Essay Sample on Social Media

YouTube is currently the worlds most famous online video site. It allows anyone to upload short videos for private or public viewing. Although it was not created for purposes of serving as a social medium, social connections are generated through friend requests, channel subscriptions and commenting on videos. One can be a filmmaker, artist, performer or a teacher on YouTube. It also forms a significant venue for videos of political speeches. Obama and McCain 2008 campaign speeches and Obama and Romney speeches were watched over 3 billion times on YouTube. Funny clips and the amateur videos on how to also dominate YouTube. Most users find this amusing. YouTube comments keep users connected socially.

Tumblr is most common among teens and college-aged users with the majority of users being under 25 years old. The site is a cross between social media site, live streaming application, and microblog. Users post music, visual, and short-form blog entries.

Twitter is a microblogging and social networking site that distinguishes itself from other social media sites by limiting posts to a maximum of 140 words. Unlike other networks, Twitter is an open-access network where anyone can read your posts, and you do not have to approve them becoming your friend first. Anyone can follow whoever they want. It is best for delivery of instant news and engaging in conversations on trending topics. By adding a hashtag to a message, anyone can easily find out about everything being said about a particular issue (Medoff & Kaye, 2017).

Google+ was introduced in 2011 as the social media branch of Google. It contains the same features as other social media only that they are called by different names. Although they have a million users every year, Google has a long way to go to measure up to the likes of Facebook. The numbers can be a bit misleading because it is mandatory to have a Google account to access any of Google services.

Instagram developed in 2010, is the most popular photo-sharing social media site. The majority of its users are female, 68%. It has features like the direct message, hashtags, tagging, and video sharing. Although it is mainly visual, users interact through liking and commenting on photos and videos which can only be posted via its mobile app. Registered users also have profiles in which they describe themselves.

Snapchat a here-and-now photo-messaging app. Photos posted disappear within a few seconds. The feature has attracted many users due to the impermanence of posts, as they cannot come back to haunt you. If someone tries to beat this purpose by taking a screenshot, the user is informed (Medoff &Kaye, 2017).

Blogs are not social media per say, as although blog users exchange information, they do not form friendship circles, unlike other social media. Todays blogosphere is very diverse with new bloggers targeting multicultural and feminist issues to cater for minority groups. The change is progress from the previously white high income, highly educated, libertarian and conservative males dominated sphere (Medoff & Kaye, 2017).

Social media is being used by organizations and companies these days for campaigns. An example of a successful social media campaign is Darcia, a subsidiary of Renault, which used Facebook to create brand awareness and generate leads.

Political efficacy and grassroots advocacy can be achieved through social media. An example is get out to vote message which is effective on social media, particularly on Facebook. People see their friends turning up to vote, and they are also inspired to vote. Also, their friends engaging in a particular political activity encourages their friends to participate in the same. The phenomenon is referred to as social contagion effect (Medoff & Kaye, 2017).

Traditional media could also rely on social media. One can pick up information from the internet and tweet them. The tweets could be hundreds of messages per day. An example is Andy Carvin who turned himself into a one-wire-man. Despite the successes, Twitter still is not a credible news source due to the minority of the population that use it, which is approximately 10% on a typical day.

Social media and internet, in general, have reduced our ability to process information. The internet is continuously feeding us morsels of information. The flashing sounds and images stimulate our brains as a drug does and leaves us wanting extra information. Being hyperactive online has reduced our ability to concentrate for long hours and read deeply.

Social media has an impact on peoples cultures. Our culture is influenced by the exposure to diversity. People are continually getting connected and experiencing different cultures on the various social media. Social media has made it very easy for people to learn from one another via YouTube tutorials, blog posts, and peoples posts. With social media, it is straightforward to make a particular truth known. Twitter can accomplish this through retweets. It has enabled anyone to contribute to essential conversations online. By seeing people online, we mimic their ways of dressing, language, and education. Another effect of social media is that it has made people spend less time interacting with fellow humans face to face due to being addicted to social media, hence preferring to interact with people on social media.

In conclusion, social media has made the world a global village. People from different parts of the globe can interact at any given time instantaneously through the various social media. It is an essential platform to reach particular audience hence can be useful in passing news and marketing.

References

Medoff, N. J., & Kaye, B. K. (2017). Electronic media: Then, now and later.