The introduction of the World Wide Web brought the people on the planet a little closer and the unlimited applications of it led to the birth of Social Media. The no. of internet users all across the globe has boomed in the last decade and the reason behind all the sudden exponential increase in the no. Of users can be accredited to Social Media.
What is Social Media and its definition?
It is a medium through which millions of people all around the globe are able to share and exchange their ideas, opinions, conditions with one another using various virtual platforms and communities present on the Internet. Any website, portal or community forum present on the internet which brings the social life of a person on the network can be called as a Social Media Site. There are social media sites that have millions of users which allows them to share in sites of their social life with all others on the platform. Media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Quora, YouTube have replaced all the forms of entertainment and media that were existent in the last century and has moulded the world into something new. In present times, a person can visit thousands of places, gather information about anything he desires and can reach anyone he wants to talk to without even moving from his chair.
Impact Of Social Media On Daily LifeÂ
Social media has become a major part of people’s lives, not a day goes by when we aren’t connected with the media platforms around the net and this has made a considerable impact on our daily lives. The children of the present age are growing up surrounded by all these technological advancements and social media sites which are somehow becoming a vital aspect of their existence.
Social network has also have a major Impact on how children interact with parents and peers nowadays, many young people are using their mobiles and tablets to check up on the status updates and tweets of their family members and friends on a regular basis. Children studying away from their homes are able to reach their family with a simple tap On the screen of their smartphone. Social media platforms are helping young people to become more socially capable and to reach out to millions of users for any queries regarding their professional and personal life.
These platforms also help individuals in marketing of business around the globe and to reach out to an audience of millions. Platforms like Amazon, Flipkart, Mantra and many more brought us online shopping which has reformed the way one used to buy things. Now one needs to just become a member on these platforms and can sell their merchandise around the planet.
Different Types Of Social Media
Internet is just like a magic bag. One receives what one needs to find. The applications of the social media are based on the needs of its users which gave birth of many different forms of Social Media Platforms
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Social Networking
These kind of platforms helps people in keeping contact with friends, family, etc. This is more casual form of social media. Sites like Facebook, Twitter, MySpace are examples of this form of social Media. These sites help in socializing by providing means to add a friend, reading friends or families blogs, getting their live updates on what they are up to and connecting with people like oneself. There are some other platforms like LinkedIn which are great for professionals as these kind of platforms help in finding those and making connections with people of same professional background.
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Online Communities
Online forums like Quora allows members and users unknown to interact with each other by sharing their opinions and ideas on a general platform and are also used for helping one another with some problems one might be facing. They are great way of reaching out to people as well as finding people having similar interest as you.
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Educational Platforms
EdX, Academic Earth, Internet Archive are names of some educational platforms which are used by millions of students on a regular basis for their daily education related problems. These kind of platforms has made it very easy for students to reach out to experts and professionals even if you are from a very remote area.
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Blogging
Blogging is a great way for people to record their opinions and ideas on a personal site. Blogging platforms like WordPress and Blogger are accessed by users to share their stories, adventures on a personal website.
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Marketing
The invent of social media made marketing or promoting a business to a far greater no of audience just a piece of cake. This makes the business more profitable as the cost of marketing is greatly reduced and at the same time helps in making your product available to millions of people. Platforms like Yelp, FourSquare, Twitter, Facebook can promote your business like none other means can.
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Music
Music lovers can listen to thousands of tracked being played around the globe by using these platforms. These platforms have made it easier for people to Search and find the songs they want to listen as well as to know what other people are playing in their countries. Sites like Gaana, Spotify, Google Play are some of the websites which offer these options.
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Gaming
People who are addicted to gaming can join these platforms to reach out to millions of like minded people and to share their opinions and ideas on certain gaming problems. Nowadays some platforms even offer online gaming which helps a gamer to play the games he want to without even downloading them and at the same time connecting with other people playing the game.
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Microblogging
Websites like Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook are some of the microblogging sites people use daily to post status of what they are doing in their lives and to connect with one another. Theses sites are also used regularly to create awareness on certain issues by creating hashtags and related content.
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Photo and Video Sharing
One need stick to reading while they are in social media. By using platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, Youtube one can get insight of what’s happening in the lives of their loved ones with the help of photos and videos they share on the network.
Advantages of Social Media
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Connectivity
The major advantage of it is connectivity. People around the globe get connected to each other to share their thoughts and to checkup on their loved ones.
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Awareness
Social Media provides has provided a whole new platform for creating awareness and innovate the way people live their lives. It provides a great deal of information to its users who may be before unaware of the cause or problems being faced by other people living in a different place and thereby helps in creating support for them.
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Promotion
Offline advertising can limit your business growth to a certain place but that’s not the issue if you are using social media platforms. One can reach large number of audience by simply using social media promotional methods.
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Building communities
It helps in finding people with same interests and thoughts and thereby helps in creation of communities with like minded people.
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Solving Crime
This platform are nowadays used as an aid in solving various crimes. Authorities are able to react quickly is someone spreads a troublesome message on the posts and also to gather information on the past activities of a person in question.
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Help
Helping and reaching out to one another has been made quite easier with the help of social media. Now people even those residing very far away can help someone in solving problems and also to check up on those who are living in a tragedy prone areas.
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Improving Education
Students are able to find the exact information they need and connect with experts in the respective fields thereby increasing the level of education available to students.
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Expressing Yourself on Social Media
Social Media is something which is not based on age, gender or preferences one might have in their life. People of all age groups are able to reach out to the information and opportunities being offered on the network and are able to connect with them accordingly. People who have difficulty in face to face interactions are able to reach out to everyone they might want and are building relations in real life with the help of Social Media.
Read More Articles on Social Media: Social Media Articles
Interacting and communicating with each other has improved greatly with the spawn of Social Media. Everyone from around the world is able to communicate with their loved ones. The applications of social media are endless but one must always be wary of the problems they might face if they get involved in the wrong kind of crowd. The use of it is only limited by ones self desires.