Social media has become an important tool in the current society. They provide means through which people can share information in a societal set up with the help of internet connection using such devices as phones and computers. Facebook, YouTube and Tweeter are the three most common types of social media.
Facebook has attracted massive number of people from all corners of the world. With the increased sophistication in the field of technology, most phones became internet enabled just to allow users to access Facebook. Personal computers also became cheaper. Other social media such of YouTube and Tweeter also became common and very popular.
Facebook has the highest number of subscribers of all the social networks. According to Mandiberg (2012), Facebook has attracted massive number of youths, especially given the fact that it allows an individual to reach out for friends or family members whose contacts could have disappeared.
Facebook is estimated to have a fan base of about one billion people. To be a member, an individual will have to sign up for an account. In most of the cases, one would sign up using the e-mail address. Once an individual has an account, he will need to invite friends who already have accounts with Facebook. This results into a community where information can be shared. A user will have a âwallâ in the Facebook.
In this wall, an individual can post information that will reach all the confirmed friends. These friends can comment on the communication made by the individual. This media allows users to send and receive messages from âfriendsâ using a specified number of characters. The fact that an individual can chat with two or more friends simultaneously has made it very popular. An individual can also send a message to the intended recipient if the recipient is not online.
Tweeter is another social media that has gained fame in the last half a decade. Just like Facebook, for one to be on Tweeter, he or she will need to sign up. The individual will need to create an account with Tweeter using his or her identifications. After signing up for an account (always starting with @), the individual can invite friends.
One can then be free to start tweeting with friends on this site. The messages sent through this site are called tweets. Just like in Facebook, one can only share message on Tweeter with another individual who has a tweeter account. It will therefore, require an individual to have a number of friends signed up on this account in order to make communication possible.
YouTube is another very popular social media both to firms and general public. Like Facebook, YouTube allows users to share information online. The main difference between Facebook and YouTube is that through YouTube, an individual can share heavy graphics such as a video (Sterne, 2010).
Facebook and Tweeter cannot support audiovisuals. However, YouTube offers its users ability to share or watch video or songs online. YouTube is a little different from both Tweeter and Facebook in its usage. Although one may use YouTube to share a text message, it is always more appropriate for audio visuals.
For an individual to share a video through YouTube there will be need for the individual to sign up for an account with YouTube. This is mostly done using the Gmail address. However, once an individual posts a piece of information, it can be accessed by anyone online, including those without an account. If the video is intended for a specific individual, then the recipients will also need to have a YouTube account to receive the specific video.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Social Media
Advantages of Social Media
The following are some of the advantages of social media.
- Facebook and Tweeter allow users to share information in form of texts.
- Through Facebook and Tweeter, one can trace an individual whose contact one had lost.
- YouTube allows t one to access a video or any information on YouTube without having an account with it.
- In various countries around the world, YouTube is growing in popularity and this increases the volume of information to be shared.
- It is advantageous to companies because they can develop television commercials showing the beauty of their products to attract customers as is the case with Coca Cola and Apple.
- To the youth, YouTube is one of the best sites for entertainment.
Disadvantages of Social Media
- Social media are addictive and can prevent one from performing critical duties in life.
- The site can be use to defame an individual or a firm, as was the case with Dominoâs Pizza.
- Some of the information on the social sites is corruptive, especially to the minds of youths and children.
The Effect of a Person Knowing Advantages and Disadvantages of Social Media
It is always important for an individual to know the consequences of an item he or she uses. When an individual knows the advantages and disadvantages of the social media, the main reaction will be discretion. An individual will be discrete with the information he or she releases to the social media because it can easily leak to the public and damage his or her image.
References
Mandiberg, M. (2012). The social media reader. New York: New York University Press.
Sterne, J. (2010). Social media metrics: How to measure and optimize your marketing investment. Hoboken: John Wiley.