The Future of Social Networking

Social Media has played a huge role in our day to day lives by connecting us in ways that were otherwise impossible 15 years ago. New social networking sites are rising and falling, aswell as evolving and adapting to ever-changing technology. Ever since 2004 when Facebook first emerged, social media blew up, branching off and many other companies forming their own sites such as Twitter and Instagram. With all these sites and the way they grew and formed, what will they be like in the future? In the next decade, we should see the global usage of social media take a steady rise. The networking sites, however, will have to compete for new ideas and have to stay popular as more and more social networking sites begin to appear.

There are many predictions and hypotheses of what social media will become in the future. In the next 25 years when news breaks, “it will be covered by a multitude of eyewitnesses streaming live video. These streams will knit together into a single immersive video, enabling the viewer to virtually experience the event in real time. For better or worse, the world will feel like it’s right around the corner” (Bergman). In the future, technology will get more advanced to a point where people will be able to broadcast live video of a crime or accident, and be instantly played through to your phone or news websites.

In the next couple decades, social media will be more geared towards you and more personalized while still being in touch of the world around you. Social networking will be all about you and “personalized content will become the norm… in the future, when the depth of data available meets the ability to make decisions based off of that data, the result will be a very individualized and powerful experience. People will be able to get the content they want, at the time they want, from the people and brands they want” (Kimzey). With some devices already taking advantage over this power, such as The Nest Thermostat, some Nike products, and even Youtube, it is bound to sweep through the social networking sites, with some media sites implementing some of this technology.

As social media grows, so will technology, along with what you are able to do when they both mix. Over time, technology “will become part of the fabric of our clothes, part of the glasses we wear and the shoes we put on, and the gadgets we no longer see as gadgets but as part of our very selves” (Kramer). Just like Google Glass and the Apple watch, this will enable people to physically be a part of the media, and help everyone get information in an instant.

 

Wellons, Mary Catherine. “11 Key Predictions on the Future of Social Media.” 11 Predictions

on the Future of Social Media. CNBC, 02 Oct. 2014. Web. 29 Apr. 2015. <http://www.cnbc.com/id/102029041>.

 

Marentis, Chris. “5 Predictions to the Future of Social Media.” 5 Predictions for the Future of Social Media. IMedia, 12 May 2014. Web. 28 Apr. 2015. <http%253A%252F%252Fwww.imediaconnection.com%252Fcontent%252F36458.asp%2523multiview>.

 

Sinclair, Joan. “Social Media Summit 2014: ‘Social Media for Social Change'” DipNote. DipNote, 4 Apr. 2014. Web. 01 May 2015. <http://blogs.state.gov/stories/2014/04/04/social-media-summit-2014-social-media-social-change>.

 

Knight, Starr. “The Future of Social Media.” Social Media Today. N.p., 29 Apr. 2013. Web. 01 May 2015. <http://www.socialmediatoday.com/content/future-social-media-0>.

 

Subramanyan, Vignesh. “The Future of Social Media: 25 Experts Share Their 2015 Predictions.” Business 2 Community. N.p., 22 Dec. 2014. Web. 01 May 2015. <http://www.business2community.com/social-media/future-social-media-25-experts-share-2015-predictions-01104113&gt;.

Should Social Media Sites Censor Their Content?

Throughout the internet, many social media sites are censoring their content. This is to provide the viewers a more pleasant and viewer-friendly experience. There is many content around social media which contains foul language, racial slurs, nudity, and even murder. This content is blocked by many social media websites, except for some who believe that people have the right to know and read whatever they want. Some people agree with this, and say that everyone should be allowed to view foul content if they wish: “Free speech applies even to distasteful episodes” (Machado). I believe that content should be censored throughout all of social media, because people should not be subjected to all the profanity people may provide.

Having blocked content on all social media websites could drastically improve viewer satisfaction and create a safe environment for younger people.  Platforms, such as “Google and Facebook prohibit content that promotes violence, terrorism, and hate speech, and reserve the right to remove it from their sites” (Biddle). Major sites are now getting involved in the process of stopping the use of negative and violent content people can say and see. The reason social media sites use “censorship isn’t about silencing critics, but protecting its users” (Mullan). The reason to censor content is not just to block violence or hatred, but to help keep everybody safe.

Many people believe that hiding the content from the people is an attack on the first Amendment- freedom of speech. However, safety should always be a first priority to everything, and with uncensored content, no one would feel safe knowing and seeing murders and racial slurs all throughout social media. Even though people are allowed to have freedom of speech, “there are exceptions to First Amendment protections of free expression, including restrictions on obscenity and the distribution of stolen media, which might subject people sharing the stolen pictures and videos of celebrities to criminal and civil liability” (Loria). Social media is not meant to be a place where you find racial profanity or watch someone be murdered, even if it invades the first Amendment.

As the years progress, more and more social networking sites are censoring their content. This is to provide safety and comfort for people who are just looking to see what is trending, or to see what their friends are up to. People do not need to sacrifice their freedom to speak out and have their opinions be heard, but if those opinions are to attack another person, then that media’s company will be forced to put a stop to it.

Loria, Keith. “Should Social Media Censor Content?” EContent Magazine. N.p., 24 Nov. 2014. Web. 31 Mar. 2015. <http://www.econtentmag.com/Articles/News/News-Feature/Should-Social-Media-Censor-Content-100214.htm>

 

Biddle, Ellery Roberts, Lisa Ferguson, and Sarah Myers West. “Netizen Report: Social Media Sites Grapple with Pressure to Censor ISIS Content.” Global Voices Advocacy RSS. N.p., 10 Sept. 2014. Web. 31 Mar. 2015. <http://advocacy.globalvoicesonline.org/2014/09/10/netizen-report-social-media-sites-grapple-with-pressure-to-censor-isis-content/>.

 

Mullan, Elleen. “Social Censorship.” EContent Magazine. N.p., 02 Sept. 2014. Web. 31 Mar. 2015. <http://www.econtentmag.com/Articles/Column/Dispatches-from-Digital-Natives/Social-Censorship-99083.htm>.

 

Heins, Marjorie. “The Brave New World of Social Media Censorship.” Harvard Law Review The Brave New World of Social Media Censorship Comments. Havard, 20 June 2014. Web. 27 Mar. 2015. <http://harvardlawreview.org/2014/06/the-brave-new-world-of-social-media-censorship/>.

Weiss, Marie-Andree. “The Program.” Regulating Freedom of Speech on Social Media: Comparing the EU and the U.S. Approach. Stanford Law School, 2015. Web. 29 Mar. 2015. <https://www.law.stanford.edu/organizations/programs-and-centers/transatlantic-technology-law-forum/regulating-freedom-of-speech-on-social-media-comparing-the>.

Should Companies or Jobs Look Through Your Social Media Profiles?

The effects and influences social media has on job employment greatly increases the risks and consequences on being accepted and maintaining the job. Many people believe that companies and employers should not look at  the potential employees’ social media profiles. I consider people’s social media profiles to represent their life, and by looking at what they have posted, it could tell you a lot about them. The reason companies need to look at their interested workers’ profiles, is to get a general sense and understanding of who they are, and prepare the employers of who they are about to deal with.

A company needs to look at the profiles of not only their potential employees, but their workers as well. Having a bad representation on your profile or social media in general “could significantly jeopardize candidate’s potential in obtaining the job” (Betances 1). What this means is that if you are disrespectful or even breaking the law in a photo, a company will not allow that person to be a part of, or represent their company. Another reason companies should look through their employee’s social media profiles is to look and find out if any of them have participated in drugs or drug-related use. On other social media websites, such as Twitter, where you mostly read the information, should be searched as well, because a worker may say negative things to their fellow workers, manager, or even company. Anything involving “substance abuse content, bad mouthing former company/boss/colleagues, and posting provocative/inappropriate photos” may lead the employee or future employee to be fired (Betances 1).

Having a background check on everyone applying for a job is necessary, but many people believe that by doing that, it is an invasion of privacy. Companies are prohibited to look through private information, but are allowed to look through your profile. Increasing numbers of employers [are asking] employees to turn over their usernames or passwords for their personal accounts” (Employer Access to Social Media 1). The reason employers are asking for their employees’ usernames and passwords is to “protect proprietary information or trade secrets, to comply with federal financial regulations, or to prevent the employer from being exposed to legal liabilities” (Employer Access to Social Media 1). If you are working for the government or any other type of area where they give you information for which you need to keep a secret, the company is obligated to keep track of your social media accounts, incase you are giving away any secret information.

Social media has a significant effect when applying for a job, or if you are currently in one. You need to know that if you are going to apply for a job, you need to make sure that what you have said or posted is legal, kind, or not too negative. Companies must know what you post, to make sure that who they have hired is a well respected and good individual.

https://totsmss2.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/destroying-jobs_-chart1x910_0-jpg-e14251895121391.png?w=300

Betances, Damaris, Robert Solarczyk, and Cathy Bellows. “ScholarsArchive@JWU.”Site. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2015.

 

Bianco, Jamie Skye. “Social Networking and Cloud Computing: Precarious Affordances for the “Prosumer”” Women’s Studies Quarterly 37.1/2, Technologies (2009): 303-12. Social Networking and Its Effects on Companies and Their Employees. Web. 23 Feb. 2015.

 

“Employer Access to Social Media Usernames and Passwords.” NCSL. National Conference of State Legislators, 24 Feb. 2015. Web. 27 Feb. 2015. <http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncsl.org%2Fresearch%2Ftelecommunications-and-information-technology%2Femployer-access-to-social-media-passwords-2013.aspx>.

Davison, H. Kristl. “Friend or Foe? The Promise and Pitfalls of Using Social Networking Sites for HR Decisions.” Journal of Business and Psychology 26.2, Bridging the Gap Between the Science and Practice of Psychology in Organizations: State of the Practice Reflections (2011): 153-59. How Social Networking Sites Affect Your Job Search. Web. 27 Feb. 2015.

How has News been Affected Through Social Media?

The role of social media taking over news feeds has spread rapidly, kicking many newspaper corporations to the ground. More than half of the people who go on social media visit there to get news updates and information. People tend to get their news through social media because it provides a much quicker, easier, and simpler way to browse and receive what they need to know. “And thanks to social media, we’re getting news as it happens—sometimes even before news organizations have a chance to report it” (Morejon 1). It’s also much better because news through social media only gives you information you need and what to know, as well as giving you interesting events on what’s happening throughout the world.

As the news industry through social media is increasing, they are relying more on search engines, such as Google, Bing, and Yahoo, to reach their audience. This means that when these tech firms change and update, the whole news industry has to change to keep up with them, as well as compete to be the top news. With over 50% of people learning about breaking news through social media and over 46% of people using the news online three times a week, there’s a clear indication that newspaper companies are falling. With this, the news industry online has to pay a great deal for advertising. As online advertising was up 207 million dollars in 2011, print advertising plummeted 2.1 billion dollars.

News Industry through the internet can be looked upon as a great thing, or a bad thing. It could be a bad thing because as newspaper industries are quickly dying out, they are laying off more and more workers. It could also lead to false rumors and information with the news industry competing to try to be the first site to let you know. It could be a good thing, however, because newspaper companies used to use a huge amount of paper, but with the whole industry becoming digital, there’s no need in using more paper, therefore reducing the amount of trees being but down.

Nobel, Carmen. “Harvard Business School.” Why Companies Fail–and How Their Founders Can Bounce Back — HBS Working Knowledge. Harvard, 7 Mar. 2011. Web. 02 Dec. 2014.

 

Edmonds, Rick, Emily Guskin, Tom Rosenstiel, and Amy Mitchell. “Newspapers: Building Digital Revenues Proves Painfully Slow | State of the Media.” Newspapers: Building Digital Revenues Proves Painfully Slow | State of the Media. The Pew Research Center, 11 Apr. 2012. Web. 07 Dec. 2014.

Holcomb, Jesse, Jeffrey Gottfried, and Amy Mitchell. “News Use Across Social Media Platforms.” Pew Research Centers Journalism Project RSS. Pew Research, 14 Nov. 2014. Web. 07 Dec. 2014.

Morejon, Roy. “How Social Media Is Replacing Traditional Journalism as a News Source [Infographic].” Social Media Today. N.p., 28 June 2012. Web. 07 Dec. 2014.

“3 Ways Social Media Can Save the Newspaper Industry – Social Media Week.” Social Media Week. N.p., 2014. Web. 07 Dec. 2014.

Why and How Many People Use Social Media?

Every year, social media users accumulate dramatically each year. Almost 2 billion people all around the world use social media. Social networking allows people to share what is happening in their life, and life around them. It gives us a way to express our opinions and have a voice in the community. This could lead to worldwide movements, such as the ALS ice bucket challenge, where it warns us about important or even life threatening issues in the world. Other well-known “movements,” such as the cinnamon challenge, was a popular, but dangerous activity to do, and it did not promote anything at all.

Social media provides people with their own unique page where you can post updates on what is happening. They are able to post and find “everything from personal photo slideshows and videos to musical playlists and calendars to weather reports and news stories” (Grabowicz). It’s also a simple way to stay connected with friends, family, celebrities, or even just interesting people. Today, the most popular social media website is Facebook, with over 1.28 billion active users monthly.

However, millions of people young and old are getting “[tired] of it and moving on to Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat” (Brief History of Social Media). 5% of Facebook users hate to see that other people take part in social activities that they were not invited to, while 84% of users say that this does not bother them. Another reason people stopped using Facebook is that not only is it being surrounded by older adults, but that people post pictures of them without their opinion. Other websites, such as Instagram and twitter, are gaining more and more popularity each month. Instagram is becoming more famous because of how easy it is to post pictures, and even alter the photos by adding filters and colors.

Another popular part in social media is receiving news-feed updates. With YouTube being a close first, social networking sites are the number one source of news-feed events and information in all of online media. Social media sites are beginning to rival with search engines, like Google and Bing, by increasing the traffic in news sites. In 2011, “news websites got 9 percent of their traffic from social media such as Facebook and Twitter” (Grabowicz). 30% of the general population get their daily news in 2014, with 8% of them being Americans. Not only do people receive news from social networking sites, but 14% of people post photos of news events, while 12% post videos.

Social Media is an insanely popular form of communication between multiple groups of people, or just one friend. It has linked us together and formed world-wide trends which would not have ever been possible 2 decades ago. Social networking has provided us a way to express our opinions, as well as follow other people with the same thoughts as you. Nearly everyone in the world has an account, where you can post hilarious, interesting, or moving photos or videos.

Grabowicz, Paul. “The Transition to Digital Journalism.” Facebook and Social Media. UC Berkely Graduate School of Journalism, 19 Sept. 2014. Web. 02 Nov. 2014.

“The Brief History of Social Media.” The Brief History of Social Media. N.p., 2014. Web. 02 Nov. 2014

“Harvard Business School.” Understanding Users of Social Networks — HBS Working Knowledge. Harvard Business School, 14 Sept. 2009. Web. 02 Nov. 2014.

Anderson, Monica, and Andrea Caumont. “How Social Media Is Reshaping News.” Pew Research Center RSS. Pew Research Center, 24 Sept. 2014. Web. 02 Nov. 2014.

Social Networking

Social media has been growing larger and faster ever since the birth of the internet. Over 1.5 billion people all around the world now use all kinds of social networking sites, such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, Google+, Myspace, Reddit, Tumblr, Linkedin, Dropbox, and Pinterest. Even though practically everyone uses social media, is it always a good thing? It can affect the way we interact and behave to people, as well as affect the employment of jobs. Social networking is not always bad, however, it can help us explore and find new destinations, as well as find amazing and interesting facts and pictures. It also helps us stay connected to friends, relatives, or fascinating celebrities that we would otherwise never have a chance to do. In this blog, I plan to answer the most highly pondered and asked questions as well as share interesting facts and details about why social networking is so fascinating.