For part 1 of this subject I took a very lighthearted yet cynical view about Social Media and its users. For part 2 I'm going to take a more objective view on the subject matter. For those who don't know my company is a Below the Line Ad Agency, which focuses on non-traditional advertising. So basically Social Media is on my mind and my clients' mind 24/7.Maybe that's why I keep talking about it. But this blog piece is my elementary Freakonomics moment where I want to combine Social Media and different instances in time.
The question still arises though, "Why do we keep going on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, MySpace, and the occasional LinkedIn connection?" My answer is simple but like most simple things in life, it is hard to understand. I hear a lot of people complaining people that the net and SM platforms are taking away the social aspect of everyday life, that kids will not be able to communicate or interact anymore. I have a different look at it. In the 80s and early 90s most business men were using phones, faxes, and couriers to transfer information to their clients. Now all it takes is an email or even a text message with a link to a PDF to send that information. Don't get me wrong Client relationships need to be strong, but a lot of work can be done via a weekly conference call instead of constant contact during the work week.
This is where I believe most modern workers lost a feeling of being social. Technology took away the social aspect of work and home, but yet technology also brought the solution. The more un-social work and home has gotten, the more demand of being social was on the rise. Hence the rise of Social Networks. All of a sudden social spaces went from being perverted to trendy and finally the New Norm. The New Norm re-connected many people and enhanced their social well being. For instance my "frat house" roommate from Delta Chi and myself, message each other about meeting up and occasionally when the magic moment where both of us are free, we finally get together for a drink. And this is only possible because of Social Media.
As I said before, this is how I define Social Media:
The question still arises though, "Why do we keep going on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, MySpace, and the occasional LinkedIn connection?" My answer is simple but like most simple things in life, it is hard to understand. I hear a lot of people complaining people that the net and SM platforms are taking away the social aspect of everyday life, that kids will not be able to communicate or interact anymore. I have a different look at it. In the 80s and early 90s most business men were using phones, faxes, and couriers to transfer information to their clients. Now all it takes is an email or even a text message with a link to a PDF to send that information. Don't get me wrong Client relationships need to be strong, but a lot of work can be done via a weekly conference call instead of constant contact during the work week.
This is where I believe most modern workers lost a feeling of being social. Technology took away the social aspect of work and home, but yet technology also brought the solution. The more un-social work and home has gotten, the more demand of being social was on the rise. Hence the rise of Social Networks. All of a sudden social spaces went from being perverted to trendy and finally the New Norm. The New Norm re-connected many people and enhanced their social well being. For instance my "frat house" roommate from Delta Chi and myself, message each other about meeting up and occasionally when the magic moment where both of us are free, we finally get together for a drink. And this is only possible because of Social Media.
As I said before, this is how I define Social Media:
“The collective thoughts, emotions, memories and events of many modern human beings”
-http://youngrichnerdy.blogspot.com
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