Social Networking

Social media technologies can be used in a myriad number of ways by corporations and folks in general. Corporations can use social media to create and project a stronger brand image which can reach countless individuals effortlessly and with minimum cost. Brand images can be pushed through many different social media sites. Furthermore, when firms are launching new products and services, they may be able to introduce them through the different social media websites. This may spark discussions between friends which in turn, will spread the news much faster. Small businesses and local restaurants are able to create an online display of themselves through Yelp, Facebook, and Twitter; garnering comments, ratings (Yelp), and check-ins’ (Facebook) which ignite the curiosity and interest of social media friends to perhaps check out these establishments for themselves. Lastly, corporations and business firms can use social media for recruitment purposes. For example, an article called “Social Networking Technology Boosts Job Recruiting”, written by Frank Langfitt, from NPR.org, states that “Using LinkedIn, Steckerl says he can scout a group of job candidates in just half an hour” (par.20). This shows the smoothness of such professional social media networks, it not only saves the cost of heavy recruitment efforts but also provides a large candidate pool of extremely talented professionals in one fell swoop. This allows recruiters to focus more on finding the right potential employee rather than on how well recruitment efforts may be functioning. People may use social media to further build relationships and bonds with family and friends. Social media becomes a tool to stay in contact with family who may be international and with friends from elementary, middle, or high school. Also, people can utilize social media to find better jobs and careers through LinkedIn, Monster.com, and Indeed.com. They may use social media to discuss and display the latest news and personal events. New media can be used for educational purposes for individuals as well, as is with our class. Some of the benefits of these technologies include vast communication availabilities at our fingertips, due to these technologies we are able to communicate with any one worldwide. People have increasing amounts of information on many different events and going ons’ of the world. They are better able to connect with others who may have similar interests as them. For example, an article from freakonomics.com, called “Is Myspace Good For Society?”, Danah Boyd, had stated that “as an ethnographer traipsing across the U.S., I have heard innumerable stories of how social media has been used to bring people together, support learning, and provide an outlet for creative expression” (par.37). The dark side to social media is identity theft, the concern of how much displayed information on social media websites is too much, cyber bullying, spam, phishing, and less productivity due to too much usage time of these technologies. For example, an interesting article written by Jeffery R. Young, called “They're Back, and They're Bad: Campus-Gossip Web Sites” discusses the dangers of online bullying, mudslinging, and plain old name calling. Within this article, it is quoted stating that “"internet shaming creates an indelible blemish on a person's identity," wrote Daniel J. Solove, a professor of law at George Washington University, in his 2007 book, The Future of Reputation: Gossip, Rumor, and Privacy on the Internet (Yale University Press). "It's similar to being forced to wear a digital scarlet letter or being branded or tattooed. People acquire permanent digital baggage. They are unable to escape their past, which is forever etched into Google's memory"” (par.15). This displays the true dangers and permanence of such negative acts. The consequences can be tough to overcome as they can lead to a tough time finding a job in the right career. I think that these technologies will change and evolve in many unimaginable ways in the future; I think they will become more personal, so where ever we go on the internet it’s like we are leaving a visible bread crumb trail all over the internet. I believe that in the future, our personal lives will be more assimilated and integrated with social media, making it hard to separate the two entities. As we become more and more intertwined with social media technologies, I hope there will be more privacy options as well as laws to protect its many users.