How Social Media is Humanizing the Web
It seems like everyone is talking about social media these days and sites like Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. Some people have embraced the new technology while others dismiss it as a passing fad or an online teenage hangout. Still others theorize that we are in the midst of the biggest shift since the industrial revolution.
So what is social media? Simply put, it’s people having conversations online through a wide variety of tools and websites. With 98.1 million Americans on Facebook alone (nearly one third of the country), it has become mainstream.
Facebook and other social media tools are connecting people across the country and across the world in new ways. According to a recent article by Adweek, MicroDialogue completed a study of 1,200 U.S. social media users and found that almost half (48.7 percent) felt that online communication was more convenient than face-to-face and 39.9 percent said that online social groups were truly social.
With 98.1 million Americans on Facebook alone (nearly one third of the country), it has become mainstream.
Social media removes geographic barriers and makes people more comfortable through a phenomenon called Cyberdisinhibition, or a willingness to behave differently than usual online. The result is that people are able to expand their social lives, with 48.7 percent claiming to have met new people and almost a third (31.5 percent), said they felt empowered to do things they have been wanting to, while 20 percent took action to lash out against brands and companies.
These factors combined with the user-controlled nature of social media allow you to find and attract like-minded individuals for friendships, relationships, business, or collaboration. In Chris Brogan’s best-selling book, Trust Agents, Chris talks about how social media is bringing “human” back into business and the web and that it’s possible because the Internet is the only medium that wasn’t developed for marketing.
Businesses are seeing the value of social media as well, the potential for marketing and the need to have a presence to protect their company’s reputation. Businesses that understand the human need in social media are excelling such as Comcast with its Comcast Cares campaign. Comcast hired a Director of Digital Care to manage its Twitter efforts, provide customer service, and protect its brand. Through the use of Twitter, Comcast has been able to improve customer relations, resolve client issues, and establish itself as an “approachable business” online.
About Monica Ray
