Society_Today

PriceR_M4_A2 Inter-personal Communication In The Age of New Media: Social Media The emergence of new media has had a tremendous impact on the way we communicate What we used to consider as new media has today evolved into what we call social media Websites such as Face-book and Twitter, as well as text messaging and Skype, have enabled people to connect from distant locations at a speed unimaginable to generations passed These innovations in social communication are fundamentally changing the way businesses and governments operate, but they are also impacting our personal lives. By transforming our world into a “small village”, social media is increasing our global awareness and breaking down the barriers of nations, religions, and ethnic groups In many ways these developments have been positive As cultural awareness and familiarity increases, prejudice and mistrust seems to simultaneously decrease Unfortunately, improvements in the realms of convenience and understanding have come at the expense of our ability to effectively communicate in person In other words, applications such as Face-book, Twitter, and text- messaging, could potentially damage our ability to communicate effectively It is therefore important to understand and analyze all the different aspects of the new social media before coming to a conclusion regarding their utility in our society With over 600 million users, Face-book was not the first, but it is certainly the largest of the social networking sites As the blockbuster film “Social Network” reveals, Face book started as a website aimed primarily at college students but has now become popular among junior high and high school students, as well as adults Face-book has re-united friends and families through its search mechanism Face-book has also have been of great utility to businesses that are trying to get a better understanding of who their potential customers are The “Like” button has been the key to a world of valuable consumer information. Face-book is obviously increasing the amount of time that people communicate. Websites such as MySpace and Face book are social networking sites where people are connected to each other at a global level. A social networking site is a social media which is a form of medium for communication. Social networking sites utilizes the best of what technology has to offer with features such as audio, video, text, and images. In short it is based on multimedia and IT. A social networking site improves and enhances communication in a unique way. Through social networking sites, communicating is easier and faster without any obstacles. Social networking itself is not a new term. By making connections with individuals, social networking is an act and process of expanding the size and number of social contacts. The four key industrial economic sectors; the primary sector, secondary sector, tertiary sector and the quaternary sector have relied much on social networking for its survival in this era of globalization. Businesses within these regions of industrial sectors, have managed to expand its territories through social networking. The internet has improved social networking and elevated the concept of communication to an evolutionary level. With the internet, business companies are able to advertise their services and all done at a low cost. Local companies can easily extend their businesses to an international and global level without spending millions on doing so. It is then possible for established companies to broaden their enterprises' endeavors in fulfilling its objectives through the cyber world and to maintain a web presence.