Class Posts

Social Media is the Best Tool

There’s a reason that Facebook has over 2.89 active monthly users, according to CNBC’s quarterly report from Facebook. Just this single platform of social media has connected people from all over the world despite their race, language, religion, or beliefs. Users enjoy the ease of reconnecting with old friends and knowing there is one platform that most, if not all, of their friends have available with just a tap on a phone. Facebook is not the only one connecting people, but many other dozens of platforms such as Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram have also become a part of the social media app essentials according to Hootsuite’s article on “21 of the Best Social Media Apps for Marketers in 2020.” Social media has become a positive influence on society overall because of its ability to connect with others, market a brand, and foster social movements. 

According to Siva Vaidhyanathan’s book, ‘anti-social media’, Mark Zuckerberg said, “Facebook was not originally created to be a company. It was built to accomplish a social mission—to make the world more open and connected.” While not everyone shares Zuckerberg’s benign beliefs for mobile relationships as Vaidhyanathan’s book argues, the main idea of social media is to help others connect. Meeting new people and re-connecting with others has become convenient and fast for users. By just searching for a name, a user can find the person they were looking for and get updated on their life. This allows relationships—new and old—to last. 

Social media allows companies, organizations, and people to market their own brand. As Vaidhyanathan refers to it in his book, the attention economy is how social media is used to help marketers capture the attention of consumers. When all someone needs is a device with a Wi-Fi connection, social media has become a great space for companies and organizations to promote their brand. People also promote brands, too. Vaidhyanathan says, “On Facebook, everything is an advertisement and advertisements are everything.” This applies to people, too. Whether users realize it or not, the content they post is a part of their brand. This can eventually help them with jobs or make connections for their future or new social friend group. This makes social media the greatest tool for marketing because of the large audience and convenience of information it has gained through the years.  

Social media has helped many social movements rise and unite people with a common goal. Twitter has been the leading social media platform to bring awareness to many social movements. The #MeToo movement is one of the most recognizable social media movements used for feminist activism. This digital activism raised awareness of sexual assault and let victims raise their voice in a supporting community. This support would have otherwise been nonexistent without the use of social media. Thanks to this movement, awareness of sexual violence and the victims that are left behind have been able to find the support and resources for help. 

Vaidynathan raised some very good points in his book on how social media platforms have been a negative influence on society, but overall, social media can help someone excel and be used for good. I do believe social media has become the greatest tool to connect with others—whether that be friends or consumers—and it’s impossible to live without it in today’s ever-changing and globally-aware world.