Social Media is…

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Linkedin
• Blogging
• Foursquare
• Wiki
• Podcast
• YouTube
• Flickr
• …

…and so much more.

But most importantly – Social Media is…

A relationship built on conversations through social media channels to establish a strong community around your brand/product.

The downside – Social Media is…

A din of conversations spread through multiple channels that you not only struggle to keep track of, but you have no control over.

Human ingenuity and technology have evolved into a cohesive connection resulting in the continuous progression of co-dependency. With the growing prevalence of the Internet the explosion of social media is fast becoming a significant part of our lives. The advent of readily available access to the Internet through smart phones, computers, tablets, etc. have developed devices that are integrating seamlessly into our lives.
Social media didn’t happen overnight. There was an evolutionary process in the way the Internet delivered various information into our lives. From chat rooms to forums in the early 1990’s to the popular blogs and social networking websites we see today. Social media is a part of our every day lives.
Social media is technically a means for social interaction through the web. The purpose is that it allows a free-flowing exchange of ideas through user generated content. Many websites offer various methods of interaction with its members, and there are a variety of niches.
Social Media’s impact on today’s society is turning Jenn into a world that connects far more than we have ever connected in the past. Individuals today have grown accustomed to accessing various avenues of social media on a daily basis. The desire or need to network, share thoughts and ideas with the world, and keep up to date on the latest news. Social media is very much ingrained into daily life.
The following video is a popular social media tool in itself, but also gives a perspective on the impact that social media has on today’s society.

Social media is continually transforming today’s society.
How much has changed in society as a result of social media? Just 20 years ago the average person was just beginning to become associated with the internet.

Social Media is:

“media” an in a place where publications occur.
“social” as in sharing of ideas or opinions with a community.
The “social” in social media also implies the tools, places and services that allow people to gather for interaction. Social media allows individuals to gather and express themselves in a much more simple and immediate fashion. By giving people this capability, they not only have the ability to share ideas, opinions and other contents, but also (if they wish) gain notoriety, and expand their influence.
The ability to do so has altered the way ideas change hands and how fast those ideas spread. At the same time, news and any information that would usually take days or even weeks to go from one location to another can now occur in seconds. This ease of communication has never been so available to people around the world as it is now and it is still continuing to evolve.
Social media is forever changing the way our society works, whether it’s the sharing of an idea, the communication of news, or the availability of a product or service. Society today is on the verge of a new way of existing that it’s never experienced before. No longer will people from one side of the world be really able to say that they will never see a person or communicate with someone from the other side of the world ever in their life. No longer will the spreading of information or the expressing of an opinion be able to be completely silenced. As long as there is a person who wishes to express their opinion, share their music or art, or simply say hello to another human being in another country or culture, social media will allow them to do so.