Social Media Impact on Current Events

We live in a world that something is always happening.  At the same time, we want to know all the information regarding the events as they are happening.  No one wants to wait to find out or to give news reporters time to verify their information.  We have come accustom to the fact that the information that we are initially given about any event will not be completely accurate but we still want to know.  It is a double edge sword that anyone that is reporting the news and events of the day have to deal with.  To be ahead of the game, you have to make sure that you are breaking a story before anyone else.

During the uprising in Egypt, it was through social media that many things came to light.  Many people that were staying the country were using these platforms to let the rest of the world know what was happening in their country.  It was letting their families and friends know that they were ok but also letting the world know some of the things that were happening that the government probably did not want to be brought to light (Youmans 2012).  

It is through social media platforms that groups that are protesting can do this in a non-violent way.  Not only is this making these movements more ongoing, it is helping to make them more effective.  In the Arab world, it is not uncommon for there to be censors on their newscast and newspapers.  That censorship is not on social media.  The information that usually does not get out to the world has been getting out there.  The world is seeing what is happening instead of just want the individual government and their officials would like to have released (Dyer 2016).

Through the different protests that had been going on, there were always the ones that were physically out in the streets.  They were the faces of these protests.  In any other time, these faces would never be seen but with the advancements of social media, they were.  Pictures and videos flooded the internet and different media sites with what was actually going on.  There was no doubt in what was being told to the world by the individuals that were protesting because there was actual proof being posted for the world to see (Childress 2013).

In a world that is always changing, it’s important that people keep up with what is going on around them and the world.  Although some little country may not be on someone’s mind, what is happening to the people in that country could easily happen anywhere.  It is learning and reading about these events that people start to understand what is happening in the world as it is happening.  These events that have been shaping how society is today would have only be stories if it weren’t for the technological advancements with social media platforms.  It’s through these platforms that we know what is happening. 

References

Childress, Sarah (2013, September 17).  Timeline:  What’s Happened Since Egypt’s Revolution?  Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/timeline-whats-happened-since-egypts-revolution/

Dryer, Gwynne (2016, January 20).  Why did only one of the non-violent revolutions find lasting success?  Retrieved from http://www.vueweekly.com/why-did-only-one-of-the-non-violent-revolutions-find-lasting-success/

 

Youmans, W. L., & York, J. C. (2012). Social media and the activist toolkit: User agreements, corporate interests, and the information infrastructure of modern social movements. Journal of Communication, 62(2), 315-329. doi:10.1111/j.1460-2466.2012.01636.x

Social Media Impact on Up and Coming Businesses

Any business stays afloat by the customers that they have.  If there are not constantly trying to increase their customer base, they are not going to thrive in today’s economy.  It is vital that a business in today’s society uses social media to really help spread their names to as many people as possible. It is one of the best advertising tools that any business has nowadays.  For those areas that were not so mainstreamed, it has been the lifeline needs to catapult them to the forefront.  

More and more companies and groups are looking towards social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter to help spread their name.  By connecting with people this way, they are able to start with one individual and grow to hundreds and thousands of followers to their page.  The one thing that many do not anticipate is the amount of time that needs to be put into it.  Social media platforms can be very helpful in advancing any company but if they are not taking the time to see what is happening or the comments that are being left, it is just another page lost in the shuffle.

Embracing the changes and challenges of these new technologies is how many of the smaller companies have been able to grow.  One of the great examples is Moonlight Meadery in Londonderry, NH.  Michael Fairbrother started out with a simple plan to spread the idea of an old tradition, mead.  Similar to wine, it is fermented honey instead of grapes.  It was through their social media pages that they were able to spread the word (O’Neil 2010).  They were able to list times and places that customers could sample their products. 

  

Starting in 2010, Moonlight Meadery has been able to expand throughout New England, the Unites States, and some overseas locations.  Many of these advancements came from the requests they received through social media.  Customers would come to New Hampshire and try the mead but it wasn’t available in their area.  To help these customers that were posting to both their Facebook and Twitter pages, Fairbrother worked to get his company to the requested areas.  Mead production increased throughout the United States 128% from 2013 to 2014 (Hahn 2015).  

This is one shining examples of how marketing through social media has helped grow an industry that is very specific with their audience and product.  By embracing these changes and using them to their advantage, groups are able to ignite their growth.  It’s giving those that were not on anyone’s minds before to make an impact and have society take notice.  But more importantly, to get consumers to take notice of the products that they are producing and have made available to them (Cook 2015)

References

Cook, M. (2015). Social media add twist to modern marketing: Basics still apply despite the march of tech advancement. Arkansas Business, 32(11), 14.

Hahn, Fritz (2015, November 16).  This centuries-old drink isn’t just for Renaissance festivals anymore.  Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/this-centuries-old-drink-isnt-just-for-renaissance-festivals-anymore/2015/11/15/b0c6b638-87d0-11e5-be39-0034bb576eee_story.html

O’Neil, Luke (2013, March 8).  A taste of honey:  Moonlight Meadery.  Retrieved from http://thephoenix.com/boston/food/152580-taste-of-honey-moonlight-meadery/

Social Media Impact in the Workplace

Social media is one of the fastest growing impacts to our society.  No matter what field that you are in, you have been impacted by this growth in social media.  There are more and more people, groups, and companies that are creating some kind of social media platform.  This is the way that many people learning about new advancements, impacting events, and everyday news.  But what is posted is still something that should be thought out prior to submitting that Facebook status update or Tweet on Twitter.

Anyone that works will have a bad day or want to vent.  A growing trend that is being seen is that this venting is done online through different social media websites.  Employees on all the different levels in an organization are using these sites so it is not just the ones in power or the ones doing the everyday tasks.  However, the impact can be very real for any of these individuals if what they are posting makes their employer look negative to the public.

Justine Sacco is a name that spread like wild fire one day because of a tweet that she had posted on her personal Twitter account.  While on her way to Africa on vacation, she posted a tweet saying “Going to Africa, hope I don’t get AIDS, j/k I’m white”.  As you can imagine, it was not taken as a joke to anyone online.  It spread so quickly that a page was created to see when she landed at her destination.  Someone in Africa was there to post when her flight had landed and they saw her in the airport (Washkuch 2014).

By the time that she landed, it was too late to take back what she had written.  There were a number of voicemails, texts, and emails that had come in during her flight (Blachfield 2015).  When boarding the plane she was a senior PR professional with an up and coming future but walking off that plane all that changed.  She was released from her job and was now on the journey of rebuilding her reputation and career.

One tweet was all it took for this person’s life to change.  It’s not only Justine that has been impacted by this.  There are more and more cases being heard in courts regarding wrongful termination over something that an employee had posted on their personal social media account.  It has now reached so far as to be included in many HR agreements with new employees that discussions regarding their jobs are not put on any social media platform without the employer’s consent.  This is one of the great impacts of media advancements today. 

References

Blanchfield, P. (2015). Twitter's outrage machine should be stopped. but justine sacco is the wrong poster child. Washington: WP Company LLC d/b/a The Washington Post. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.snhu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1658053147?accountid=3783

Washkuch, F. (2014, 02). Sacco tweet scandal a lesson for young PR professionals. PRweek, 17, 22. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.snhu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1511913392?accountid=3783