Social Media.

“Social media allows us to behave in ways that we are hardwired for in the first place - as humans. We can get frank recommendations from other humans instead of from faceless companies.” 

― Francois Gossieaux, The Hyper-Social Organization: Eclipse Your Competition by Leveraging Social Media

Facebook Check in : At Pizza-Hut, E-City"  #Lunch #hungry #Pizza

Twitter  : The Pizza is delicious. #hungryForMore #Lunch #somethingLooksDelicious

Instagram : *Posts a selfie of myself and a slice of awesomely looking Pizza*. #pizza #anyone #instaEdit #selfieWithPizza

Twitter : 3 more slices remaining. Anyone? Then, it's just me. Great. #pizzzzzza #Morepizza

Twitter : 1 more slice. Last chance, anyone? No. Thank you. #Pizza #pizzaHut 

Twitter : India is so going to Win. #IndVsAfg #WorldCup2015 #Cricket 

Twitter : Time to get back to work. :( #officeSucks 

Instagram : *Posts a sad face selfie* Going back to work. #Work #office #officeSucks #selfie #noFilter #instaShare #htcOne #htcOnography

- We, the people (most of us), today

Life happened to us. We have accustomed ourselves to evolve and learn things as they go. We have been constant learners and called ourselves dreamers. We did dream big and made it a reality. One such thing that has been constantly evolving with us is the technology and the life surrounding the very technology. As of today we are completely dependent on it and we just can't make a day pass by without it. Starting with waking up in the morning, we are dependent on technology. It has influenced us in so many ways and has become a part of our lives. Before we know it, we have become a part of it rather than, it becoming a part of ours, be it smart phones or the world wide web. And in the process, social networking happened, as a intermediary of technology which changed a lot of things around. When I say changed a lot of things, it is not just one field, but almost every field we can possible think of.

2007

I took a first step into Social Networking - Orkut. Though, I urged with my mom over the Yahoo Answers website which I felt was cool (mostly because of the funny jokes, or perhaps the stupidity), where strangers would answers to our questions and the vice versa. I really didn't understand the concept of Social Networking at that point of time. I found it as a medium to connect with friends. I have been a migrant for a long part of my life and have been to many places. So, in the process I have managed to make a few friends while others remained acquaintances. But the joy and the fun in connecting with them is difficult to put in words, mostly when you realize that they still remember you, like you remember them.

2008

Facebook happened. It was complicated to understand in the beginning, but it became easy and the process continued. Adding friends and increase the friends count became a preliminary task of having an account social network. I had never understood why we used to boast about the huge number of Friends in our Friends List. I feel stupid now. But then it, Facebook managed to impress many other people and managed to take the top spot in the social networking category and now Orkut is dead, literally.

2009

In the beginning of this year, I introduced myself to the field of blogging. I started a blog, then a few more, deleted those few more and started writing in the one I started off with. It was then I came across Twitter - a micro blog (with 140 characters restriction). That's what I used to call it and tell my friends about it, sometimes urged them to join it. But still till this very day, I rarely have any of the people I knew back in the school and college. They have been busy, with the other life. I started "micro- blogging" because not everytime I was able to write big big essays and call them intellectual knowledge sharing, which was read by just me. But let's not speculate.

2010

I got a touch phone. Wow, right? Yeah, I felt awesome, but the dream of having of having a iPhone was too far reaching even at that time. So, as I was experimenting with all the possible available applications and everything that was available (for free), I came across a free internet based messaging platform - Whatsapp. What was that? I had questioned it for rather too long as there was no one on it (none of my friends) and wondered if anyone would ever use it. And just look at today. We just love to hear that Whatsapp notification sound, on which we just have to check it out even if we are hanging on the bus with one hand holding while the remaining body in the air.

The following years had more of experimenting with the Internet and placing my name everywhere on the Internet. (Yeah, I don't know what I was thinking. Now, it is just impossible to undo). Anyhow, life continued and slowly the social media (Facebook, Twitter, every other thing) became a part of our lives. And before we know it, we became a part of it. When I say we became a part of it, I mean we have come to a stage where we can't stay without it. Now, we  can't resist ourselves from using it every once in a while (or perhaps more frequently)

Social Media on Mobile Vs Web : How has it impacted my life?

Like I mentioned earlier, I have been associated with Blogging for quite some time now and I have managed to be a part of that community where people indulge in writing and sharing our views. It is similar to what we to on Facebook and Twitter, but on a larger scale. When I say larger scale, I mean not just the audience, but the content that is put up. Yes, the audience is small and that's where Social Media comes into play. The social networks are audience oriented and have a large people base from different countries. So, where else to reach the maximum people than these sites, be it Facebook or Twitter, it has always provided a platform to showcase. Now, it is just not the idea / thought / opinion which is put up in the blog, but almost every other thing. And mind you, anything we do, the whole whole is watching. We have come to this limelight sitting in front of our laptops or holding our smartphones. We express ourselves on a social level, with people watching us. The impact of Social media is huge, if considered. But then it depends on what we are considering.

Getting back.

I have had the privilege of travelling to different parts of the country, call it the work requirement which my dad had to fulfill. So, along these migrations from one place to place, I came across a lot many people, some of whom became good friends like I mentioned earlier. The social network not only helped in reaching them, but also continue that long lost friendship.

Sharing.

I have managed to create two Facebook pages. Along with blogging, I have been able to hone my "creative" skills into photography. And the social platform has helped me in spreading the word and let the whole world know how I see the world, be it the words (I put up in the blog) or the pictures (which I put up in the Facebook Page).

Reminders.

I am the laziest person that the world might have ever seen. To point out, I don't even know my dad's number, because long press one in the mobile is much easier than trying to remember a 10 digit number. So, when in the morning a notification from the Facebook urges you to wish a friend since its their birthday today, it helps in a way for people like me.

To put it in simple words, Social media has brought the world, friends and family into a  common place or a single device, helping me to interact and to be a part of it.

Then again if I speak about just one person( me), I might not be able to speak about the actual impact it has caused. I am (just) a  part of the social network and there is a role that we, each one us play in it. The word social is self explanatory in that aspect. 

Reach.

Social networking is a wide spread phenomenon involving all wakes of life. Be it a 6 year old or a 60 year old, everybody these days are connected to the social media. We can interact with people from different places, know about them, talk to them,  know about them. And in the process, inspire, get inspired, preach, learn, share, and the list goes on. At a single touch of a button on our smart phones, we are in company with a million other people. 

Marketing. 

If one is looking to expand their business, the social media is the right target. Channelling the right resources and products, advertising and meeting the customer's expectation is a way of marketing to expand the business. It could be widespread and since the customer base is large, one can get a guarantee of the investments made.

Impact.

The wide spread reach and a million other people being a part of it have found a way to influence and inspire people. It may be a little thing, perhaps a good gesture from a person, or a community, the social media has managed to put that in the front line. Not everything hits the news and not everything is appreciated by us. But on a larger scale, these little things are remembered if not by many, at least by a few.

One may be adding "#hashtags" to the events that are happening around, but once it reaches the people, all are united to stand as one for the betterment of the people. Campaigns, social movements,  social meetings, forums, whatnot; everything at the touch of a hand. There are many instances where the people on the social media have helped others, influence people, urged to make a difference, started campaigns to spread the message and have been successful in reaching and achieving their objectives. People keep a track of almost everything that is happening in the social network and when the cause is genuine, every other person lends a hand to help. Some may not be ground-breaking, but they do have the potential to bring about a change in a way while some have the capability of uniting people for a specific (read: just) cause.

Social media is updating itself and we can see a lot of things that will happen in the near future. If you ask whether social media is a boon or a bane? Mostly, it has done more good than otherwise. Perhaps, it is us who have the potential to make the right choice and take it forward.

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“I am participating in the #SMWBangalore activity at BlogAdda in association with Social Media Week Bangalore“.