SM is an umbrella term that encompasses the technologies and the activities that people use to share experiences, ideas and information with each other. The term is still evolving. The term “SOCIAL MEDIA” most often refers to activities that integrate technology, social (or human) interaction, and the construction of words, pictures, videos and audio – better known as “user generated content” [an example of UGC would be videos on YouTube.]

Social media can take many different forms, including Internet forums, weblogs, wikis, podcasts, pictures and video. Technologies include: blogs, picture-sharing, vlogs, wall-postings, email, instant messaging, music-sharing, crowdsourcing (crowd outsourcing), and voice over IP, to name a few.

Examples of social media applications are Google Groups (reference, social networking), Wikipedia (reference), MySpace (social networking), Facebook (social networking), Youmeo (social network aggregation), Last.fm (personal music), YouTube (social networking and video sharing), Second Life (virtual reality), Flickr (photo sharing), Twitter (social networking and microblogging) and other microblogs such as Jaiku and Pownce.

— What is Social Media Marketing (SMM)?

SMM is where you use social media networking and user-generated content platforms to promote a product, service or content. SMM typically involves creating and participating in a “conversation” with the target audience, rather than blatantly advertising to them.

SMM can also include creating and promoting viral content that is meant to be shared by users. Many marketers are not comfortable with the lack of control over social media but when approached properly, social networks can be extremely effective channels for building product evangelism, reputation management or corporate branding

— Why is it becoming so popular?

I believe it’s simply because it mirrors our true nature. We are gregarious by nature and for once we are able to use technology easily to reach out and connect in new and exciting ways. It’s still all so new too, there are new frontiers popping up regularly and it’s a bit like the early Internet “gold rush” days during the 90′s Read the rest of this entry »

A Discourse on Techno-sociological Behaviors

Technological advances are no longer terms that prompt confused facial responses and infantile explanations. The presence of these advances and a host of recreational gadgets transform mediocrity into fame. These projections are witnessed through television documentaries, motion pictures, and supportive media. The issues raised by technological advances guide the process of social gentrification. This is revealed by the attention paid to the definition of “technology”. There is variety of newly constructed social settings juxtaposed to an already delineated environment. This produces and articulates an enticing arrangement of social interaction. The appearance of acceptability and stability presented by these various mediums is void of theoretical development as a course of change agency. The social fabric of human interaction is achieved by re materializing loyalties of a new milieu toward immaterial cultural practices and fixation on the politics of identity. The immense influence of this societal and cultural movement towards technology, substitutes our attention from social principals and relations to behavior that taints social acceptance. The number of individuals who appear to be outwardly secure in the world of cell phones, game boys, and iPods is emergent. This conduct has displaced human elements of decision making based on firsthand experience and social contacts that would naturally materialize. Modern youth are not involved in social activities benefiting from the differences that various cultures have afforded. Ones proclivities are such that these isolated and collective social contacts produce the understanding possible to make connections that transcend the idiomatic behaviors of classes, consequential relationships, and acquaintances. Within this framework the complex manner assists in expounding everyday social life through the embodiment of meanings, values, and symbolism.

The internet enjoys marked advances adding to the extent of global reach with worldwide web and wireless communications. Themes of debate emerge citing concerns of privacy, commerce, and security as an irreversible effect on the landscape of business and personal communication, as empirical proof to the state 21st century privacy is a direct result of our technological advances. When examining the impact of technology on the application of old laws and new technologies we find that there is a ‘wild west” style of social networking such as Facebook and MySpace yielding differentiated values and colloquial identity amalgamated under the technological umbrella. Considering the liberal humanism in which our young and their colleagues are engaged, the peopling of gadgets amidst a human landscape has led to a more insensitive incorporation of technology and human agency. Very few of the individuals engaged in the peopling of technology actually represent their theory in practice. Read the rest of this entry »

Eight percent of American adult web users are on Twitter, but only a small number (about 2 percent) of these people use the microblogging site on a daily basis, according to a survey recently conducted by the Pew Internet & American Life Project. There are, however, interesting links between Twitter use and education level; survey results claim that while “college students aren’t flocking to Twitter… they’ve proven more likely to type the 140-character updates than most demographic groups, especially teenagers and young adults.”

Twitter has gained an estimated 100 million users since its launch over four years ago. The survey found that only 14 percent of people age 18-29 use the site; and this number is nearly two times higher than the 30-49 age group. But of the adults surveyed, 9 percent of college graduates use Twitter and an additional 9 percent of users had at least some higher education experience. Twitter use is low among young people, but educated people are more likely than non-educated people to tweet.

Twitter use among college students has actually been shown to increase academic performance. In November, the Journal of Computer Assisted Learning published the results of a study conducted to determine the effect of microblogging on a college student’s GPA. Results concluded that students who used Twitter during and after class to discuss and share academic material actually performed better on exams and had a higher overall GPA than students who did not.

But, the link between Twitter and education could be diminished by the fact that high percentages of Twitter users do not visit the site regularly. Or, if they do, many simply tweet information on their own site, without participating in conversations or reposting. Geoff Livingston, co-founder of social enterprise website Zoetica said that “Twitter dubs itself as an information service, but if no one checks then information is not getting spread as far as one would be led to believe.” So, to use the site for to its full educational potential, students should not only post about themselves, but create two-way dialogues to discuss academic material. Read the rest of this entry »