Do we 'like' Social Media?

"What do we define as social media and virtual community, what is blogging and how does it fit into the social media landscape?  What makes a virtual community? Is this NEW media good, bad, both or do we not really know?!"

 

Social media provides avenues for audiences to connect, engage and collaborate in a digital world.  Scholars define Social Media to be more than simply networking sites but also blogs, wikis, forums and other user-generated media (Schrock, 2009 - cited in McNealy 2011, p. 259).  Together these all form a 'virtual community'.

 

Researchers and their findings such as Blanchard and Marcus (2004) suggest that a 'virtual community' consists of feelings of membership, integration of needs and shared emotional connections.  Some findings interestingly suggest that virtual communities provide increased sensitivity and increased validity of content shared COMPARED TO FACE-TO-FACE communities (Blanchard 2007, p.829).

 

BLOGGING is a part of this 'virtual community'.  Blogs are generally rather brief chunks of information presented as a 'post' that can be described as an online version of a diary - an opportunity to express one's thoughts & or experiences, plus another avenue for one to self-present and develop their identity.   

"The number of adults using social networking sites increased by almost 600% in the four years between February 2005 and September 2009" Lenhart, Purcell, Smith & Zichuhr 2010, p.17, cited in McNealy (2011) p.259.

MEDIA TRANSFORMATION...

TRADITIONAL MEDIA: media content delivered to a PASSIVE audience...TV, newspapers, radio, magazines
NEW MEDIA: media content delivered online for ENGAGING audiences via innovative interactive platforms...blogs, podcasts, videos, links and graphics
SOCIAL MEDIA: evolved from new media and involves a high level of interaction, collaboration and participation through social networking sites...Twitter, Facebook, Blogger, Instagram


PARTICATORY CULTURE
Henry Jenkins also asserts that online media participation challenges media industries and creates more diversity; your average person has a voice and can make a difference through the new PARTICATORY media culture...

Howard Rheingold believed that participation and cooperation through digital media e.g. blogging for example, could bring increased levels of equality and democracy, whilst at the same time eliminating differences....

"Any virtual community that works, works because people put in some time"

                                                                                                 ...Howard Rheingold

 

CON's of Social Media...

Decreases accountability, creates a 'faceless' barrier for cowards to hide behind e.g cyber-bullying

 

Dumbs down language and grammar through use of abbreviations, slang and symbols, but also limits experience in gaining confidence in body language, showing empathy, reading people and personable skills

People tend to feel an false sense of safety online and share more personal information - if privacy settings are not set up properly - the whole world can know where you live and where you are at anytime - do young people think/care about this!    

Information over-load!!...constant emails, text messages, forums, voice messages - all wanting a 'prompt' reply

  

Encourages isolation and withdrawal from the physical world
 

Opportunity to self-present in desired ways; which could build confidence and self-assurance OR the opposite; fuel our image obsessed society that basis self-worth around image & IDENTITY 

PRO's of Social Media...

Speed and availability; mobile devices provide connectivity 24/7 -so accessible!

 

Breaks communication barriers that may occur in face-to-face interactions e.g. geographic location, age, race and time  

Disenables Homogeneous power; creates more equality in media ownership - gives others a say, other than the small portion of the rich and powerful that dominate traditional forms of media.

 

Offers resources for individuals to become authors, creators, directors - publish their own ideas 

Creates and sustains business opportunities -both in networking and advertising

 

Provide live streams & more up-to-date information that traditional media cannot supply