Social Media Paper
Introduction Social media can be defined as the social instrument, which is used in communication. Media is an instrument for communication. In terms of web, we could say that social media is not just an instrument for giving information, but it helps in interacting as it gives you the information (Nations 1). The interaction involves writing comments, voting or rating a certain article, and others. Social media describes the websites that exchange information in the form of text, pictures, videos, or even other websites.
The statistics shows that the social media usage is increasing at a higher rate. People have come up with the idea of owning personalized accounts, which they use to share information and ideas. Business people have also gotten a chance to use social media in establishing direct communication with their potential customers. Earlier, people used to get information from old types of media, such as newspapers, magazines, radios, books, DVDs, CDs, paper mail, televisions, and others. Not all these forms of media could interact (Shaw 1).
One could not comment or rate the article or information provided. It was one way communication. Nowadays, newspapers are becoming extinct and people are substituting them with iGoogle newsfeed and Yahoo to obtain information and news. They are also sharing information using Facebook and Twitter and people trust each other in that the information shared is correct unlike in the New York Times where one has never met authors (Gordhamer 1). Social media has really transformed the society in various ways of doing things, for example, in communication, the way they get news, and the way of doing business. This transformation is brought about by the new technology in social media and especially the digital technology. The main aim of this paper is to look in detail how the new technology has penetrated in today activities of human beings in their work, business, and leisure. The coming up of the social media cannot be denied.
There has been very little research done on the topic because it is very new. However, the research, which has been done, has shown some observations. The ideas concerning the future have been based on the research done by professionals. It has made me therefore conclude that business journalism and interpersonal communication are changing. Thesis Statement The paper will discuss the revolution that the social media is undergoing.
I will look at areas such as the business and the marketing, interpersonal communication and journalism. In this research, I intend to use both primary and secondary researches to analyze the way social media has changed everyday life and the path the daily life is heading in the result of the social media. The paper will also look at the way the social media has transformed the society, such as the way of communication, the way they get news, and the way of doing business. I will investigate how the transformation of the society has been brought about by the new technology, especially the digital technology and the social media. I intend to look at three main areas. One is the way communication is undergoing change since the introduction of Worldwide Web and how it is changing even now as a result of social media.
I will be using both primary and secondary research methods. Secondly, I will discuss the effects of social media on the world of business. The main areas that I will concentrate on are in advertisements, marketing, and public relations. I will combine both primary and secondary research to obtain the results. The third area that I intend to discuss is the transformation of journalism because of the rising social media. I will also look at the future of social media if it continues to improve with the current pace.
Audience Social media is a revolutionary phenomenon that has really transformed other media aspects. It has made a lot of impact on the public, businesspersons, and advertisers who are the people whom I dedicate the research to. This project is written for Amanda Metcalfe, Marketing Director Ebay, and Clare Gilmartin, the managing director in EBay in the UK. They have the responsibility of marketing the company’s services and products. Their company is undergoing a lot of transformation as a result of retailers adapting to new technologies and growth channels (Holland 1).
Business people have an advantage in using the social media in marketing their products and also doing business online because it is cheap and it is able to attract many people in the web. It is easy for a business to reach many people who are on the web if companies put their names and products they offer in a manner that is much clearer as compared to other traditional media. In addition, word-of-mouth advertising is more trusted, especially concerning new products (Vocus 1). The social media has made customer and business communication possible, which was not there earlier. The company could also be able to monitor press by entering search in the Google and seeing the business being placed in the top ten.
Advertisers have tapped in the personalization. For example, Twitter has been able to transform advertising as it has provided outlets for the commercial messages, so that they can be sent direct to individual contacts. Companies such as Charter Communications and Amazon have given paychecks to micro bloggers who talk about what they offer in the posts. The public will also benefit a lot from this because through social media it has become very easy to obtain information about the products in the market in the internet, the best companies that offer best products, services, and many more. The public can also be able to access news from all over the world through the web in Yahoo and iGoogle (Social media today 1).
They can also do the same by sharing certain articles in Facebook and Twitter (Gordhamer 1). However, there is an ongoing debate as to whether blogs are also a form of journalism. Their increasing popularity cannot be questioned (Johnson and Kaye 1). Research Methods I will start by doing a preliminary research and getting the sources that have details on the social media and the effects of the social media on the society. From these, I will major on business, marketing, and journalism. The qualitative data obtained, such as the statistics concerning the social media and the way it has impacted the society, will be used as the point to start from in the gathered data (Qualman 1).
I intend to do my primary research by interviewing people like Qualman, a marketing professor and an author of books concerning social media. I will also interview various chief executive officers to get more information on the use of social media in the marketing strategies. Such individuals as employees of micro blogging sites like Yammer will be interviewed to obtain information on how they use the social media. I also plan to do surveys on the trends of social media. An online ssurvey will be set up and distributed to people during the research period.
The survey will be measuring the usage of social media and different opinions that individuals have on the sites of social media. The survey will involve about one hundred people. These people will be expected to mention what purpose the social media is for and how it has changed their life for two years they have used it. Another survey will be conducted during the last few months of the research to look at the changes in five months. This will be able to highlight how the social media is rapidly expanding and the way it is utilized. I will try to compare the results of the two surveys to see the effects the social media had on people using it.
I will also use social media to evaluate the same. In that, I will create some new social network sites over a certain period and look at the pace it will gain follow up by people. This will help me to compare the feedback of the audience with the one that I will obtain from the secondary data. The limitations in this research could be inadequate data because very few researches have been done on the new technology of the social network. In addition, it could be difficult to get contact with the few who have done the research.
The audience assessment is difficult because users feel like the media does not affect them. However, if I do not obtain the results from the researchers like Qualman, I will try to consult my Professor on the same to get the right information. I will also give the interviewers enough time to have ample time to think of correct answers. Qualifications As a student pursuing a degree, I have studied social media in business courses and have also used social media on a personal level. Having come across this from two angles, I have been able to utilize the knowledge of social media and I am interested in exploring the topic. The previous research that I have done about the history and uses of social media also assists me in obtaining more information on the same.
As a business student, I always look at the trends and keep updating myself with the new technology and sites.I therefore intend to use the earlier information from my research and my knowledge on this subject to do further research and look at the social media. In the next five months, I intend to discuss the topics mentioned to be able to come up with solutions on the effects of social media on the community today. Conclusion Now that the social media is still very new, little research has been done and the sources that have the information offer first-hand information. The information given may be even speculations.
Very few studies have contributed to this topic. However, the trend of social media is growing at a very fast rate. It is therefore important to study the creation and its impact as it goes on to disseminate in the web as well as in our lives. The future of social media in business and among individuals can be predicted to be bright even if little research is available. The content of medium is the older one Social media describes the websites that exchange information in the form of text, pictures, videos, or even other websites. The statistics shows that the social media usage is increasing at a higher rate.
People have come up with the idea of owning personalized accounts, which they use to share information and ideas they would like to share. Business people have also gotten a chance to use social media in establishing direct communication with their potential customers.
