Knowing The Social Media Network
One definition of the word revolution is a sudden and complete change in something. A famous example, of course, is the American Revolution. Another is the counterculture revolution of the U. S. and much of Europe in the 1960s. Currently, the social media revolution is spreading the most.
Social media has transformed people from content consumers to content producers. How knowledge and information spread has undergone radical change. In the past, we were used to the monologues of broadcast media: one person delivering information to the rest of us. We know this typically in the form of newspaper articles and TV newscasts.
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.
Several forms of this are common. One well-known one is ideas or concepts designed to be easily regurgitated so that they are easily repeated often to others. Another form is print media, which is designed to be reproduced to the masses. A third form is the movement at ground level of direct dispersement, including rallies, demonstrations, and public speaking. A fourth is the mass sharing of information from advanced search-capable Internet and mobile devices.
There are some major differences between social media and mass media, also commonly referred to as traditional, broadcast, or industrial media. First, social media is relatively inexpensive and more accessible. Broadcast media usually requires more resources in order to share information. Second, traditional media production usually requires special training, whereas social media usually does not. In essence, the latter can be operated by anyone or adapted to be easily used by anyone.
Third, the impact on response time and newsworthiness has been profound. While in social media, this can be instantaneous, the same can take hours or even days in mass media. However, as the influence of social media on traditional media grows, this difference will probably become minimal.
A fourth difference is the issue of permanence. In social media, articles or blogs can be edited for content immediately and constantly, as is necessary. This is not true in traditional media, as once an article is published, it cannot be changed. Other things might be necessary, such as apologies or retractions, but the original article cannot be modified.
It is interesting, however, to note the similarities between the two forms of media. Both types of media can be dispersed to a worldwide audience or to a local one. A blog posting may reach no one ‘ or it may reach everyone. TV news broadcasts may reach the same ranges 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.
Wherever the future leads, this social media network is not going anywhere soon, even if its direction is unclear. Will what we know as traditional media survive or will it die out? Will continued hybridization gain steam? Will the social media site become the dominant force and consume the traditional media? Since no one is sure, stay in the loop with your local media outlets to find out.
Tagged with: social media • social media network • social media revolution • social media site • social media tool
Filed under: About AskAME
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