What is Social Media?
At the moment everyone is trying to define social media and what it means. Its even harder to sum up social media is just one sentence. Recently the awesome Mashable put out the question ‘what is social media?’ to it’s many readers, they had some great responses and showcased the top 20. I found some of the answers a bit fluffy and not very clear to those who are not already engrossed in social media. I also think social media is a combination of all of the answers given.
Yesterday @lorirtaylor Tweeted this great article from Simon Mainwaring’s blog. Social media explained by a 9 year old in one sentence.
“When I make my art about a flower it is not showing you who the flower is, but to tell you about me. – Elyssa Age 9.”
Like Simon I thought it was a great quote and it should be how we see the people using social media. It’s not just the content people are putting out on social media but it’s that the content is telling you a little bit about themselves. I think this is such a nice way of describing social media but again I don’t think it gives a clear definition.
Social media is still fairly new and I don’t think there is a right or wrong answer at the moment but to me SOCIAL MEDIA IS LIFE ONLINE.
It is a place where you connect with friends and family, share your lives in status updates pictures and video. With mobile technology you can tell all your friends your exact location. It’s entertainment, we can play games, watch our favourite TV programmes, see the world’s best artwork, get the most amazing recipies and take virtual tours of museums. You meet new people on social media be it new friends, potential relationships or business connections. We can set up communities where people all over the world can connect and share a topic they are passionate about. It’s not all fun and games companies also use social media for business to build new relationships, organise online conferences and networking events, they can build brand and customer loyalty and sell their products direct to their target demographic. We learn on social media, by following businesses, news sectors and industry leaders who constantly share their opinions and breaking news.
Soon everything you do online is likely to be integrated with social media, for example Facebook are introducing shopping tabs so you don’t even have to leave Facebook to buy a pair of shoes and while your shopping you have your library of friends to ask their advice.
I can talk all day about social media and what it means to me but I fear you guys wont read my lengthy rants so ill keep it to small instalments. I would really like to hear your thoughts on what you think social media is and what it means to you.