Has social media become more than just a convenient way to stay in touch with friends and family? Well i don't know how about i make a Facebook page and open up a forum, or maybe a You Tube video is the way to go. I could also Tweet about it. The fact that all i have to do to spread my ideas and opinions is turn on my computer never ceases to amaze. Social media has become a way of life for most. A means to spread the word, whatever it may be, whatever I want it to be. In the world of social media you become your own entity. Something company's search for, people follow, people comment on and like and dislike and TALK about!
To say social media is just a means to stay in touch would be a vast understatement. The world lives on computers now. What people did yesterday doesn't matter unless pictures were taken, videos were posted, blogs were written and re-blogged and re-blogged and you check your in box to see that Danny had waaaay tof mush to draaaank on Saturday night. Let's comment " Been there, done that". But in the world of social media you could end up being the next victim of a friendly paparazzi nightmare. Next time Danny i'd drink water.
As convenient as it may be to have the world at your fingertips one must remember that we are not the only ones with access to it. With the world of social media exploding , company's now have an easy way to get to know candidates for employment. Lets rule out the interview process and see what these people are really like. How about we check out their Twitter, Tumbler, Facebook, Myspace, Google+, Youtube and any other site that this person is affiliated with. Then we will really know who we are hiring...or not. You can have the best resume in the world but with easy access to your personal life at the click of a button it won't matter. Judgement s are now being made about how you spend your personal time. If you happen to have nothing to tweet about except what you put on your sandwich, chances are that management job you had your eye on might be slightly out of your reach, unless it's at Burger King.
Even the police can find the person who robbed that corner store last night because everyone posts EVERYTHING online. I'm technically just telling my computer that 'i totally smashed that window'. No one is going to read this except everyone!
With everything posted online adds are even know becoming personalized. Most add companies use social media sites to sell you stuff, and people put up with it and most likely even buy the stuff because there life awaits just on the other side of that add.
Now to end this blog abruptly!
Social media has become much, much more than a means for staying in touch with just people, it has become a way we stay in touch with the world. And how the world stays in touch with us.
That is by far the best blog i've read so far on the subject.
ReplyDeleteThe commentary on how people post things that incriminate themselves is my favorite part! Like in the vancouver riots, people posted pictures of themselves and friends burning cars, damaging private property, breaking store front windows, and on and on! Little do people think that they have now posted photo evidence online for all to see.
I find it interesting to note how potentially dangerous social media has become if left unchecked. Just as with your example of employers looking into your personal life or Mattie's point on the Vancouver riots, the consequences of our actions can be devastating on our personal lives if we don't carefully monitor what we upload to social media sites. In some cases, it may not even be possible to monitor these things. Let's assume a rioter was photographed by a cell phone camera; they have no control over where that photograph goes, and if people are searching for rioters, they very well might stumble upon this photograph. In a way, the spread of social media is making it more difficult to do anything private - this may lead to a good outcome of course (crime rates dropping?) or something more sinister (big brother is watching).
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