Week 2: Overview of Social Media

In today’s world, participating in social media has become a routine habit for most of us. It comes into play just as regularly as eating, sleeping, or other daily functions. We check constantly for notifications, or engage with others over chat or through images and video. We don’t even realize just how much we are using it, as it’s just something we’ve unconsciously blended into our daily lives. But why is it so successful at getting our attention, and how do businesses use it to their advantage?

If you’re like me (and most of today’s generation), the first thing you do is check your phone when you wake up in the morning. You check it for interactions: missed calls, texts, emails, or most often, social media notifications. People crave interaction, and that’s why social media is so engrossing to us. We want to know what other’s are up to. We want to see those cute dog pictures, and hear about those places, and talk about those experiences. We want to be noticed. That is why, on a personal level, platforms like Instagram and Snapchat take the cake. People have limited attention spans, and photo-centered apps are intriguing and engaging. Filters makes things even more fun, and the ways in which we can share ourselves and our lives, are endless. We can even watch the stories of others who are in a particular area, like our neighborhood, or other places that interest us. It’s in this way that you can feel more connected with the world around you, which is overall the reason we turn to social media. 

And where there is interest, there is profit. The social media craze is a perfect hunting ground for businesses looking to market themselves. People feel they are surrounded by their interests, friends, and family when using social media, and therefor are compelled to share, like, and comment. Every interaction made gives out a piece of information, which is very useful for businesses. In my opinion - though I think every social media platform is business-centered - the most successful are probably Facebook, Yelp, and Twitter. The first two provide a community in which people can rate and review a business, leaving negative or positive feedback. The term “bad yelp review” is understood almost universally, and most businesses will do just about anything to avoid one. People want to see other people liking things, and it makes them more likely to like it, too. Facebook comes into play on an even larger scale, and as this course’s textbook intro describes, people are extremely persuaded by their friends. If your Facebook friends are liking a page or product, you are also likely to follow suit. Having a Facebook page is imperative for any business. 

The third, Twitter, has also proven to be a powerful communication tool between business and customer. Many businesses provide almost instant feedback when a customer tweets at them, which makes the customer feel important and listened to (see author’s example of Vegas hotel tweeting in our textbook's intro). I personally have had an experience like this, when I was on a delayed plane, flying with Delta. I was going home to Florida for the holidays and needed to catch my connecting flight, which was the last one flying out that evening. I was desperate, turned to Twitter, tweeted Delta, and told them my situation. Incredibly enough, they were actually able to connect with the gate at my connecting flight location, and asked them to wait for me. I barely made it, and had Delta not had a fantastic customer service team managing their Twitter account, I would have missed my flight. Seriously, shout out to Delta. I made my flight, and Delta got a loyal customer; if I could afford to fly, I’d fly with them all of the time. You probably will too now, because here we are, full circling back to word-of-mouth advertising. 

Overall, I think that all social media platforms work well for both personal and business use. Where there are personal uses and consumer interest, there is potential for marketing. Every site, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat Linkedin, etc, were all born to help people connect. It is through that engagement that business outreach thrives. You really cannot have one without the other. 

Sorry group 4, this is way more than 3 paragraphs.