professional life. The heart of communication in college was through email or a platform called Blackboard which allowed for the posting and submission of assignments, discussion board forums, class announcements and even checking grades. Part of my school programs required me to maintain a blog sharing my project development and writing on different topics relating to social media, and different As I went through stages of professional development I was introduced to “networking.” I connected with colleagues, mentors, and recruiters through platforms like LinkedIn, which is considered a social media network of its own.

I am an avid user of Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and TikTok. However, I consider myself to be on the lower end of posting content. I mostly find myself viewing and sharing content rather than posting content of my own, although I do share the occasional milestone or life event post like graduating from undergrad, pictures from a road trip or traveling to a new city, or wishing someone a happy birthday.

The Future of Social Media

In the past two decades, social media has grown at an almost exponential rate. However, its features and functions have also changed. Consider how Facebook has changed since its creation in 2004. What was once a networking site for Harvard students to meet one another, now connects billions of people and has options to join groups, live stream, host events and fundraisers, even browse a marketplace for local items for sale, and more.

With constant improvement, development, and innovation surrounding social media, I do not see this growth stopping any time soon. Due to the amount of time that most people are spending on social media, their brains are being wired differently, wired to crave the social connection that social media provides them with. The video “5 Crazy Ways Social Media Is Changing Your Brain” explains that 5-10% of internet users are unable to control how much time they spend online. The video also explains that the addiction to social media is essentially a psychological addiction and has effects on emotional processing, attention, and decision-making. This type of relationship with social media will not go away easily, and social media will continue to grow and develop accordingly in order to accommodate it.

Social Media and Business

Social media is a powerful tool, and I think as time goes on, businesses will begin to see and utilize it as such, even more than they already do. It is not only a tool that can facilitate product or service sales and promotions but also understanding the customer experience associated with the product or service being sold and engaging in a conversation with them regarding it.

The article, “Social Media Promotion: 4 Steps for Promoting on Social Media” states, “…The social nature of social media platforms means people are eager to interact and engage with others. Considering that 74% of people follow brands on social media, you have ample opportunities to engage with your audience using social media.” This socialization with customers can benefit the image and ratings of businesses by showing their target audience that they are there to listen and consider the customer’s opinion.

There are even different jobs and career paths that are developing in order to manage social media in different ways. The book Social Media Strategy: Marketing, Advertising, and Public Relations in the Consumer Revolution highlights different positions in social media including, but not limited to: social media strategists, social media marketing managers, social media community managers, social media coordinators, social media copywriters, and much much more.

Dominating Networks

There is a wide variety of social media networks on the market, so the question is: Which ones will reign supreme? Each platform provides users with something different. However, there is one platform that provides its users with almost everything they could want, without even having to leave the site/app. 

The almighty Facebook. With nearly 3 billion monthly active users, and $85.96 billion in revenue, Facebook is definitely a force to be reckoned with (“The Top 10 Social Media Sites & Platforms 2022”). Facebook is one of the largest social media platforms, and with its continued development and improvements, it will keep users coming back. It is the network that has worn the crown for some time, and the end of its reign isn’t even in sight

Evolving Technology

Consider Facebook, once again, as an example. When it was first developed, it was only used on computers. Given that most cell phones were still flip phones in 2004, it was likely not even considered that it could be accessed (at least not on a regular basis) from a cell phone. Today, it is likely that most Facebook users unlock their smartphones and check their newsfeed a few times a day, without even thinking about a computer.

Smartphones have developed with social media in mind, and social media has developed with smartphones in mind. The article, “How Social Media is Changing Technology” explains, “When was the last time you had a verbal conversation with a friend or family member on the phone? If you used your phone for anything, it was probably to check your social media feed for any new comments or messages from your followers… A smartphone is not really a phone anymore. It is a portable computer that can fit in your pocket.” Technology and social media will continue to develop and evolve with a linear correlation, with one accommodating the other. 

What About Our Data?

The infamous conversation about user data is not one that will be ending anytime soon. To large corporations, user data is like gold. This data can be used to help them target the optimal audience to help boost sales and revenue. But wait, doesn’t this data come from real people? Yes! The chances are that the apps that you have downloaded on your smartphone are tracking your data each and every day. This may come as a surprise to you, but yes it does really happen.

“When you analyze enough data, patterns and statistics can emerge that wouldn’t otherwise be visible. Businesses will mine data gathered from customers to help them market their products better… Upon analyzing sales data, a company might discover that most of their customers live in big, East Coast cities. Using that information, they might shift their marketing to cater to people who live in those cities” (“Are Smartphone Apps Stealing Your Personal Data?”). Essentially, the apps that you have, mine your usage data and sell it to large companies to help them make more money.

Although this does present a privacy issue, this is something that is likely to continue into the future because it makes businesses even more money. The chances are that there will be developments made to the process of how data is mined and sold, and it will continue to take place one way or another.

Looking Ahead

In the past, nearly two decades social media has grown and grown and grown. It has become a part of our everyday habits, conversations, and lives. It has already changed history, but how exactly will it change the future? It is hard to say, but it will continue to evolve, and will likely always be a part of our lives one way or another.

Sources

https://ed.ted.com/featured/qQzsdX2Y

https://www.webfx.com/social-media/learn/social-media-promotion/

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08FF8B2GD/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_d_asin_title_o05?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.searchenginejournal.com/social-media/biggest-social-media-sites/#close

https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/361871

https://blokt.com/guides/are-smartphone-apps-mining-your-personal-data