All About The Social Media Site
One of the definitions of revolution is a sudden, sweeping change in something. The American Revolution is but one example. The 1960s counterculture revolution of much of Europe and the U. S. is another example. The social media revolution, currently, is the most recent and widespread.
Social media has changed people into producers of content instead consumers of content. In other words, the tail wags the dog. The way information and knowledge are spread has radically changed. The norm used to be broadcast media monologues, which is where one person disseminates information to the masses. Such familiar modes of this type are TV news broadcasts and newspaper articles.
However, because of the new revolution, these familiar norms are being forced to amalgamate themselves with the unfamiliar new. Now called dialogues of social media, not just one person but also many are now the disseminators of information. We now both gather and produce information, which is why we can be called content producers.
There are several common forms of this phenomenon. One well-known form of social media includes concepts or slogans made to be so easily remembered that it galvanizes others to repeat them often. Print media created to be redistributed to the masses is another form. Dissemination from electronic media such as Internet and mobile phones with advanced search capability is a third. Another example is grass-roots direct action dissemination, such as public demonstrations, public rallies, and public speaking.
Major differences exist between social media and traditional media, also known as broadcast, industrial, or mass media. To start, because industrial media normally requires more resources to share what it knows, social media tends to be less expensive. It’s also more accessible, too. Next, in the structured world of traditional media, specialized training is imperative. In the unstructured world of social media, no such training is required. Social media can be used and operated by anyone.
Third, relevancy and response time have been impacted. Whereas the time lag in industrial media often is hours or even days, in social media, it is instant. It should be noted, however, that as industrial media adapts more and more social media tendencies, which soon may not be such a difference anymore.
Fourth, permanence is treated very differently by the two. In mass media, after an article is printed and distributed, it cannot be changed. Corrections, retractions, and apologies may be necessary, but the article is unable to be altered. In social media, however, changes can instantly be made.
Another interesting note is how the two forms of media are similar. Both social and traditional media reach a small or worldwide audience. A blog post or other such type of social media communication can reach no one or everyone. A television news broadcast can reach the exact same range of people.
Of course, it is hard to predict the future direction of both social media and traditional media. One school of thought is that a hybridization of the two is occurring and will continue to. In this case, it is use of both mass and social media frameworks. In fact, this hybrid is already being used more and more.
Whatever the future brings, the social media revolution is not transient. It is here for good, even as its future direction is still not clear. Will hybridization continue evolving? Will mass media, as we know it, continue? Will the social media revolution evolve to the point that it engulfs both the traditional and the hybrid? Keep abreast with your local media outlets as we go forward.
Tagged with: social media • social media network • social media revolution • social media site • social media tool
Filed under: About AskAME
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