Social Media, a low key version of the paparazzi? I often have Tweets on my feed or articles on my Facebook news feed slandering some celebrity or another or exclaiming how their outfit seen in Glamour magazine really wasn’t that flattering. I suppose it’s what you can expect when Facebook asks the younger generation or the media frenzied “what are you thinking?”
Is Social Media simply a tool to update friends on exciting new happenings in your life and share photos from memorable events? Is it a free advertising tool? Has it all just gone too far? The field of social media has exploded in the past few months and everybody is on Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, FriendFeed, and tens of other social networking sites. If you haven’t taken your time to get yourself familiar with these sites, now’s the time. And if you have an iPhone, you can now do everything social media while you are on the go. Can’t get easier than that.
Sometimes I think Social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook and now Instagram have been a great way for people to keep in touch and share memories or thoughts. Now though, it is all become a little tedious. The other day, I logged on to Twitter and when reading the feed I realised I knew where all my followers were, what they were doing, how long they had been there and who they were with. The same can be said for the “Check-In” service on Facebook. Great if you are somewhere exciting and new like a holiday destination or somewhere you may not usually be such as Harrods, the FA cup final or the midnight queue for the latest COD, but I really don’t want to know that you are doing your weekly food shopping in Asda, or you are watching TV at Home. If you are at the cinema with your mates, why are you tweeting about it or checking in when you should be watching the film?
I’m slating it but I am sure that I have been one of those people at some point. I love social media, I think it is fantastic and it does play quite a large part in my life as a twenty-something year old living in the 21st century. Since I got my iPhone I have never been more involved in the Tweeting, commenting, posting, blogging and messaging online. I write a blog in my personal life and I can add to it or edit it whilst sitting in Costa having a coffee. If I happen to take a fabulously controversial picture I can make it available to all on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook and the touch of a button. I can organise dinner out for a group of us using the Nandos App which, obviously like everything else, links to Facebook rather than have to contact each person individually. I don’t think the Hash key on the keyboard has ever had much attention paid to it, until of course Twitter came about; now everything is “hashtagged”.
On that note, please feel free to follow us on Twitter @assetresourcing and on Facebook! – I couldn’t resist.
….more from me, Annie Dorrington, on Social Media in a few weeks time.