The expansion of social media has completely revolutionized communication and access to information on the Internet. In today’s world, making a phone call has almost been completely replaced by other forms of communication. Sites such as Twitter and Facebook allow users to provide constant updates on their daily activities. Twitter’s original personal purpose was for users to provide updates for friends and family to follow. This took away any purpose of messaging or calling them to let them know where you were. Facebook was once a social network restricted to only those with a university e-mail address. However, things have changed.
After watching “Social Media Revolution”, the impact of social networking on today’s world blew me away. One of the most surprising facts, at least for me, was that of the accuracy of Wikipedia. A source that no professor would ever allow to be used on an academic paper has been proven in studies to be more accurate than Encyclopedia Britannica. Not only is it more accurate, but it is also more up-to-date. Immediately after an event happens, users can log on and update Wikipedia right away, providing real-time data. However, the most successful social media story is that of Facebook. Reaching 100 million users in nine months is an astounding accomplishment, and it is one that will soon be explained in full by the full-feature film, The Social Network. According to the trailer, the site had 22,000 hits within two hours. A site that originally made strictly for college students now holds information, pictures, and videos of enough people to be the fourth largest country in the world.
With the speed of this “revolution”, society is changing completely. The amount of information readily available is constantly growing. People now have so much information publicly posted that companies, employers, and the government can create profiles solely based on a person’s activity on social media sites. Like the video suggests, the population trusts user recommendations more than advertisements, so people’s tweets and comments are trusted more than the actual information given out by a company. However, this access to information is not always for the best. People must now be very cautious as to what is publicly posted about them. For example, the video suggests that 80% of employers use Linked In as their main source of recruitment. This means a person’s profile can determine whether he or she gets a job. Now, this isn’t much different from a resume, but most companies will look to Facebook to learn more information about their possible recruits.
Another effect of this source of information is the impact on the business world. Companies are able to cater to their consumers needs by learning about what they are following on social media and what their preferences are through posts on social networks. Facebook, for example, posts ads on the sides of pages based on the posts and preferences the user has specified on the network. Amazon has done this all along, with its “If you liked this, you may also like…” Also, if Ellen Degeneres and Ashton Kutcher have more followers on Twitter than a few nations, and if users will trust other users opinions more than the company’s information, why not have them tweet to advertise? Companies are using celebrity association through Twitter to gain more customers.
I, myself, use social networking to keep in touch with friends and communicate more effectively, but I am very skeptical about what is put on the Internet about me. Although, after watching “Social Media Revolution”, I think I should definitely begin using Linked In as a senior in college. However, when push comes to shove, I am a consumer. My information is used to market certain products to me, something Amazon has done very well in my case. I am a part of Generation Y, and I completely agree that this shift to social media is a revolution. Communication has been completely revolutionized, and the copious amount of information available on the Internet is being used by everyone.
