Will Social Media change in the future?

                Do I think Social Media will change in the future?

                Quite possibly, I do.

                It could change by leaps and bounds.

                Or, it could not change at all, maybe even fall flat on its face.

                There wasn’t a whole lot I gained from this class this term, at least not anything I wasn’t already familiar with.  All it really did was it reminded me was that Social Media is indeed a commanding force in today’s society, as well as in the economy, as well as the worldwide media.  It continues to grow, not so much exponentially anymore as it was in the early part of the century, but the only constant indeed is change.  And to that, I do believe Social Media COULD grow, but how much and how fast is anyone’s guess.

                With information technology still slowly progressing, Social Media technology continues to grow, with faster devices and services, more and more people joining Social Media hubs and groups, and more of those hubs and groups coming into service and growing every day.

                Trends?  Not my thing.  I’ve never really been one to follow the crowd, I like to march to the beat of my own drum, and if others follow me, then so be it.  Trends in Social Media are another thing altogether.  I don’t really follow them, and I certainly don’t start them.  Sure, I’ll post some hilarious e-card on Facebook full of sarcasm and wit, but if others share it from my post, that just means they’re helping to spread what I found, but it’s short-lived.  Memes will continue to evolve as more pictures become meme-able.  People will continue to be as creative as they want with them, making them socially applicable to whatever situation requires it.  Seriously, when was the last time you saw a Kony meme?

                In regards to the question of technology, I have already addressed that, but just to reiterate, technology will continue to progress as long as there are people out there willing to help it improve, evolve, and change.

                In closing, if I was ever asked to take this course again, I’d say no.  One, because I’ve just completed it, and two, I just don’t see the relevance.  We see the impact of Social Media on everyday life every time we draw breath, blink, or take a step.  You simply cannot go a millisecond in a metropolis like Toronto without bumping into someone with their nose buried in a smartphone checking Facebook or Twitter, see someone sitting on a bench in a park on a tablet playing Angry Birds, or on a passing bus watching a YouTube video on their iPhone.  In my opinion, this class was neither necessary nor relevant; all it truly taught me was that everyone has a hand in Social Media these days.  No, that’s not right.  All it really did was make me more aware of that fact.

Second Post - Increase VS. Decrease

So, this week’s question, posed by my teacher, is as follows,

“Social media has allowed everyday citizens to become authors, editors, and publishers of news and information.  Do you believe that social media has increased the quality of news and information or decreased it?”

I could see the usefulness of social media devices in the context that they could be used to get stories to news agencies instantly, instead of waiting for a news crew to show up to an event of critical nature.

However, I can also see how it could be a nuisance.

In some cases, especially involving members of law enforcement, a passing motorist could catch footage of multiple officers using excessive force to subdue a suspect.

What you might not see from that footage however, is the context.

If you saw the video, you’d instantly think, “Why?”

But, and this is on the side of answering positively to this week’s question, with the advancement in social media technology, another motorist could’ve caught the previously mentioned context on video before the other motorist showed up.

If the suspect had been inebriated on an illegal narcotic such as PCP, and began to rampage out of control while the officers tried to subdue him, and one passing motorist had caught it on video, then the next motorist catching the officers beating the hell out of the suspect in a “Fight Of Their Life” situation wouldn’t be painted so darkly in the public eye that evening on the news.

With that said, I find myself wondering just how many people had cameras and/or smartphones or cell phones with cameras at the Danzig Street shooting in Scarborough just a short time ago.  I then think to myself as to whether or not the footage captured on those devices that night aided in identifying the shooter(s).

There is the question of privacy though.

While members of the media have a LOT more integrity than they did in the 1900’s, there are still a few scumbags out there that would take a video or picture out of contest, and turn it into the biggest tabloid hellstorm of the modern era.

Coming to the conclusion, I do believe HAS increased the quality of news and information…..to a point.  There is still a dark side to it, but the positives outweigh the negatives.

For now…..

First Post - Welcome Minions!!!

So, this is my first post in this blog as part of my Social Media & Society GenEd class, and the question posed by the teacher for this post is,

          “What is your perception of social media?  Do you think it is a fad or the biggest shift since the Industrial Revolution?”

Well, considering I took a Sociology class during the summer term where we in fact discussed the Industrial Revolution, I’d have to answer that with, “Possibly.”

A revolution is usually some form of rebellion, or an action that brings about a new age, but the true definition of a revolution is something that keeps moving around and around.

Social Media indeed brings a new age to mankind, building upon the Digital Age, and all the technological advancements in information creation and control from that era.

Twenty years ago, the word “Blog” didn’t even exist yet.

But then again, twenty years ago, people didn’t think the Toronto Blue Jays could beat the Atlanta Braves in the 1992 World Series.

My point is, some people would consider Social Media the biggest fad since neon hot pants, but the truth is, Social Media is both a bridge AND a tether.

While it brings people closer together, proving six degrees of separation truly exists daily through Facebook, it’s also not unlike a dog’s leash, with the ability to link your Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites and apps to your cellphone, it truly eliminates the illusion of personal privacy, where people can not only text or e-mail you to your cellphone, but also contact you on social media and it’ll show up on your smart phone or wireless device.

Parents can easily monitor their children this way, since teenagers are very vain these days, and couldn’t care less about what they post, thus showing their parents exactly who they are, unlike the pre-internet age, where a teenager actually possessed a level of secrecy about their personality to their parents.

Gone are the days when a teenager would go off to drink beer in a forest with friends, and their parents would be totally in the dark about it.

Now Lil’ Johnny goes to drink with his friends, and wakes up the next morning to his parents in his hungover face, because Lil’ Suzie tagged him in pics from the drinking session when she got home.

Oops.

There are some upsides to Social Media, although I use the term “upsides” loosely in this case, and I’ll tell you why.

One major upside is advertising; when I said I use the term “upside” loosely, I’m referring to the music industry.  They can get the word out about Justin Bieber or Nicki Minaj’s new album a lot faster now than they could twenty years ago thanks to word-of-mouth over Social Media.

It used to take expensive TV, radio, and print campaigns to promote musicians’ new offerings to the public, over a span of weeks, where now, it takes a mere day and one simple post on a fan’s page to spurn the interest of literally millions of fans towards the new album up to weeks before it even hits the shelves.

Not that the shelves matter.

In this age of digital media, more and more people are buying/downloading their music online, thus eliminating the need for a carbon copy, like a CD or cassette tape.

This is not the world I grew up in.

But then again, this is not the world my parents grew up in either.

They watched TV get colour, vinyl give way to 8-track, and eventually audio cassette.  And eventually playback technology came home, from the BetaMax, to the VHS, to DVD, HD-DVD, and now Blu-Ray.

Next.