The digital impacts of yesterday, today, and tomorrow
How social media relates to ME personally
I think it’s safe to say I have much personal experience with social media. In my 21 years of life, I have spent around half of it on social media. My first experience with social media was when I was 11 years old. I made my first ever Instagram account. Back in Insta’s earliest days, it was primarily used for photo sharing. And boy, did I take advantage of that. I’m sure most people can easily imagine an 11-year-old posting every moment of her fascinating middle school life every day.
From there, my social media presence only grew. As I went through middle school and into high school I downloaded more social media apps. The constant platforms that I use currently are Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, and TikTok. While I’m not exactly proud of it, I use these apps frequently for hours a day. TikTok is an especially great way to destress at the end of the day and watch videos curated to my interests. I enjoy engaging with the content on all of these apps. They are all a little different from each other but have similar purposes of social interaction and connection.
Furthermore, social media now relates to me professionally in addition to my personal uses for it. In my years of social media experience, I have grown a liking for it. Going through my undergraduate years as a Media Studies major, marketing sparked my interest in addition to the communications courses. Fast forward a few short months and I am now a Digital Marketing Assistant for a manufacturer that houses dozens of brands. One of my main concentrations is with the various brands’ social platforms. I create social media content as well as advertisements. It is really quite rewarding to see where my social media experience has taken me so far and I look forward to what the future holds for me!
Where is social media headed?
This is a meaningful and objective question that could be answered in a variety of ways. Social media has already come such a long way in not a whole lot of time, and this progression certainly hasn’t been slow. We have seen the rapid growth and development of social media and digital social interaction before our very eyes.
In Social Media Strategy, Keith Quesenberry introduces the media richness theory, which states that “media differ in the degree of richness they possess” (Quesenberry 45). This “richness” is essentially the information that is transmitted in a given period of time. Social media is “rich” in that it can transmit so many pieces of information so quickly and efficiently. And I believe that this information gathering and sharing process will only grow stronger, quicker, and more efficient.
The impact on business
When sharing my experiences with social media, I shared my growing knowledge and interest in social media marketing. This is easily one of the hottest topics in today’s world. It seems that if a business does not have some sort of social media strategy in place, then it is not as successful as it can be. It’s almost as if it’s one step behind the majority of other companies that have an active social media presence. And that is another piece of the puzzle. It’s one thing to have a social media account for your brand, and it’s another thing to keep it running consistently. An inactive social platform will not do you too well in this day and age.
Quesenberry discusses how many businesses and professionals will be affected by the rapidly changing world of social media. Covering all the bases of marketing, advertising, and public relations, it’s clear that multiple areas of the digital workplace have to be prepared to adapt and keep up with the high demands of social media users and buyers. “Our consumers are the boss and we hear them,” said the president and CEO of Mars candy company. Companies have to be fully dedicated to following social media trends and listening to the online community. This is all in an effort to respond to “consumer social media activism” (Quesenberry 39).
Who will dominate?
I believe that Meta will continue to prevail in the social media world. Meta already occupies a lot of digital space with Facebook and Instagram, its two largest platforms and some of today’s most popular apps. Additionally, the text messaging service WhatsApp is also under Meta. Seeing how much Meta has already dominated and continues to do so, there is no doubt that this will continue in the foreseeable future.
TikTok will certainly be in the runnings as well. They have tested many limits, invaded some boundaries, and even been banned in certain countries. But somehow, TikTok still manages to come out on top, being an all-around favorite for a wide range of users. If TikTok continues to push through and come out stronger, I don’t see why it wouldn’t dominate in the competitive industry that loves it so much.
In terms of non-social media companies and franchises, I believe that any business that can keep up with the high demand and rapid-fire environment of social media is destined for success. Many large corporations are already doing this along with smaller companies and even non-profit organizations. Being able to captivate an audience with unique content that will inspire engagement is what will make you successful in the professional social media world.
Future tech and the impact on data
As I have stated, social media is proving just how fast technology can progress in a short amount of time. We are already seeing fascinating technological advancements come to life such as VR, AI, and self-driving cars. With technology getting increasingly smart, it seems that more and more of our data is being accessed freely. We often see it in online advertisements and other content that is curated just for us. One can only imagine what new developments will arise in just a decade. Quite frankly, it’s a bit frightening!
Sources
Quesenberry, Keith A. “Shifting Influences and the Decline of Push Marketing.” Social Media Strategy: Marketing, Advertising, and Public Relations in the Consumer Revolution, Rowman & Littlefield, 2021, pp. 30–51.