Believe it or not, Social Media is all about the way we communicate
Before I go into any more of how the different Social Media sites are used, I have decided that it might be a good idea to write several posts about what Social Media really is all about. The term Social Media is being used very freely and is much better understood by those who are younger than us than to those us who got into technology at a later age. Social Media is about communication – it is a paradigm shift in the way we now communicate with others, whether it be for business or for pleasure.
No longer do we just rely on the phone or the mail to get in touch with people that are a distance away – now all we have to do is jump on the internet and quickly get in touch with others whether it be through email, text messaging, social media sites or other ways that technology has made available for us to use.
Prior to 1990s, we really had very few options of how we could connect with people. I have two granddaughters who are 15 and 17. Their way of communicating with their friends is far different than ours or even their parents were. When they want to let me know something, very often I will get a text message on my phone. In fact, they were the ones who taught me how to text message about two years ago.
Technology has now taken us from Web 1.0 of the 1990s and early 2000s to the introduction of Web 2.0 in 2004.
Web 1.0 gave us the ability to search for information on line – think of it like a large encyclopedia that we could reach through our computers. Web 2.0 is now giving us the ability to interact with others anywhere and at any time. We have gone from having basically a one-way conversation to a two-way conversation on line. We now connect with others and have conversations with them – not only to learn about them but to learn about products and services as well.
Just how does this affect those of us older folks who are being thrown into the technology world – some of us kicking and screaming? Well, . Statistics now show that over 50% of the world’s population is 30 years old or younger. 96% of Generation Y members are using social media in one way or another. They are influencing the way that purchasing decisions are made. No longer do the younger buyers trust the large company’s advertisements – instead they will go on line and listen to one of their peers talk about a product of service and then make the decision – 78% trust the word of someone they have never even met more than they trust ads! For those of us who are still in the working world, we need to keep up with the times. Our younger competitors are learning how to get their word out there and reach millions of people at little to no cost. We need to start doing the same. Could Social Media work for you?
In today’s world you have got to learn to work with the younger generations are going to be doing business. Otherwise, you will end up finding yourself left behind.
