The positive effects of social media greatly outweighs the negative effects. The use of Social media has shifted throughout the years. Social media has started to become part of the world’s social infrastructure. 

What will be Discussed

What is Social Media

Social media is a communication tool that allows direct interaction between each user enabling them to create or share content amongst a single user or multiple. There has been different variations of social media apps allowing for different types of content to be created or shared. Marshall McLuhan once said “the medium is the message”. The different apps present today allows users to send out messages with different meanings depending on what medium, app, is in use. For example, a message sent from facebook will be perceived differently, especially if was sent from LinkedIn instead. There are different connotations linked to each app and every method of communication.

How Can Movements Use Social Media?

The positive effects of social media greatly outweigh the negative effects. The use of social media has shifted throughout the years. Social media has started to become part of the world’s social infrastructure. There have been constant waves of social media being used to hear the voices of people who have been oppressed and shut out of society. For instance, the use of social media to promote social movements such as the Black Live Matter movement, Me Too, Friday for Future, and Cancel Culture. Social media has been used by many activists to plan and coordinate large scale movements.

The Black Lives Matter movement started as a hashtag and gained traction after the killing on George Floyd. The trends and hashtags were created to end police brutality and bring awareness to the BLM movement. “#Blacklivesmatter had been used more than 45 million times in 13-14 days.” The amount of recognition the BLM movement gained is exactly what the leaders of the movement wanted. To be able to witness a hashtag become #1 on trending after just 2 weeks is astounding to say the least.

The Use of Social Media in the Work Place

What needs to be carefully understood is how we can rapidly promote business on social media. Some users believe that their post does not make a difference, but they are wrong. To promote awareness on social media it is imperative that you share your message. Creating a chain effect is what is needed to gain viewers. Once one person sees a message and they repost it, someone else who agrees with the message will repost it as well. This is how the chain effects starts, this leads to trends that we see now and is the birth of powerful movements. Over time social media has grown to become a strong platform for companies to use to market their products and create a brand image. Major companies today have a social media presence to be engaged with their consumers. For example, NY Times uses their social media platform to inform followers about important news and trending topics.  Creating a social platform is a cost effective marketing tool that all companies should take advantage of.

As social media developed over time there has been a shift in the apps’ use and functions. After starting off as a quick messaging method, people use the apps to check for news, look for comedy, and to follow their favorite brands. The main cons that social media may lead to are potentially overuse of the app, which is why it is important to monitor screen time especially for younger users. Furthermore, the cons do not outweigh the negatives. Social media should be accessible to everyone because it is being integrated into everyday social use.