Social Shifts with Social Media

by Stephanie Weg

So Social Media is the current big thing. More people tweet more frequently, spend more time on Facebook and share their personal stories on blogs with even more subscribers. Surely, this must have an impact on society? I could write about ten blog posts about this, but for today, let me share three big social shifts I see brought on by Social Media. 

• Power to the people
• Everyone can be a star
• It becomes harder to focus

 

Power to the people!

Social Media allows a level of transparency which is a universe away from what we had a decade ago. Today, it is possible to find a review or an opinion on almost anything. I personally would not book a hotel anymore without having checked the ratings on Tripadvisor and I usually take a quick detour to a price comparison site before I buy something fairly valuable online.

It used to be enough to be in the business and to be found. Today, a company should ideally be top ranked on search engines,  have the newest products, the best ratings and the cheapest pricing combined with an easy-to use website.  

So what is the implication here? We see a clear shift in power from businesses to consumers. If a business is not trustworthy or does not offer fair prices, it is much more likely today to feel the heat from the consumers – because they can compare. In the long run, this will bring honest offers at fair prices.

Everyone can be a star

What is possible for professional brands also works for personal brands. Today, everyone can be famous. Or infamous.  Some people succeed and can experience their one minute of fame, like “Obama Girl” with her YouTube hit “I have got a crush on Obama”.   Others end up on sites like tweetingttoohard.com where the greater audience amuses itself at their taking it a step too far in their self-expression. Social Media is the dream of every person who likes attention. By sending the right message, they can get potentially millions of people to talk about them – what could feel better?

Social Media definitely drives and supports this trend by providing examples, inspiration and tools to do it yourself. In the future, we will see more and crazier content by people who are begging for attention.

It becomes harder to focus

Social Media has opened up a world of instant updates, an abundance of information and the ability to be online 24/7. The challenge now is to prioritise. Which information to consume? How do structure time? When to prioritize digital sharing over real-world interaction?
Social Media offers great, fun, convenient tools. The challenge is to pick the right tool for each task, and to tame the kraken Social Media so it helps one to achieve objectives rather than becoming the objective itself and strangling real-world relationship.
The implication: Many people who cannot ride the wave will interact more and more online, forgetting the benefits of real world contact. Maybe, at some stage, the pendulum will swing back. Or we will end up in a virtual world.

I will close with one thought: Social Media holds amazing opportunities. Our society can achieve things it did not even dream of a decade ago. At the same time, Social Media can easily take over and destroy a lot of value, personal and in business, if it is not managed properly. Everyone has to make their own choice of how to use Social Media, and there can be lots of different options for different needs. But the most important thing is to make this choice consciously and to think about what implications it has, for the professional and for the personal part of life.