There have been numerous and significant changes, and considerable progress in the information and communication technology industry since the past decade. One of the most essential and crucial trends that emerged was the social media phenomenon, and the potential and opportunities that it had on offer to the society, were in abundance.
One would not be wrong to admit that this development has brought about such monumental changes in the society, that by in large, organizations around the world, consider it to have a major influence on the perspectives and perceptions of the society. An analysis of the KPCB Internet Trends Report of 2015 does help understand that the usage of mobile phones for the objective of accessing digital content and digital media is considerably higher than the usage of laptops or computers.
Source: Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (KPCB)
Source: Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (KPCB)
To address and understand the actual impact social media has had on the world, it is logical to first address the reasons as to why users actually share information. To understand and dwell deeper into this subject, we felt that it was only wise to start researching a study that was conducted by New York Times, with a sample size of 2,500 people who often express their thoughts using the online channels.
As observed, the main reasons behind people using social media as the primary platform to pen their thoughts and ideas, were, to support a cause they feel strongly about, share valuable information, build an image, demonstrate their identity, to interact and socialize and to participate in things happening around the world.
SOCIAL MEDIA- IMPACT ON COMMERCE
With the growth of internet it led to the integration and emergence of a world economy that transcended all boundaries. There has been a surge in newer and unconventional forms of businesses like Ecommerce that have emerged only in the previous two decades.
There has been an increase in the number of service oriented organizations around the world that want to leave a mark. To cater to the growing marketing needs of these organizations, companies around the world now look towards Social Media.
Social Media Marketing has gained a lot of popularity lately and has completely redefined the way organizations used to strategize or manage their marketing campaigns. It has become a platform wherein, if a campaign is implemented properly, organizations can definitely succeed in building a name and a brand for themselves and their products and services.
Not just this, Social Media Marketing has proved itself to be a reasonable and a more effective channel for marketing campaigns for businesses, thus, compelling organizations to rework their strategies.
SOCIAL MEDIA- IMPACT ON POLITICS & GOVERNANCE
Recent studies and researches conducted, show that social media has played a tremendous role in mobilizing the masses and influencing their views and perspectives. It is often used by organizations to understand the schematics and manners in which people perceive the diverse ideas they are subjected to.
While trying to understand the impact social media can have on people, this article would also like to throw some light on how marketing campaigns designed by political parties around the world revolve around social media.
We have seen recently in the 2016 Presidential Elections, where both the candidates took digs at each other’s policies, promoted their own agendas with the hope of strengthening the voter opinion for their campaigns. Flying tweets, Facebook posts, pictures from the rallies conducted to express support, thus, became a common sight for users.
Thus, seeing the numbers from the past, it is easy to deduce that the candidates who have excelled at the panache of sharing issues, while they’ve still been hot, have often had an improved performance than their counterparts.
Source: Google Images
Other than commerce and politics, social media has managed and succeeded in bringing about a bigger social change globally. It has a significant role in helping and assisting people climb the corporate ladder and thus elevating their career paths.
Source: LinkedIn
CONCLUSION
We have always been compelled to believe that information is power. However, without a channel of distributing this information, it is not possible for people to harness this power. Hence, social media fills the gap and provides for an apt medium to disperse and share the content amoungst the world denizens. Channels like Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, Twitter and other social media networking sites have made it feasible to access and use this content at the click of a button.