Sunday, November 27, 2011

Social Media: Evolving Human Interaction

By William Salter


Most people who use social networking sites will have one of "those" friends; the friend who constantly updates his profile page. You, along with everyone else on his friends list, know every little humdrum detail about his life, from the color of his socks to what he had for dinner. Sometimes the frequent updates are entertaining, but more often than not they're insufferable. It can quite often seem that social networking sites give us nothing more than unimportant detail. Even so, such sites aren't just for the people who share too much information.

Social media has really taken off in recent years, and people are increasingly interacting online. Sites such as Twitter, Facebook and Google+ make it easy for people to contact and stay in touch with friends who they haven't spoken to in years. Social media has also made it easier for distant family members to keep in contact. Before the Internet, you would need to develop photos and then send them through the mail, taking days to organize and arrive. Even with email, the process took time, as you would need to first add each recipient to the email. With social media sites, photos can be shared easily with all your friends and family. The added advantage of social media is that you choose how often and to what degree you want to interact.

Using social media is also a great way of finding new and fantastic businesses. More businesses are increasing their profiles on social media sites such as Twitter, Google+ and Facebook, as it's an effective strategy for promoting themselves to their customer base. Many of their customers regularly use these sites and will see news about the company's business and products pop up on their newsfeed. We customers benefit too as we can get hold of exclusive promotional offers, and get up-to-date news and sale notices.

Social media also lets us interact with businesses in a new way. Never before has it been so easy to interact personally with a company. From discussion boards to social media parties, we get to know the people behind a business. Real time interaction lets us ask questions and get answers. Social media lets customers and businesses build a meaningful relationship with one another.

It's easier than ever before to connect with people who share your interests and opinions. Social networking sites enable people to come together from all over the world to talk about common philosophies, interests and goals. Your world is now a lot bigger thanks to social media.

Social media sites have also made networking easier. In the past, we'd go to a conference and get a business card from someone and never contact them. It's awkward to start a telephone conversation with "I met you once at..." We risk sounding like a fool when the person on the other end of the line has no idea who we are. It's so much easier to send a friend request. There's no awkward silence on the other end of the line. You can add someone to your network right there from your smartphone before the conference is even over. In the age of cut-throat business, it's important to network and keep in contact with associates.

Above all, social media is convenient. It's accessible from smartphones, computers and tablets. It enables us to stay in touch with all the different groups of people in our life, from family and friends to business acquaintances. We can interact as much or as little as we like, and interactions can often be less stressful than face-to-face exchanges.

The way people communicate has changed. Although you may have to filter out the posts from "that friend" about what she's eaten today, the advantages of social media certainly outweigh the disadvantages. Social media has made interaction easy; there's never been a better time than now to stay in touch.




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