Social Networking
Social networking is the use of certain platforms and applications to interact with other users or to find people with similar interest. The main use of social networking is to communicate and engage with other users and media. Social networking has become such an important part to the daily lives of so many people. Personally, I find myself spending much of my free time scrolling through various social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc. However, it's not just in my free time that I find myself navigating through these platforms. I also find myself having to utilize social media to complete tasks for my internship. As social networking continuously evolves, it has become an integral part for the success of many corporations and organizations.
Social media has brought numerous benefits to our society in our personal lives, as well as in the corporate world. For instance, social media platforms gives us the ability to text, video chat, stay updated with news and people right at our fingertips. Almost all major social media platforms have been rolling out the ability to video chat over the past few years on their apps. For instance, Facebook messenger was one of the first platforms to have the ability to video chat on it and most recently Instagram has been added to the long list of apps on which you can video chat with your friends and families. It allows us to stay connected to the people in our lives that we may not see on a regular basis.
Social media is not limited to just these types of apps. LinkedIn is the leading business and employment-oriented service that operates via websites and mobile apps. Tinder is one of the leading dating platforms. Youtube is one of the leading video sharing websites. All three of these platforms are drastically different in use but are similar in the sense that it allows it users to communicate, interact and engage with other users. This form of social media allows you to discover new videos, new career options and if you match, new romantic partners. It allows for collaborations and the discovery of new ideas.
On a corporate level, social media is important to the success of corporations and organizations. Social networking has provided to be resourceful in aiding recruitment efforts and hiring new employees. Platforms such as LinkedIn allows for employers to upload and update job listings as well as for user to apply for jobs directly through the website. Recruiters can check candidates profiles, reach out to them and even find contact information all on one platform. According to Frank Langfitt in his podcast, Social Networking Technology Boosts Job Recruiting, "What really makes LinkedIn helpful is that it allows users to share their online Rolodexes. Shally Steckerl used to hunt talent for Microsoft and is a leader in online recruiting. With LinkedIn, he can find people faster using a vastly increased network of contacts." Social networking has truly revolutionized the way in which recruiters find new hires and employees actively search for jobs. Platforms such as LinkedIn and WayUp has simplified the job search by allowing users to simply put in a few keywords and be lead to a wide array of jobs relating to the users preference.
Of course social media isn't perfect. While there are a multitude of benefits, on the flip side there are negatives that make social media less appealing. Privacy is one of the leading issues that comes with social media. There's always a risk of whatever you post on your social media coming back to negatively affect you. Companies can search you up on social media and if you post something that does not align with their company values, it can hurt you in the hiring process. Even after being hired, you always have to be careful with what you post because as an employee of an organization you become a representative of that organization. Nothing is truly private no matter how many privacy settings you use. It's funny to think with all of Facebook's privacy options, the sister of Mark Zuckerberg was not able to keep her personal photos private as a picture meant only for her friends and families was made public.
Another negative downfall to social networking is the issue of cyberbullying. Almost all platforms have a report/block option but that doesn't change how often cyberbullying has taken place. According to Jeffery R. Young in his article, They're Back, and They're Bad: Campus-Gossip Web Sites, "Students have more ways than ever to post anonymous attacks on classmates, thanks (or rather, no thanks) to new and expanded online forums promising to be bigger and juicier than the infamous JuicyCampus, which drew fierce protests from harassed students before it shut down earlier this year." Social media allows not just students, but anyone, to go online and post hateful comments. On twitter, we find celebrities, news tabloids and fans attacking one another. If you go to the comment section on youtube videos, instagram posts, there are always hurtful comments that no one wants to see but the worst part is, in defending the original poster other users end up attacking the bully just as much. It's an endless circle of hate and bullying that no report or block button can end.
Social networking is continuously evolving. All of these platforms are always updating algorithms, privacy policies, designs, etc. The use of platforms is always changing. Instagram that started as a photo sharing app has become a key marketing tool for corporations of all size. Newer platforms with similar and drastically different uses are always being introduced. It's hard to predict where the future of social networking lies but one can only hope that it becomes a more positive experience for users. But the one thing that won't change is that what you post onto your social media is forever floating around the internet even if you delete the post yourself. Nothing is truly private and nothing is truly deleted.
Social media has brought numerous benefits to our society in our personal lives, as well as in the corporate world. For instance, social media platforms gives us the ability to text, video chat, stay updated with news and people right at our fingertips. Almost all major social media platforms have been rolling out the ability to video chat over the past few years on their apps. For instance, Facebook messenger was one of the first platforms to have the ability to video chat on it and most recently Instagram has been added to the long list of apps on which you can video chat with your friends and families. It allows us to stay connected to the people in our lives that we may not see on a regular basis.
Social media is not limited to just these types of apps. LinkedIn is the leading business and employment-oriented service that operates via websites and mobile apps. Tinder is one of the leading dating platforms. Youtube is one of the leading video sharing websites. All three of these platforms are drastically different in use but are similar in the sense that it allows it users to communicate, interact and engage with other users. This form of social media allows you to discover new videos, new career options and if you match, new romantic partners. It allows for collaborations and the discovery of new ideas.
On a corporate level, social media is important to the success of corporations and organizations. Social networking has provided to be resourceful in aiding recruitment efforts and hiring new employees. Platforms such as LinkedIn allows for employers to upload and update job listings as well as for user to apply for jobs directly through the website. Recruiters can check candidates profiles, reach out to them and even find contact information all on one platform. According to Frank Langfitt in his podcast, Social Networking Technology Boosts Job Recruiting, "What really makes LinkedIn helpful is that it allows users to share their online Rolodexes. Shally Steckerl used to hunt talent for Microsoft and is a leader in online recruiting. With LinkedIn, he can find people faster using a vastly increased network of contacts." Social networking has truly revolutionized the way in which recruiters find new hires and employees actively search for jobs. Platforms such as LinkedIn and WayUp has simplified the job search by allowing users to simply put in a few keywords and be lead to a wide array of jobs relating to the users preference.
Of course social media isn't perfect. While there are a multitude of benefits, on the flip side there are negatives that make social media less appealing. Privacy is one of the leading issues that comes with social media. There's always a risk of whatever you post on your social media coming back to negatively affect you. Companies can search you up on social media and if you post something that does not align with their company values, it can hurt you in the hiring process. Even after being hired, you always have to be careful with what you post because as an employee of an organization you become a representative of that organization. Nothing is truly private no matter how many privacy settings you use. It's funny to think with all of Facebook's privacy options, the sister of Mark Zuckerberg was not able to keep her personal photos private as a picture meant only for her friends and families was made public.
Another negative downfall to social networking is the issue of cyberbullying. Almost all platforms have a report/block option but that doesn't change how often cyberbullying has taken place. According to Jeffery R. Young in his article, They're Back, and They're Bad: Campus-Gossip Web Sites, "Students have more ways than ever to post anonymous attacks on classmates, thanks (or rather, no thanks) to new and expanded online forums promising to be bigger and juicier than the infamous JuicyCampus, which drew fierce protests from harassed students before it shut down earlier this year." Social media allows not just students, but anyone, to go online and post hateful comments. On twitter, we find celebrities, news tabloids and fans attacking one another. If you go to the comment section on youtube videos, instagram posts, there are always hurtful comments that no one wants to see but the worst part is, in defending the original poster other users end up attacking the bully just as much. It's an endless circle of hate and bullying that no report or block button can end.
Social networking is continuously evolving. All of these platforms are always updating algorithms, privacy policies, designs, etc. The use of platforms is always changing. Instagram that started as a photo sharing app has become a key marketing tool for corporations of all size. Newer platforms with similar and drastically different uses are always being introduced. It's hard to predict where the future of social networking lies but one can only hope that it becomes a more positive experience for users. But the one thing that won't change is that what you post onto your social media is forever floating around the internet even if you delete the post yourself. Nothing is truly private and nothing is truly deleted.
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