Communication has undergone significant change in the 18th and 19th century. The last centuries marked a breakthrough in connections with new devices discovered day after days such as telegraph (1792), telephone (1890) and radio (1891). They have all ushered in a new era of the sending and receiving messages over long distances which took communication to a new era. The 20th century prompted the growth of internet which introduced personalized communication where people can send messages through the web in the form of emails Usenet, the bullet board system, internet relay chat, blogger, six degrees, live journal, and other significant sites which facilitated social interaction and sharing. The 21st century has triggered the growth and use of social media networking sites which provide platforms of interaction creation and sharing of information ideas career interests through virtual communities and other networks.
Social Media as a Primary Means of Communication
Social media can be termed as a primary means of communication. Research shows that currently there are currently 2.8 billion social media users worldwide. The implication is that over a third of the world’s population is using some form of social media to communicate and in exchange for information (Sunstein, 2018). As a primary source, social media has allowed the world to access information through words pictures and videos quickly. The social media tools used include twitter Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram which would enable individuals to share and voice their opinions to the world. Social media communication is also useful as a primary source of information as it penetrates through all spheres such as the family, education healthcare, business political and social aspects of life (Tuten & Solomon, 2017). In the modern age social media influences decisions on investments, elections, education standards and curriculum in health procedures and mainly in day to day lives communication at the family and friends level,
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Social Media Communication in Education
In the education sector, social media has taken center stage as it offers scholars sites for their scholarly work such as ProQuest, non-academic social networks, blogs (read or comment), online document management, media repositories, and wikis. Social media is a primary means of communication in the education center as it offers opportunities for research discovery of new ideas and publications. It is continuously used as a primary source for news and research in the education sector — social media functions as a cornerstone for 21st-century education by ensuring information literacy (Tuten & Solomon, 2017). It enhances students learning on searching for information and evaluating its validity and usefulness.
Social Media in Health Care
Social media platforms such as Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook contain information with firsthand accounts of history in health and medicine and they are tremendously informative and useful regarding modern-day culture and trends. Social media impacts communication in healthy living and behaviors through publishing off blogs and online conversations that inform the public on various medical aspects, conditions treatment, and medications (Silverstone, 2017). Medical information is available in the social media platforms and is classified in all disciplines or easy access and understanding.
Social Media in Politics
Social media plays a critical role in the mobilization of political followers. As a primary means of communication, leaders can directly reach their followers through the formation of platforms that directly engage and inform the public of various leaders’ opinions concerns and achievements in the society enabling them to make wise decisions during the election period. In the modern age, bills and laws are published and discussed online helping people to understand better and interpret the rules. Citizens are also able to directly voice their concerns opinions and ideas without hindrances of distance or physical contact.
Social Media in Business
Social media has become the primary mode of communication in business and the progression of economic activity. People rely on different social media platforms to make orders and payments (Silverstone, 2017). Facebook and Twitter business has been able to market their products directly to the consumers. Business management has been made easier as executives and leaders can hold a virtual meeting and discuss the various ways to improve business without having to convene a physical meeting (Tuten & Solomon, 2017). Goods and services and be accessed and ordered online within short times .people rely on social media for information on business and ideas on business management, improvement, and upgrade. People search for new strategies to market and attract customers through social media channels.
Social Media in the Workplace
Social media lies at the central part of the workplace. In the modern age, social media is a critical and essential system in organization communication. It entails all forms of upgrades and communication from the management on all issues such as meetings, memos, and employee’s code of conduct and introduction of new systems or upgrades (Sunstein, 2018). Social media is used as a means of transferring information throughout the organization. Workers can directly access organizations policies, standards, goals, objectives, vision, and mission online. The managers and leaders organize seminars and educational forums on the available platforms and can be able to evaluate feedback based on the reactions of the targeted groups.
Social Media in Family and Friendship
Social media platforms are the primary means of communication within families and among friends and colleagues. People in the modern age are reliant on social media platforms to send essential messages and expect instant feedback. Messages on education personal health status, social gatherings such as weddings, wakes, birthdays, anniversaries, and other various celebrations are announced and communicated through social media (Silverstone, 2017). Families due to limitations of time and commitments have held daily or weekly virtual family meetings to deliberate on important issues (Baym, 2015). To over barriers of time and distance, friends communicate and share online to keep close tabs each other and maintain friendships and support for each other. Dinners, coffees dates, vacations, and parties have been organized through social media platforms and have turned out to be successful.
Leading Social Media Platforms that Facilitate Primary Communication
Facebook is the most dominant social media platforms as shown by the numbers (Schivinski & Dabrowski, 2015). Facebook has 2.01 billion monthly users. Approximately, 88 percent of 18-29-year-olds use the Facebook platform to connect with others form relatives friends and been strangers from all over the world. Facebook allows people to share their thoughts pictures, links, logs, and videos (Baym, 2015). Facebook has persistent in growth and advancement and through the chat rooms s have allowed access to a new world that offers customer service and digital marketing. The ability to create a page for different issues or arising matters and gain followers to like, share or comment has facilitated interaction at the basic levels (Sunstein, 2018).
Twitter continues to blossom as a fast-paced network that allows users to share information instantly by using 140 characters or less. It has 328 million monthly users, and 36 percent of 18-29-year-olds utilizing the platform for communication and interactions (Men & Tsai 2015). Twitter is an essential platform for business and can be used explicitly as a strategy for digital marketing with profitable returns (Men & Tsai 2015. The use of hashtags allowing tweets to appear in the homepages to users and followers has facilitated access to news, marketing and allocation of individual attention to different content and new information. People can easily and instantly communicate and gain feedback.
Other social media platforms
Social networking platforms continue to emerge as technological advancements are made every day. Other platforms used in social media interactions include Snap chat, Instagram, Google + among others. Snap chat allows temporary communications by offering a platform for sharing content which is available for hours or a day. The mobile app has 166 million daily users with 56 percent of 18–29 year-olds who access information available on Snapchat daily. The application designed for tech-savvy and content-hungry users (Baym, 2015) and therefore Snapchat acts as the perfect application to reach millennial, especially for those universities looking to share as well receive information. It is sufficient for business and personal enlightenment. Instagram offers a platform for the younger generations as it has captured 59% of 18-29-year-olds who engage at different levels of communication (Schivinski & Dabrowski, 2015). The application allows sharing and interaction through various features such as the use of stickers and filters to create stories (Men & Tsai 2015). The app has captured the visual platform where Instagram Stories now has 250 million daily users.
The various social media platforms have revolutionized the communication system and affect the millennial culture as it forms their fundamental mode of communication. The platforms offer a variety of symbols and tools for useful discussion such as gifs, sound bites, chats, brief moments, and momentary flashes of content (Schivinski & Dabrowski, 2015). Social media has limited the time available for interactive communication. For with applications like SnapChat or Instagram stories which have limited time to evaluate and respond increases the urgency to communicate and respond to various issues (Baym, 2015). Hence they form a suitable primary mode of communication that facilitates instant feedback and compels participants to be part of the conversation and utilize the communication channels available.
Changes in Communication through Social Media
Social media as a primary source of discussion in the modern era has influenced communication in various ways. It has increased the sense of urgency and the need to share information. The multiple social media platforms continuously necessitate the feeling of sharing and broadcasting live on the internet. By offering a channel that allows constant update and exchange of content with friends using little effort, social media has effectively transformed the traditional primary methods of communication by creating a medium of sharing (Men & Tsai 2015). Social media has offered an in-depth perspective and perception of issues through sharing.
Social media is known for providing unity and cohesion as interactions become global. Such platforms allow full sharing of events occurrences and facilitate outreach (Schivinski & Dabrowski, 2015). Social media offers individual platforms that will enable the sharing of information in depth instead of just the highlight through platforms such as blogging. The systems provide a modern form of letting out feelings and dealing with negative energy manifested through frustrations disappointments and discrimination (Baym, 2015). Social media platform enhances creativity innovation and advancement opportunities. The effectiveness of social media as a primary method of communication in the modern era lies in its ability to make the messages more personal and making sharing and interaction more fun.
Conclusion
The social media in today’s world has played a critical role in the transformation of the means of communication. It has created new opportunities in politics, education, businesses, and healthcare and personal relationships with friends and family. Social media platforms have been essential in the economic and social growth of the communication sector. Facebook, Twitter, SnapChat, YouTube, Instagram, Google plus and others that will continue to be discovered continue to offer new opportunities for advancement and have brought personality back into the world. Despite the many criticisms on the adverse effects of social media to society, it is essential to embrace the social networks as the new primary sources of communication and appreciate their role in making us more efficient and productive by saving us energy and time.
References
Baym, N. K. (2015). Personal connections in the digital age . John Wiley & Sons.
Men, L. R., & Tsai, W. H. S. (2015). Infusing social media with humanity: Corporate character, public engagement, and relational outcomes. Public Relations Review , 41 (3), 395-403.
Schivinski, B., & Dabrowski, D. (2015). The impact of brand communication on brand equity through Facebook. Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing , 9 (1), 31-53.
Silverstone, R. (2017). Introduction. In Media, technology and everyday life in Europe (pp. 19-36). Routledge.
Sunstein, C. R. (2018). # Republic: Divided democracy in the age of social media . Princeton University Press.
Tuten, T. L., & Solomon, M. R. (2017) . Social media marketing . Sage publications.
