Social media has had a major impact on the way people communicate and share information. On the positive side, it allows people who are geographically separate but with similar interests to connect and share information. This has revolutionised social relationships as the concept of "friends" has broadened to include the simple click of a button bestowing some kind of social approval on a person whom you may not have even met. At its worst, trading on its distant, depersonalised concept of "liking", social media facilitates cyberbullying, stalking and identity theft. .
Political Issues - Activism Vs "Slacktivism"
Social media is a great platform for raising awareness of various political issues such as environmental threats, social injustices and corruption. The increased visibility of these issues through social media has ensured that news travels faster than ever and greater numbers of people are made aware and also influenced. On the other side, though, social media allows people the illusion of participating in society by clicking a "Like" button resulting in little actual activism and social change.
Economic Issues - Business Catch 22
The broad reach of social media creates a dilemma for businesses. If they do not have a developed social media platform, they struggle to compete for customers particularly from within the younger generations. However, encouraging customers to "share", "comment" or "like" your business gives a dissatisfied or unpleasant customer a powerful voice. The impact of social media can go both ways. A lot of "shares" can encourage sales but a few unfriendly reviews or responses can result in disproportionate loss of reputation.
No comments:
Post a Comment