The present day world is all about information. People live for it…people live out of it. It is through social media that information is crossing borders at just a few clicks of the mouse, contributing in the overall process of globalization.
Yes, it is true that Internet has got a new dimension with the introduction of social media. Most of us are aware of a number of such platforms, which we probably use on a regular basis; Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, LinkedIn and so on.
We use it for Education, News, Jobs, Matrimony, Entertainment and more…social media is huge!
Millions of people come together under one roof of social media, incredible isn’t it? Analyzing the potential of such a versatile communication tool, online media experts have designed various platforms to cater to different needs of different people.
Here is an analysis of some of the reasons to know why social media has taken the Internet by storm:
The way of perfect expression:
Blogging is probably one of the most popular ways of expressing view points, which makes it very interesting for keen readers. Blogs not only educate about a particular topic but also help in shaping people’s opinion about the same.
Like in the case of the Egypt Revolution, people started expressing their views through blogs, which brought the commoners together and joined hands in support of the cause. It’s through social media that the revolution got the spark and gained accelerant to go global.
This world is a small place!
Social media helps you go viral and spread news to the world in less than a minute. Platforms like Twitter, Tumblr, Plurk and a number of others are specially designed for spreading messages lightning fast. These websites allow you to publish news in micro-blog format. So you have the gist of what is happening exactly.
For example, some of the biggest news of the year like the Japan Earthquake, the Tsunami, President Obama’s declaration of Osama Bin Laden’s death and several other events were first published on social media sites. While the press tried to cover the whole story, the initial news had already spread worldwide.
Which community do you belong?
Social media is not about who you are but it’s about who you connect with. The moment a community is established; there are participants and not observers. As a communicator you definitely want response from your listeners. So, when you are addressing a particular community, it increases the rate of responses than usual.
Say for example, you are a member of a bloggers community; a blog posted in the particular community will get you more responses than elsewhere. Some of the popular community building sites include Ning, Forums, and more.
What are people talking about?
Public forums or group communication is all in vogue in today’s world. It is probably the best way to find out what people think about a particular topic. If you have checked out Quora, then you would definitely get my point. Many market researchers consider discussion forums to be a great way to figure out the status of a particular product or service in the market.
Platforms like Vanilla forums, Forums and Lefora have been catering to such market demands. All you have to do is post a discussion topic on which you’d like to get people’s opinion and follow the comment posts. Active participation from your end will also help you get better responses.
The noticeable thing in social media is that it has given communication a giant leap. With all these features merged together, the medium has transformed communication into interactive dialogues. It is no more just local or just global. It is ‘glocal’ spreading like a wild fire.
Information has never traveled any faster or wider ever before.
The present-day world is all about information. People live for it…people live out of it. It is through social media that information is crossing borders at just a few clicks of the mouse, contributing to the overall process of globalization.
