Why social media is so appealing?

Weekly Reflection Post

We are all familiar with and most likely participate in social media.  Social media is a means of electronically communicating with individuals and groups around the world through various websites, apps and online communities.  Sharing thoughts, content, ideas, videos, images and music instantly with your connected digital community.    

We understand what it is, but why is it so appealing?  One way to look at that is social media can even the playing field, in some instances. Prior to having connections through social media, you would need to “know somebody” in order to get your music track heard, your manuscript read, your political interests backed, etc.  There were traditional channels and protocol that one would need to follow in order to achieve their personal success.

With the advent of social media, the power has shifted away from the few and been placed at the feet of the many.  If you want to drop new songs, push them out on Soundcloud or make a video on your phone and post it on YouTube.  You can upload your book to self publishing sites and promote them through your social media or personal blogs. Social media has provided a mechanism for all of us to have a voice and push out our messages to the masses. Those messages can sometimes grow organically and become “viral.” That is very appealing in itself.

Social media continues to grow because of the ability it affords everyday citizens and the way we all enjoy communicating has evolved as well.  Video content continues to grow and social media applications that provide new, user friendly ways to engage with that find success. 

We see some social media survive over the years, like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter.  Others fail over time like Myspace and Vine.  It’s a fast-moving space and social media need to continue to evolve and innovate the platform capabilities.  Those that do not evolve either get purchased or their users are attracted to competitors and they eventually fold.

Regardless of the platform, social media is here to stay and is ingrained into the fabric of our global society. 

Social media give a voice to the voiceless and a means of communicating your message throughout the world. Good, bad or indifferent, there has never been a point in human history where everyday citizens of the world can share their insights to a global audience instantly from their own hand, via a mobile device.