Social media itself is a changing trend where
we see more and more people of all ages and ethnicities adapting social media
tools. Social media continues to expand not because we develop more technology,
but because we develop more relationships. As stated in The 6 Pillars of Social Commerce: Understanding the Psychology of
Engagement,
“Social media is about social science not technology. As such, its
value is not realized in the Likenomics of relationship status nor in the
scores individuals earn by engaging in social networks. The value of social
media comes down to people, relationships, and the meaningful actions between
them. As such, its value is measured through the exchange of social currencies
that contribute to one’s capital within each network. Through conversations,
what we share, and the content we create, consumer and curate, we individually
invest in the commerce of information and the relationships that naturally
unfold. It is in how these relationships take shape that is both in and out of
our control. This is why the age of social networking, relevant engagement
counts for everything.” (Solis, 2012)
In the future, people can expect to see social
media more prevalent in the work place as employers are turning to the Internet
world to seek potential candidates, and cross-reference candidates with their
online profiles. Businesses and entrepreneurs are using more social media tools
to advertise and market themselves to consumers. In the workplace, within an
organizations social media tools are being used to complete teamwork and
assignments, and to host mass conversations, experiences and opinions. Social
media is becoming the way we in personal and professional lives communicate, to
build relationships and to create connections. Social media reinforces the
popular saying, “Its all about who you know.”
As social media transforms from a trend to the
way we live our lives, it changes and shapes the expectations and actions around
privacy. As a culture, we already see the shift whereby people blur the line
between what is private and what is not. On social networking sites, such as
Facebook, it is increasingly more acceptable to post pictures, opinions, likes,
dislikes and even your whereabouts. To what degree and magnitude of those
private things are acceptable to be exposed? That is up the profiler. As more
and more people are pushing the envelope (and relaxing) we are exposed to more
and more personal information, and this is becoming the norm. In this
illustration, social media is changing the way in which the user develops
relationships because the users online “friends” on Facebook now know more
about them than normally expected, and therefore, online relationships are becoming
more and more personal. Also, employers can search an employee’s name, and find
more information about the employee than he or she would like. Is that an
invasion of privacy? If people allow complete strangers to access their most
valuable and private information, where is the line drawn? The privacy
expectations around social networking sites will have to change, whether or not
people completely agree with the invasion of privacy.
Along the same lines, I believe that people will see a predominate relationship between social media outlets and the mobile phone developing.Previously, people would wait to be in a private setting before engaging in social media networking. As the number of people using mobile phones with social media increases we see a larger number of people engaging in social media acts outside of private places, such as, at work, at school, at the mall, at restaurants, in the car and on public transportation. The increased usage of technology with readily available social media tools is on a positive note, increasing response times, but on a negative note also blurring the line of privacy. It is becoming acceptable for the user to always be available to be contacted and engaged with, if the user is not, it is seen as neglecting social networking responsibilities. For example: In class, how many of you were engaged with the social media application Draw Something? And how many of you experienced harassment from others when you did not respond and play the game quickly—even though you were in a learning environment and supposed to be focused on the course content? Even though, always being connected and available for interaction is a good thing at times, when is there time for the much appreciated and needed personal down time?
Along the same lines, I believe that people will see a predominate relationship between social media outlets and the mobile phone developing.Previously, people would wait to be in a private setting before engaging in social media networking. As the number of people using mobile phones with social media increases we see a larger number of people engaging in social media acts outside of private places, such as, at work, at school, at the mall, at restaurants, in the car and on public transportation. The increased usage of technology with readily available social media tools is on a positive note, increasing response times, but on a negative note also blurring the line of privacy. It is becoming acceptable for the user to always be available to be contacted and engaged with, if the user is not, it is seen as neglecting social networking responsibilities. For example: In class, how many of you were engaged with the social media application Draw Something? And how many of you experienced harassment from others when you did not respond and play the game quickly—even though you were in a learning environment and supposed to be focused on the course content? Even though, always being connected and available for interaction is a good thing at times, when is there time for the much appreciated and needed personal down time?
Solis, Brian. "The 6 Pillars of
Social Commerce: Understanding the Psychology of Engagement." Social
Media Today. 05 Apr. 2012. Web. 10 Apr. 2012.
<http://socialmediatoday.com/briansolis/484521/6-pillars-social-commerce-understanding-psychology-engagement>
