Social media refers to applications and websites – the collective of online communications channels – that enable people, companies, and other organizations to create and share content on social networking sites and blogs.

1. What is social media? The effects of social media
Social media refers to applications and websites – the collective of online
communications channels – that enable people, companies, and other
organizations to create and share content on social networking sites and
blogs.
There are many applications (apps) and websites that are dedicated to social
networking, forums, social bookmarking, microblogging, products/services
reviews, social curation (Digg, Reddit), wikis, virtual worlds, and other types of
social media.
Individuals, companies, and other organizations through social media create,
share or exchange a range of things, including ideas, pictures, videos, career
interests, opinions, jokes, complaints, experiences, and items of news. Both
companies and individuals use social media platforms for marketing purposes
too.
Social media is a term that we currently throw around a lot. Its meaning has
widened considerably since its usage in language started to become popular.
If we use the term to describe sites like Twitter and Facebook, and also Digg
and Reddit, then its meaning starts becoming rather vague.
Social media has many meanings
As commonly happens when a term is overused, social media
is beginning to have different meanings for different people.
People who have a more restricted view on what it defines tend
to give it the same meaning as social networking – websites
such as Twitter, Facebook, etc. Others will tell you that blogs
are not included in its definition.
Elise Moreau, writing in webtrends.com, has an interesting and,
in my opinion, accurate approach to the meaning of social
media. She starts by looking at each word ‘social’ and ‘media’
individually:

2. – Social: refers to people interacting with each other by
sharing information.
– Media: refers to channels of communications, including
TV, radio, newspapers, magazines, billboards, and the
Internet.
So, if we pull the meanings of these two separate terms
together, we get:
“Social media are web-based communication tools that
enable people to interact with each other by both sharing
and consuming information.”
Social media depends on web-based and mobile
technology to create highly interactive platforms through
which individuals and other entities can share, discuss,
create, co-create and modify user-generated content.
It is significantly changing how we all communicate with
each other and tell our network members about ourselves.
Technoself studies focus on these changes.
Social media vs. traditional media
Social media differs considerably from traditional media –
physical newspapers and magazines, plus TV and radio.
While the former is a dialogic transmission system (many
viewers and many creators all communicate with each
other) traditional media operates under a monologic
transmission system (there is just one source and many
receivers).

3. Studies show that people are spending more and more
time each week on social media sites, in many cases at the
cost of other types of sites, and definitely at the cost of
offline activities and even sleep. For advertisers, these
types of sites and blogs have become extremely important.
In 2015, Nielsen.com reported that three of the most
popular online brands worldwide were social media-related
– Facebook, YouTube, and Wikipedia. Globally, we spend
22% of all our time online on these types of sites.
Three-quarters of global consumers with Internet access
visit social networks or blog sites. The average visitor in
2015 spent 24% more time visiting these sites compared to
2014.
American business magnate, Bill Gates, who co-founded
Microsoft and became the richest person in the world, once
said: “The PC has improved the world in just about every area
you can think of. Amazing developments in communications,
collaboration, and efficiencies. New kinds of entertainment and
social media. Access to information and the ability to give a
voice to people who would never have been heard.”
Negative effects
Several negative effects have been associated with social
media, especially regarding privacy, information overload
and Internet fraud.
Angry or emotional exchanges can eventually lead to
serious and sometimes dangerous confrontations in the
real world outside of the Internet.

4. Young and older naïve people can be lured by predatory
pedophiles, murderers and rapists.
Studies suggest that social networking sites may have a
negative effect on individuals’ self-esteem and self-worth.
One study found that people with a greater social
comparison orientation – they compare their own lives
with those of their family members, friends and work
colleagues – tend to use these sites more heavily
compared to individuals with low social comparison
orientation.
Take Facebook for example; most members tend to post
positive aspects of their lives; this makes other people
wonder why their own lives are not as fulfilling or exciting.
This, psychologists say, can push susceptible people into
depression and other self-esteem issues.
Online and mobile phone bullying has become a serious
problem for both children and adults across the world.
Positive effects
Social networking and blogging sites are great places to
document memories, advertise oneself, form friendships,
and learn about and explore things.
In social networking sites we all have the possibility of
becoming content creators. Networked individuals who
create content can reach a wider audience.
If used effectively, it can positively affect people’s social
standing and help them gain political support, which can

5. lead to influence on issues they find important.
Participants in the 2011 Tunisian revolution, for example,
used Facebook to organize meetings and protest actions.
Many websites, such as Wiki, are the result of individuals
creating and collaborating with other network individuals.
According to a survey carried out by Pew Internet
Research, ‘networked individuals’ are involved in
considerably more creation activities compared to their
non-networked counterparts.
Business advertising
A huge number of ‘social media experts’ have emerged
over the past five years, offering to help companies best
utilize social networking sites and blogs to promote their
products, services, or messages.
These sites have a great deal of personal data – such
information is worth gold for marketing and advertising
executives.
Instead of reactively targeting users who search for a
specific term online, social media advertising proactively
and accurately targets relevant users before they even
start their search. Social networks are a dream come true
for advertisers, because of the advanced targeting option,
the prevalence on smartphones and other mobile devices,
and reliable conversion tracking.

6. We can be certain that personal data from this type of
media usage will continue being tracked and logged for the
benefit of any company that is prepared to pay for it.
Advertising agencies today warn businesses that if they do
not invest in social media, their competitors are likely to
pull ahead rapidly.