Paper written on social media for my Advertising class fall 2009

1. Michelle Wilke
MEDC 1010.08
Social Media Paper
04/16/09
The Power of Social Media
It’s obvious that social media is most prevalent on the internet. Social Media
began with a major technical advance called Web 2.0. Web 2.0 enabled people to actually
change the content of a website and ultimately led to a whole new change in which we
communicate. Social Media has also changed the ways in which we consume
information. With other forms of media, we are limited to what information we are
exposed to because we are not in control of our consumption. Social Media has provided
millions of people with the ability to connect and collaborate on topics instead of being
spoon fed the information from one person in control.
With 25 million members on Facebook, My Space, Twitter etc, the World Wide
Web is exploding with bloggers, personal photos, and profiles of individuals linked to
these social networks. It’s easy to say, that the impact of these networks is becoming
substantial in the lives of its users. For example, Megan Meier a St. Louis resident, only
13 years old, hung herself to death after retrieving a message on my space from a
fabricated boyfriend that he did not want to be her friend anymore. Later, it was reveled
that this boyfriend was parent of one of her former girlfriends from grade school.
With stories such as this it’s surprising that more people do not utilize the privacy
options that these networks offer. It is still unbelievable how much personal information
people will disclose on their profiles and leave it open for anyone to view. Information is
posted daily about people’s whereabouts, mood, and personal matters. Internet predators

2. may seem to only exist on the news and in papers but they can be anyone, anywhere
searching for someone to prey on.
Although there are many negative instances in which social media has been
abused, if used correctly it can be a great resource for education, career building, personal
networking and exchange of information between friends. Social Media has provided a
portal for people to connect that otherwise wouldn’t be able to and has provided people
with a more worldly perspective. For example, my best friend is studying abroad in
London and with the use of Facebook we are able to chat, exchange pictures, and keep
our relationship growing. She was able to talk to me when my son was born and I was
able to wish her happy birthday on her 21rst.
Not only has Social Media forever changed how people connect it has given
marketers a tremendous outlet for advertising. When Facebook first began there were not
advertisements on the pages, but after Google bought a share in Facebook for millions of
dollars there are advertisements popping up all over. Now on both the right and left sides
of the web pages there are numerous ad’s for dating services, retail companies,
restaurants, etc. Social Media has converted advertising from the age old print
advertisements and made it into a mass distribution of technological marketing.
The most ingenious and marketable component of Social Media is that it’s free!!
Unlike the use of cell phone where there are boundaries of minutes and money, social
media gives users unlimited access for no cost. It’s been said that Social Media is still on
the ground floor level, but with Facebook already having 25 million users and growing
by 3% daily, equaling to about 100,000 new users a day there is no telling what is in store
for the future for this new way of communication.