Influence of the Media

After witnessing the social craze produced by Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, and countless others, I am forced to admit that I only utilize one form of new media and that's Facebook.  I began using Facebook as a tool to stay connected to my high school friends, but as the years went by, I began to notice how Facebook itself, has evolved.  Facebook can now be utilized to share information; a tool utilized by businesses and organizations to view feedback directly from consumers to gain knowledge about products.  Facebook can also be used to promote a business; Facebook ads allow any individual or organization to target people in a specific age group, geographic location, and interests, making ads more useful and effective.  And even with the aforementioned advantages available with Facebook, I still have the inclination to stay away from it.  I've come to realize that I stay away from Facebook and other social media platforms because it seems as if it is the "norm" of our society.  But the more I try to distance myself from them, the more I find out how the platforms create a tremendous advantage for public relations.  Now, with this new advantage of social media platforms available, it appears that utilizing social media is of the utmost importance to attain success in the field of public relations.  The more I observe, the more it appears I have to disregard my inhibitions toward the use of social media and use more of its advantages myself...

Social media has not only changed business operations, it has also changed how individuals witness events.  Usually, when events take place, people hear from the individual or organization in charge of the marketing for the event, and the message and experience would be illustrated to be, of course, positive.  But social media has given the microphone and the camera to the people.  The days of strictly professional media platforms, professionals in media that are receiving checks, introducing and providing details of an event and its conclusion are over.  It is now the people who have the opportunity to provide their own individual perspective on local or international events.  This is yet another positive influence social media has on society because it allows the individuals involved in the experience of these particular events to post pictures of what is being shown and also allows for their personal feedback regarding their likes and dislikes in regards to events.  The feedback provided along with the pictures allows others involved with social media platforms to witness the sights and emotions associated with an event without actually being present themselves. Therefore, social media involvement could serve as the stepping stone to a new experience or as a platform for individuals to be informed of the happenings in our society.