What Is Social Media? Explaining the Big Trend

Online social networking sites and as a result, social media has become of the most accessible and fast-spreading technology. Thereby people all over the world, from different walks of life, have become an active part of this form of media. Age is no longer a barrier and the old as well as the young have embraced this new medium with open arms. As per numerous studies, social media has had a huge impact on the way people think and act in today’s world.

There are many platforms which include Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc. And each person is on average using more than one platform. While spending time on them, he becomes alienated from the world around him. Thus, the word ‘social media’ has a different meaning in this age. The word ‘social’ stands for the communication of people and ‘media’ refers to the means for it.

What makes up Social Media?

Conventions say that newspapers, television, internet are the things that make up the social media. Now, applications like Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, Snap Chat, WhatsApp, Instagram etc. make up the ‘Social Media’. This is because they provide us with a number of services and facilities, which include personal profile pages, friends, followers, groups, news feeds, recommendations for friends or suggested pages. They offer personalization, updating, reviewing and rating several things according to your choice. It has become an updated and socially accepted, effective means of communication.

The Impact of Today’s “Social Media” on Youth

Although people have been using the internet to connect with others since the early 1980s, it is only the last decade that social networking services have proliferated and their use has become a widespread practice – particularly among young people. An online community of people sit together and benefit from each other.

Social networking sites are mainly the evolution of mailing system. There is a lot research dedicated to social media now because of its wide scope and impact. Such websites are essentially used by young people. Subsequently, the use of social networking system also makes them victims of the horrendous crimes and activities happening online. The rapid uptake of social media by young people signifies an important shift in their use of the internet primarily for information and entertainment to using it for communication.

The purpose of this article is that we analyse and explore the changes social networking is creating in our daily lives, and whether these changes are good or bad. Social networking is an excellent improvement for communication in the world. While people are growing the registrations on these social networks is also growing. However, it means the privacy of your life is getting limited and everybody can search you for all your private information. People are losing their identity and their life is gradually becoming dependent on updating their posts. This is because anyone can easily get addicted to these social networking sites. The The simple solution to these problems is that people should use Facebook or other social networking sites only for necessary conversations. They should limit their use. Although stealing identities has become very convenient, the bigger problem lies in the addiction and attraction that these networking sites have. Thus, good self control is essential.

Cyberbullying over social media

Cyberbullying is a term that is used for bullying over the electronic media. This can be done by sending threatening messages via these social media channels. Moreover, the personal information that these platforms can contain leaves people vulnerable. There are pictures, check-ins, etc that are at display for anyone to see. Moreover, most people do not bother going through the disclaimers and policies that come with each website and often divulge more information than is necessary. According to Bartton says that the frequency with which such websites are used by people encourage them to become a victim to hoax websites and shady people.

However, the problems are now being taken care of and the technology is being adjusted to increase security, all over the web.

Advantages of SM

On the contrary, the advantages of social media are numerous. The world has evolved over time and the progress has held its grip tight on the road to success. Knowledge has spread rapidly and people of every age have benefitted from it. The advancement of technology has increased and every passing day has set new levels of excellence in the world.

Time has marked its way and social media has developed over the period of time. It has helped people meet other people with the same interests and needs. Information can be shared all over the world. Waiting for a telegram has come to an end. Receiving or sending a message has become the matter of a blink of an eye.

In the business world, the social media has become a core element. Communication has become targeted and easy. Advertising, marketing and all other fields use social media as the prudent source of exchange of information and has made lives easier.

Social Networking

The meaning of this term is not known to most of our population. Most people fail to understand that social networking is not the same as social media. It is actually, a component of social media. Media is the facility that you have. It is the way of reaching to a destination. The choice of when, where and with whom to use the facility with is called ‘social networking’. This is what builds friendships or relationships and in these times, trust as well.

Social media is the platform that provides us with the opportunity to interact and know people and the happenings of our surroundings, our world in a better way. This is the investment that turns out in the form of high social integration. Social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram are the subdivisions of social networking.

Traditional Media and 2016

Television, newspapers and radio were conventional considerations of social media. There has always been one implication in such types of media. Communication is referred to the two-way conveyance and understanding of messages and these means of communication provide us with one-way communication. They have limited ability to give and at the same time, gather thoughts. This type of media does not work well with today’s generation. The youth is connected all the time and is used to giving reviews, comments etc. Keeping their thoughts to themselves when some news story is broken has never been experienced by them. So, social media gives them the leverage of the sort of communication they prefer.

The benefits of all of the conventional forms of media have been covered by social media. It enables you to read, write, see, listen and witness; all at the same time. The prolonged procedures are no more required.

Importance of Blogs as a Component

Blogs have ruled the world of social media before the introduction of the likes of Facebook or Instagram. They are the best form of communication to convey personal thoughts about an aspect of life and everything around you. So what exactly makes blogs so useful that they comprise of an active part of the social media network? They provide you with the facility of user accounts, comment sections and a wide networking capacity. Bloggers come up with their thoughts about various topics and they provide a basis for people to express their opinion, provide information, etc. It is the main platform where the community of bloggers interacts and exchanges ideas in a little more detail than other platforms allow.

Future of Social Media

The future for this form of communication is really bright. Social networking sites like Snapchat and Facebook have changed their privacy settings. That has enabled better security levels among all sorts of communication. The use is increasing day by day and the popularity of the means is reaching the peak. It has become a dominant and powerful trend among the whole population.

Efforts are being made to get social media tailored according to the needs of individuals and to make it a bit less raucous. This will enable communication as and when desired.