Saturday, January 25, 2014
The Impact of Social Media & Technology in Our Daily Lives
Technology has, with the advent of the smartphone, become a huge part of our daily lives. One of the biggest ways it has done so is by social media; we constantly communicate with coworkers, family members, and people all over the world, right from a device we carry in our pockets. Thirty years ago this would have seemed the stuff of science fiction. But how have technology and social media really influenced our lives? Like with any great advance in how society functions as a whole, there is good and bad.
The Impact on Global Communication and Individual Connection
Social media has helped counter a lot of the bias seen in “official” new sources in the past. Today we can see what is happening on the other side of the world, through the eyes of the people living there. This is a very good thing, because it will allow people to understand the strife in other nations better and not be taken in by propaganda so easily. People can also alert each other to things like natural disasters much more easily.
For the individual, we suddenly have the ability to easily find lost friends from high school and estranged family. Social media sites, such as Twitter, Facebook and Google+, are built to make it easy to find these people, even after being apart for years and possibly moving several times. It used to be that too many changes in address and phone number could make old friends almost impossible to find after many years.
Families also find social media very important, even necessary, for keeping in touch. Grandparents who may be house-bound can easily keep up with their busy grandchildren. Relatives who live far away from each other can be an involved part of each other’s lives through instant updates, photos, videos, and video chats.
The downside of course is that people now are distracted often from the people right next to them, which some argue creates less deep personal connections and make us more superficial on the whole. It’s important to remember to have balance and take breaks at times from social media.
We also have to remember that social media is not always harmless, and that we should protect younger people and make sure their use of it is moderated with real-world friends and support. There has been a rising number of suicides and depressed young people due to cyber-bullying and harassment—the bad thing about having your friends in your pocket is that you can also be carrying your bullies in your pocket, which makes young people feel unsafe anywhere they go. It used to be that young people were safe in their own homes, but in a sense, they no longer are completely so.
The Impact on Marketing and Business
Social media and technology have made getting the word out about a small business wonderfully easy, and can get them many more customers that simply putting up fliers locally. Also, advertizing this way is pretty much free, unlike having to make a TV commercial or put an ad in a magazine. Companies can also have a much closer connection between them and their customers, which makes customers feel like they are truly being listened to and interacting with a real person rather than a faceless corporation. Alas, because it is free, there is so much advertizing all over the internet that the visibility is going down for each individual company, and people often feel spammed by ads online. Internet ads have become a big sore spot for many internet users, and people get angered by them and try to overlook them (or avoid sites that have many at all), unlike magazine ads, which people were used to and did not have the same attitude towards for the most part.
Either way, these days companies are expected to have a social media presence, and increasingly, it’s becoming a very vital part of business.
Due to the 24/7 nature of technology and social media and the fact that it has become so needed by businesses and by friends and families, it’s important that your technology not cease working for any great length of time, causing you to miss out on important opportunities or urgent messages from family. Make sure you have a reliable technology solution provider like Geek ABC.
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