Modern Day Uses of Social Media
Social media continues to revolutionise the way we live, work and socialise. Although many features of social media sites are generally just for fun, there are a selection of apps, programmes and features that have truly made life easier and simpler for a variety of reasons. In fact, some of these concepts are so popular that many question how they ever got by without them! Let’s take a look at a few.
Facebook Safety Check
This is a very recent development from Facebook that is designed to alert friends and family that you are okay in case you happen to be close to a natural disaster. This idea seems to have been born of the 2011 Japanese tsunami and earthquake which affected close to 13 million people. During that time, people relied heavily on social media to contact loved ones in order to establish if they were safe. When a natural disaster occurs, Facebook will determine if you are close enough to the location of the event to be at risk and then send you a notification to ask if you are safe. You will then have the option to tell Facebook that you are either not in the area or that you are safe. Your Facebook network will then be alerted of the news.
News
The way that we digest news has also changed massively since social media was adopted on a mass scale. Instead of buying a newspaper to see what’s happening in the world, people are more likely to go online to get their info. When somebody is particularly interested or impressed by an article they are then likely to share that article with their online social networks. This means that more people are going to exposed to that particular piece of news. People are typically curious about what their friends have read and might then read articles found in their news feed.
Facebook Messenger
Facebook messenger is the favourite choice of communication for many and people are increasingly likely to use it over an email or text message, countless people even prefer it to using the phone. Being able to see who is online, who has read your messages and be able to conduct video calls, make voice notes and send images all from the same platform make Facebook messenger a winner.
Advertising
Businesses have had to adjust to the preference of social media when it comes to advertising their products and services. People are also more inclined to buy a product or use a service when they can see that their friends have given that particular product or service a positive review – and there is no better way to do that these days then via social media. Although setting up a company page or profile on a selection of social media platforms and trying to reach people organically is great, it is also possible to pay to promote your posts and reach a much wider audience. This is effective in refreshing your brand image in the minds of existing customers as well as targeting entirely new people.
These four concepts barely scratch the surface of how social media has affected our lives and new developments are constantly underway. With the advance of mobile technology, the opportunities for new ideas to be used on a wide scale is even more exciting for those who wish to embrace it.
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