Unit 35- LO1

1. OCR –
Level 3 Cambridge Introductory Diploma in
Media
Unit 35:
Social Media Products
St. Andrew’s Catholic School – Lewis Manning
3073
Unit 35 Overview

3. Chosen social media products
• These are the three social media platforms I will be looking at
Snapchat
Snapchat is an image messaging and
multimedia mobile application created by Evan
Spiegel, Bobby Murphy, and Reggie Brown,
former students at Stanford University, and
developed by Snap Inc., originally Snapchat Inc.
it started in September 2011 and has 150
million daily users
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snapchat
Facebook
Facebook is an American for-profit
corporation and an online social media and
social networking service based in Menlo
Park, California. It was founded by Mark
Zuckerberg in February 2014 with 100 million
users every month
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facebook
Instagram
Instagram is a mobile, desktop, and Internet-based
photo-sharing application and service that allows
users to share pictures and videos either publicly,
or privately to pre-approved followers. It was
founded in 2010 and has roughly 800 million
active users every month
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instagram

4. Snapchat

5. Purpose
Snapchat is a image messaging and multimedia mobile application that allows you
to send images or videos to an individual but has a time limit to how long you can
see it. This was to allow the users to feel more secure about showing pictures of
themselves to others without the worry of it being released onto the internet. It
was created by Evan Spiegel, Bobby Murphy, and Reggie Brown, and they were
university students when they decided to come up with the idea and created
snap.inc. Snapchat's mission statement is "We believe that reinventing the camera
represents our greatest opportunity to improve the way people live and
communicate.”. This connotes that Snapchat is trying to improve the way people
live and communicate through the way of making use of the camera on our phones.

6. Content
• Snapchat's colour scheme is yellow with a white
ghost in the middle. This is to make it more eye-
catching and more defining when looking for it in the
app store when downloading it as well as try and
gain as many users as possible and open up new
possibilities to them. The home page of the app is
the camera screen facing you so it will be a picture of
you with a circle at the bottom which will allow you
to take a photo. You are able to swipe right which
will give you direct messaging to other users around
the world or swipe left to see their stories and what
they have been up to on that day

7. Target user
• The target users of Snapchat would be young people or anyone who
has a phone. This is because it will allow people to connect with more
people around the world and allow snap.inc to create new
opportunities for the users which will allow them to get more
connected with people.

8. Sources of revenue
• Sources of revenue for Snapchat would be the fact that the company
allows people to create filters for the app which goes over the original
image and will be used by them as well as other people. This is for a
small price but for the amount of people who use Snapchat can result
in millions of pounds for the company which will allow further
improvements to the app.

9. Legal and ethical issues
• Snapchat would have to make sure that the personal information of
the users that are using Snapchat is not released to anyone as well as
the fact that it cant release images or any other media claiming it to
be their own original work. This is because this is copyright as well as
the fact it is a breach of privacy and can mess peoples lives up and
ruin their personal life due to them never knowing what's going to
happen and if people have been taking money from them if they were
to put their bank details on the website.

10. Facebook

11. Purpose
• Personal engagement in an online space is the core purpose of
Facebook. It serves to allow individual users to connect with friends in
a simple, shorthanded manner, sharing thoughts, news and
multimedia content with them. Facebook allows users to connect
with many of their friends at once through posts that go out to a set
list of individuals; it allows allows them to keep up with their friends
and connect directly with individuals through direct messaging.
• https://www.techwalla.com/articles/the-purpose-of-facebook

12. Content
• Facebooks colour scheme consists of mainly being blue and white with the logo
being a white un-capitalised f with a blue background. This makes it very
extinguishable from the rest of social media as it can be identified with everyone
around the world. The home page consists of having all your feed from friends
and all the people you follow being listed down the website with the top
consisting of the search bar as well as tabs to allow you to explore further into
the social media website. There is also a section on top of the feed that allows
you to post anything you want on you timeline so that other people who are
friends with you can also see .

13. Target user
• The target user of Facebook is those who are aged 12 and over. This is
because there can be content on the website that may be
inappropriate to those who are younger and when you become 12
you’re legally a teenager who will begin to experience new things that
could be deemed a bit inappropriate to those who are younger. It is
also not aimed at any specific social class in the world as it is free to
access to anyone in the world which is why it is such a successful
social media platform.

14. Sources of revenue
• Facebooks sources of revenue comes from their games as well as the
ads that pop up on the website. This is because the money that will
be gained from it will help to further improve the social media
platform by having newer features and making it run more efficiently
with fewer bugs. It will also help the company have more
opportunities to create further products that can be beneficial for the
users by allowing them to further connect to other people around the
world

15. Legal and ethical issues
• Facebook would have to make sure that the personal information of
the users that are using Facebook is not released to anyone as well as
the fact that it cant release images or any other media claiming it to
be their own original work. This is because this is copyright as well as
the fact it is a breach of privacy and can mess peoples lives up and
ruin their personal life due to them never knowing what's going to
happen and if people have been taking money from them if they were
to put their bank details on the website.

16. Instagram

17. Purpose
• The purpose of Instagram is to be able to post pictures of yourself or
whatever you are doing to let people know who are following you
know what you have been up to lately. It also allows you to comment
on other peoples photos and like them to show how you feel about it.
It helps users to be more informed about their friends as well as
celebrities they like as they are able to follow them and see what they
have been posting lately. This way it brings us more together with
everyone around the world and be kept informed about public affairs
as they too are posted on the social media platform.

18. Content
• Instagram colour scheme consists mainly of white with the few
colours that are for additional use of pop ups. The logo is the social
media platform is a simple camera with the word “insta” on the left in
the bottom of 4 colours going down in a stripe. This is a way to keep it
simple yet aesthetically pleasing as no one wants to be on social
media website where it prioritises colour over that actual posts that
will be shared on the platform because then it will then just get
unpopular loosing money for the company.

19. Target user
• The target age for the social media platform is 12 and above. This is
because there can be content on the platform that may be
inappropriate to those who are younger and when you become 12
you’re legally a teenager who will begin to experience new things that
could be deemed a bit inappropriate to those who are younger. It is
also not aimed at any specific social class in the world as it is free to
access to anyone in the world which is why it is such a successful
social media platform.

20. Sources of revenue
• Its sources of revenue comes from the paid sponsors it gets from
companies. This is where Instagram will advertise company pages on
Instagram which will show up on everyone's feed and will advertise
the product the company has recently produced and is now available
to the world. This is an effective way of getting people to buy their
products as so many people use Instagram and because of it
companies are willing to pay a lot of money just to advertise their
product.

21. Legal and ethical issues
• Instagram would have to make sure that the personal information of the users that are
using Instagram is not released to anyone as well as the fact that it cant release images
or any other media claiming it to be their own original work. This is because this is
copyright as well as the fact it is a breach of privacy and can mess peoples lives up and
ruin their personal life due to them never knowing what's going to happen and if people
have been taking money from them if they were to put their bank details on the website.
• (Data protection act 1998)
• You are responsible for any activity that occurs through your account and you agree you
will not sell, transfer, license or assign your account, followers, username, or any account
rights. With the exception of people or businesses that are expressly authorized to create
accounts on behalf of their employers or clients, Instagram prohibits the creation of and
you agree that you will not create an account for anyone other than yourself. You also
represent that all information you provide or provided to Instagram upon registration
and at all other times will be true, accurate, current and complete and you agree to
update your information as necessary to maintain its truth and accuracy.
• (Instagram's term and conditions of use in a simplified manner)

22. P2- Survey monkey
Here I have shown what questions I have asked people
about their social media preferences. This survey was
conducted online using Survey Monkey which also
reflects peoples use of online documents over paper
based questionnaires. The results reflect that it is
mainly the younger generation who use social media
and is also predominantly the male sex.
https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/QRMYV7X

23. Question 1
This is to help me identify what
ages have answered the
questionnaire. It also helps me
identify which age groups
understand how social media
works and with the following
questions can tell me which social
media they like to use which in
turn could link with their age
group in this generation.

24. Question 2
This questions helps me
to identify what gender
from the people have
answered the
questionnaire. It also
helps me to be able to
tailour make it to their
genders and make it
more appealing when
creating a social media
for myself.

25. Question 3
This question helps me to
identify which social media
platforms are currently most
popular with the current
generation and which ones I
will need to use as inspiration
when creating one for myself.
This will allow me to be more
successful in creating one and
allow to get positive
feedback.

26. Question 4
This question helps me to understand
which social media do the people who
answered my questionnaire use
primarily. This helps to ,e to get further
inspiration because if I am able to create
a similar style of social media people will
be able to get interested into it and then
in turn get a bigger following.

27. Question 5
This questions helps to identify
whether people understand
the terms and conditions on
social media. This is vital
because it helps put in
guidelines on what people are
allowed and not allowed to do
whilst on the platform. It also
makes people understand that
if they were to say they own
the social media , they can be
sued for plagiarism.

28. Features and benefits of social media
Snapchat
- See stories from around the world and events such as festivals
- Get to see what your friends are doing through their personal stories
- You can see the latest gossip though featured articles about shows or just current affairs around the world
Facebook
- Get to see pages of famous people and what they are doing and what new events they are being featured in are going to come
up in the future.
- Can play games with your friends on Facebook
- Able to see posts that are about how long your friendships have been with people or just a post celebrating events such as
birthdays or Christmas
Instagram
- Are able to see live streams on peoples accounts to see what they are doing currently live and are able to message them
directly because of it.
- You are able to like peoples post and send messages about what you feel about it
- You can follow celebrities and many other famous people, brands etc., in order to see what they are currently doing in the
world and what may be released to the public.

29. Dangers of social media
• Snapchat’s map feature has been known to allow people to directly know where
people are at which has caused concern for people who may think people are
using it to stalk them.
• Facebook has been known to be used as a way of targeting people for bullying.
There have been previous accounts of people being bullied on Facebook to the
point that individuals has resorted to committing suicide as a way of getting out
it.
• Instagram is also used for a way of bullying like Facebook however unlike
Facebook ,Instagram is mainly about sharing photos therefore it can be used as a
direct way of insulting someone because of the way they look which can lead to
drastic incidents occurring with the individual being bullied.

30. Effects of social media
• Social media distracts people because it contains information that
appeals to our own interests. This can be from gossip to what's
going to be released in a couple of months in terms of fashion or
games. It has also made it much more easier for people to access
topics that would have been accessed through going out and
researching it from libraries or any other source that can be
provided. However, now everything is literally just a tap away from
getting all the information needed from the internet where almost
everything is recorded.
• on Instagram there are many examples of how social media can
“erode normal social behaviour” (Noam Chomsky). A recent
example is when an NYPD police officer posted pictures about
arresting protesters effectively advertising his own opinion which
caused offence to the protesters. Police officers should be neutral
with all their dealings with members of the public. This evidences
how social media caused this officer to behave in a certain way
that was unbecoming of the role that he had chosen to carry out in
society. Members of the public seeing this kind of post could be
seen to cause “moral panic” (Stanley Cohen 1972) as groups of
people could then act in angry ways against such unacceptable
images and comments.
https://allblackmedia.com/2016/0
1/nypd-officer-mocks-protesters-
calls-them-hoodrats/

31. Convergence
Snapchat
- Allows you to have different effects on videos and images you take e.g. speed up, slow down
or reverse images which can be entertaining for the user.
Instagram
- Allows users to share as many videos and photos as the user requires, especially during holiday periods
giving them the entertainment they require (Jenkins 2006). It also means users can look back at past
memories when they so desire.
Facebook
- Allows users to connect to people across the world in a more social environment and is
also used as a platform to make new friendships, advertise services and products as well as
sharing pictures and videos with people in your “friends” list.

32. Data Protection Act (1998)
https://www.gov.uk/data-
protection/the-data-protection-
act
• The Data Protection Act controls how
your personal information is used by
organizations, businesses or the
government. They must insure the
information is used lawfully fairly, used
for limited and specifically stated
purposes.
This means that when creating a social
media website you are not able to use
information from users as an
incriminating way and if they are wanting
to keep it private you are not allowed to
release to the public.

33. Commercial uses- advertising
• Pay per click advertising
• PPC is an online advertising model in which advertisers can display ads from their company
products when users enter relevant questions into search engines. Advertisers are only charged
when a user actually clicks on their ad, hence the name “pay-per-click.”
• Sponsored advertising
• Material in an online publication which resembles the publications editorial content but is paid
for by an advertiser and is used to promote their products. This can be seen on many social media
websites as it is a source of income for them.
• Personal recommendations
• It means that people in your friend network on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter
recommend products or sites to you for your purchases or for general product review queries.
https://www.shoutmeloud.com/social-recommendations-vs-online-ads.html
https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-sponsorship-advertising-definition-advantages-disadvantages.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pay-per-click

34. Commercial uses- viral marketing
With the Snapchat advert, it was introducing the new feature
of being able to video call someone from your phone. This is
similar to FaceTime however this is able to be accessed with
any type of phone whether it be android or IOS. This advert
is very visual as there is no speaking and only music being
played on the background. This is to make the viewer want
to find out more about the new feature on the app and also
helps to advertise to those with hearing problems and
without them worrying if they are missing out on any
additional information. The logo is seen at the start of the
advert on the persons phone so it helps to identify what
company is being advertised.

35. Commercial uses- products advertised
• On Snapchat the only advertisements you get will be
about following pages or to go onto a website to
learn more. This helps to limit the amount of spam
the social network platform can get from companies
who wish to advertise their products on the app.
However, for Facebook and Instagram, any company
or brand can advertise on the platform as long as
they pay for the advertisement. This would be seen
in-between posts from people and would mainly
feature a small advert or just an image that might
appeal to the people who are using the social
networking platform.

36. Commercial uses- advertising
• For advertising, it is used in social media such as Instagram through
the use of having their own posts on peoples feed which allows a link
to be presented on the post which in turn will allow them to go
directly to their website. For Snapchat you can see advertising in
between peoples stories or at the end of the story where it would
advertise content that would be appealing to people who would use
Snapchat. Facebook advertises products through the selling page on
the website or through posts that would be located randomly in your
feed. This makes it easier for people to see the products instead of
having to scroll endlessly for the specific product.

37. Commercial uses- product reviews
• Facebook does some product reviews but that is when you select the icon that
gets you on the selling page of Facebook. There you can see reviews of the
product which helps you understand what the product is about. Instagram does
reviews of a product through the users it has. They would do reviews of
products that are sponsoring and then their followers would see the review and
in turn by the product if it is good. This is similar to Snapchat as it would be the
users doing the reviews and not necessarily the company therefore products
could only be bought if they people were to follow the users.

38. Conclusion
• To conclude, this learning outcome discusses the effects of
social media on the public and how they try to promote
themselves as well as other products. It also discusses the
origin of the social media platforms and how they were able
to become big successes in their line of work. However it
also contains content that can cause negative effects on the
public and how they have caused serious problems in life.