That's what we have right here. Over the course of this post, I will touch on how media is impacting and changing our lives. The overall theme I will be touching on will be how social media have virtually changed the way we interact.
As I review the articles we have covered in this class, a good chuck of them relay a similar message, and a good chunk of that message is about Facebook and it's impact on the world. From the very first week we read an article titled "Keep calm and carry on 'Liking'...". Not too long after I read it, I began to realize that we "like" a lot of things. I started to notice when people would comment on something and say they were going to "like" that, and actually I think the word was a fad for awhile. I know I have said like in response to someone stating an idea or phrase.
The article affectionately asking do we "Feel like a wallflower?..." commented on how because of technology we can hardly sit still. We are actually addicted to our Facebook walls. When someone check in someplace or if there are new pictures posted we have the need to check. As humans, we actually fear missing out on something. Now, on that same page knowing that Aunt Velma checked into her bathroom is a little much but maybe she want everyone to know!
I'm going to switch gears for a bit and talk about Twitter. One of the most revolutionary tools the internet has to freely offer. As many of us know, earlier this year there was an Egyptian Revolution. The people were done with the government and basically stuck it to the man. What the people want, the people get, and they will surely find a way to get it. From this article we can gather some specifics on how social media played into this. I really like that "Facebook and Twitter may be the Gutenberg press of the Middle East." During the revolution Egypt tried to shut down the internet and we all know that didn't work out too well for them. The overwhelming use of Twitter to plan events and rallies and share mass information with a mass audience was something we had not seen from social media. In 2010 when Biz Stone was at Ball State University he said something along the lines of, "the people will use the technology however they need it, we just have to provide it." This has been prove in his own company. Twitter has been provided to the people and the people are utilizing it in many different ways.
Because there is such use on Twitter, there have been several studies that track our nations mood. It has been found that Twitter users congregate based upon mood. If you are a generally unhappy person, it has been found that you will not re-tweet and reply to posts on you feed but if your day has been excellent you are more likely to tweet a positive statement and re-tweet/reply to others. Also, you can track the mood of our nation throughout the day. It has been found that generally, people are happier before and after work. Do you remember mood rings from the 90's? Some researchers are calling it a "hedonimeter, a device that measures happiness." And I would like to agree with this statement. Next time you are watching a large event or something as small as a TV shows, check your trending topics and I would like to think that at least one of them will be relevant to a major TV event.
Switching to the topic of small business' and media. I have said this in an earlier blog and I would like to reiterate it. Social media is a small business' best friend. Advertising with an account or even paying for sidebar advertising is still cheaper than huge TV campaigns or sometimes print ads. Small business' should utilize Twitter because "the beauty of digital word-of-mouth marketing" is priceless. Friend telling other friends to buy this product or go to this restaurant. With that being said though, small business owners need to consider the pros and cons of using social media. A small business can use it properly, put out just enough advertizing and coupons or mess everything up by offering too much and collapsing upon itself.
As we navigate back to a Middle East, this article proves that social media is used to support people. Ms. Sharif was jailed for 9 days because she drove he vehicle. She was sticking it to the man (quite literally) and they tried to do something about it. While she was jailed for 9 days, there were hundreds of women who rallied and protested this. Social media is becoming a staple in the Middle East for open lines of communication as well as distributing information.
On a much lighter note, we have all gotten the inevitable FarmVille request and clicked no. I'm not saying FarmVille is good or evil, but who says social games are shallow? Have you ever felt like you had to play in secrete? I know I have and it may be because, "Popular wisdom holds that because they're more intuitive, approachable and inviting than traditional video games, social games are shallow." Facebook has been used as a platform for social games. In corelation with uping season of TV, many shows have created games for Facebook so you can get you fill of the show when it's not on air. Social games do not have to be something to be ashamed of anymore.
There are so many uses for social media. We must never forget the almost infinite uses for these social media tools and utilize them to our best advantage. After all the technology is here, what are we going to do with it?
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