Impact of Social Media in 21st Century

The 21st century is deemed to be dynamic and technically advancing in numerous terms. It is the one where social media is considered to be the most important part of our lives, that helps an individual to gain more experience and knowledge in various fields. The probability of social media users has increased over some time. From millions to billions, people have moved to social media as a good source of knowledge.

 

Various platforms of Social Media include Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Snapchat, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Blogs, Micro-Blogs, etc. These networks allow the users, be it students, working professionals, or others who use them to connect with other people of the same interest and stay updated about their fields. Each of these networking platforms follows a general base for the customers. For instance, Snapchat is mostly used by the young generation, and LinkedIn is mostly used by businessmen and professionals, but all of them help in attracting large amounts of customers and businesses.

 

A user consumes the data available on these networks just after waking up or just before going to bed, as mobile is the   It helps in the fulfillment of the micro-moments of our day-to-day lives. Students, professionals, and others tend to share their ups and downs firstly on social networks rather than sharing it with a person or partner. The demography of social media users is not limited to any age, gender, or location.  It has become popular and widely used among all age groups of people but through research, it has been found that the widely used platform among users from different countries is Facebook.

 

Nowadays, it has become easier from the overall development perspective to create any kind of movement and discover various ways for sustainable, positive, and resourceful communication outcomes to be utilized in a better and more effective way. Social media, in recent days, has developed activism in society. Research has been conducted on the active users of Social Media and found 1.23 billion users that actively participate in a large amount of Social Media usage including all platforms. It has encouraged standard communication methods that also help in the rapid development of technology.

 

The regular advancement and market trends on social media have created a huge impact on the daily lives of people. Over the past few years, Twitter and Facebook have changed the traditional way of communication, setting a global conversation. However, the communication tools of Social Media have changed the way and meaning of living. There are certain segments of society related to daily routine, where Social Media creates an effect on the regular lives of people. That's why we also need to know the pros and cons of social media. 

 

1. News Source – The source of news consumption by people has changed in the present scenario. Most people prefer to follow regular updates and stories added by their friends on Social Media rather than going for hardcore newspaper readings or online newspapers at different sites like Google News or CNN.

 

The trend of newspaper editors and publications has been transformed to follow-up of people and groups on Social Media like Facebook, Twitter, and other networks. The new trend has become the most trusted source of information even than search engines. However many people still make use of RSS feeds to stay up-to-date.

 

2. Business start-up and pattern – With the increase in the use of Social Media, starting and launching a business plan has become very easy. Social Media allows people to make little money through advertising and provides them a chance to make more engagement with the people along with their business promotion. A survey has been conducted which states that Twitter has become a basic means of marketing for most of the people of the country.

 

In the previous era, business was only conducted in the immediate environment of an individual, and Social Media mainly includes blogging, YouTube posting, and tweeting with various other aspects. It has created new possibilities for both the clients and the customers, as the business source and pattern has moved to the online platform and increased the value of Social Media worldwide. Before physically visiting somewhere, people use social platforms to research businesses and find the most suitable company for their queries. For example, if someone needs professional assignment writing services they will research online to find content writers near them, but more than that they will look for a Facebook page, reviews, website, prices - the list goes on.

 

3. Real connection with people – In earlier times, people could only meet at Social venues, but now Social Media like Facebook or Twitter can make them create better connections online. It will allow you to explore your interests in different eras. If you have any interest in ancient poetry, you will find some groups on Facebook or Twitter Search and you can now talk to people in different geographical locations with the same interest you follow.

 

Social Media can make a large amount of communication but people are expanding this interaction to face-to-face live meetings. They make the initial introductions to Social Media networks and develop further relationships by making use of phone calls and interpersonal meetings.

 

Out of various studies, a recent study says that in the last year, the time of the user in the usage of Social Media has increased three times more. Facebook is primarily used for connecting with people and staying in touch with them, while Twitter is used by 41.6% of Internet users to stay in touch with their friends. Therefore, most of the internet usage on social media is used to find and maintain old and new friendships.

 

4. Revealing Reality – The old communicational pattern of the people revealed knowledge and confidence among users instead of doubts and fears. Users were in complete control in earlier times. But now, it has shifted completely due to the increased use of Social Media.

 

It has made the ideas, thoughts, and feelings of the users more transparent. CEOs and Top Businessmen are making use of their blogs to express their real expressions based on the decisions made in the past about reservations. They have started sharing personal views on social issues, which they were used to being afraid of. Thus, Social Media has created greater personal transparency, whether it is, any thought, idea, expression, or activity.

 

5. A greater Influence – The present time does not allow the mainstream media to drive the influence created by public opinion. The power of Social Media is increasing in the media era than the famous television shows, popular newspapers, and other large media outlets that have controlled much of the attention of millions and billions of people.

 

But the content of these Social Media is coming from regular people instead of big and corporate media organizations. This viral content has millions of followers on Twitter, hundreds and thousands of fans on Facebook, and millions and billions of views and likes on YouTube. For instance, people like guest writers, small directors, or average-range models are making use of Social Media so that they can increase their influence over people.

 

Due to the open and fluid communication channels,  the influence of the average person is increasing which further increases followers on Twitter, friends on Facebook, and subscribers on blogs. Due to the strengthening of information-sharing networks, the ability of each person has been increased in influencing public opinion and different policies. It results in passive communication by some of the people and active participation by some of them.

 

Conclusion

It has been observed that culture in different eras changed according to the time, technology, and demands of the people. But the present era has been continually changing due to the large amount of influence created by this powerful platform, that is, Social Media. Social media has largely engaged people by providing more and more mediums to active users while large media companies are not even able to communicate properly by phone or through interpersonal communication. Also, it has provided greater and more effective choices on the way of living and influencing the happening around the world.