The Social Media Tool And Everything About It
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.
People have become content producers instead of content consumers because of social media. In short, the inmates run the asylum. The spread of information and knowledge as dramatically changed. In the past, the norm was broadcast media monologues, where one person distributes information to the masses. TV newscasts and newspaper accounts are the more well known of this.
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.
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, the idea of permanence is very different between the two. In mass media, once an article is printed and disseminated, it cannot be altered. Retractions, corrections, and apologies might be necessary, but the article cannot be changed. However, in social media, changes can be made instantly.
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 discussion 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 network 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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