Jeremy Olshvang, Brittney Seegers,
Antonio Serrano
October 29, 2015
Convergence
Social media is
something that is prevalent in the lives of pretty much everyone today, but the
potential social media has as a tool is something that hasn’t quite been
realized until very recently. In our presentation, we attempt to define social
media by focusing specifically on the social aspects of it. The textbook gives
two definitions of social media, one from a marketing blogger, and another from
a PR professional. The definitions, while different, both play to the idea of
using interaction to either “create value” or start a dialog. The book then
goes on to discuss the 5 ways in which the social aspect of social media has
changed: choice, conversation, curation, creation, and collaboration. Each of
these changes has a pro and con to it.
When it comes to
choice, social media has given us more choices than there ever were before. We
can choose what forms of media we want to use, everything from RSS feeds to
blogs, to even niche television channels. However, the increase in choices
doesn’t necessarily mean an increase in quality, and the amount of choices
leads to companies changing the ways in which they advertise in an attempt to
grab the most eyes since there’s always another option.
Social media in
its most basic form fosters conversation, since the whole idea is to share,
whether that’s ideas, information, beliefs, or just what you had for breakfast
this morning. By doing so, it paves the way for people and things that would’ve
otherwise gone unnoticed to become something special, even if it’s only for a
moment. Unfortunately, every person using social media is given a voice, and in
a world where everyone has a chance to speak, those that are the loudest may
not be the most positive. Anonymous comments and cyber bullying exist as
byproducts of everyone being able to participate in a conversation on social
media.
Curation via
social media has brought about a shift from gatekeeping to gatewatching.
Before, gatekeepers such as media professionals and librarians would be the
ones to filter through the information and present the public with the content.
Now, people are able to be their own gatekeepers and filter information for
themselves. A huge downside to this is that without professional experience or
knowledge, the information a person finds on their own may not be the best or well-researched.
While the information is a lot easier to find, it’s also a lot easier to find a
fault with said information.
Social media
platforms have also made creation of original content a lot easier, along with
the sharing of said original content. The costs of generating the media are
lower, and everyone that is capable of using social media to their advantage is
on an even playing field in regards to putting their content out. However,
content that’s created so easily is also easily stolen, and plagiarism and
restrictions on intellectual property actually lead to a lack of creative
content being made.
Collaboration is
the final aspect of change, and one of the most surprising things to come out
of social media. While it’s a tool that can be used for monetary gain, most
people that collaborate on it do so without the expectation of such. This leads
to activist movements that start on social media, such as the Black Lives
Matter movement, but it can also lead to what some refer to as “armchair
activists” or “keyboard warriors.” For these people, raising awareness seems to
be the main goal but once social media moves on to something new, what’s the
impact that’s left?
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