Social Media is a platform where users (common people) primarily either create or consume content. The number of active users on social media worldwide as on 2022 stands at 4.59 billion and is projected to go close to 6 billion (5.85 billion) users by 2027, according to Statista. The projected social media users’ data is a staggering number and reality, especially in light of a total global population of 7.98 billion as of 2022.
This projection presents a stark reality that no matter what people are going to spend an increasing number of hours on social media, which was started in the early 2000s as sharing minor content in the form aof photos, audio, small videos, animation and graphics.
However, with time and advancement in information and communication technology enabled websites and applications gave a tremendous boost to the use and applications of social media spaces. In the beginning, if it was YouTube for video sharing, creation and consumption, then Twitter was a micro-blogging site, whereas Facebook was for staying connected with family, friends and community and Instagram was for sharing photographs.
However, nowadays the boundaries between the different social media websites and applications are blurring as almost all of them are gearing up to facilitate various kinds of digital content to be shared and consumed. Moreover, with a greater number of people spending time online and preferring online shopping for almost everything, social media is now moving on to provide a separate space for online shopping for products and services. This makes it easier for the user to help and go for easy shopping without bothering about visiting any specific shopping website.
This versatility is getting added to various social media sites and applications as we are set to move from fourth (4G) to fifth-generation (5G) networking technologies, which were rolled out in India on October 1, 2022.
The versatility and ease of access are factoring in for the people and helping them make decisions on online shopping. Besides, helping online users to connect with people, post status and engage in various kinds of content creation and consumption.
Moreover, the increasing numbers of services being offered through social media websites and applications make it the most suitable for people, companies (small to large) and corporations to take good advantage by offering a variety of offers and benefits as part of consumer connect leading to effective selling.
All these make social media a must-have aspect in any kind of personal and business model, be it a small-town street vendor or mega-city-based large business or corporate corporation.
Now let’s examine some of the key aspects which make social media websites and applications so appealing and a not to miss platform for one and all.
Accessibility: The first and foremost is the ability of access, which is way too easy as anyone with an Internet-enabled device can access all kinds of social media services and hence all the applications of the same at any point in time as per his/her wish. The seamless accessibility without any hindrance is what people like the most, be it watching a video, connecting with people, placing an online purchase order or posting their opinion, or thoughts, commenting upon any post, or putting feedback. All this makes it a very good aspect as access is free to all without any kind of privilege.
Quick: Next comes quick access. As we are passing through the fast-paced information and communication technologies enabled by the internet network and telephone, online users’ patience and attention span are getting shorter, which demands fast and quick results and any kind of delay is most likely to let the user switch over to some other content. This is a risk no one wishes to take and hence the websites and applications are always optimizing for quicker access to their sites.
And this is leading peers to come up with similar services, which is a win-win situation for the users as it guarantees quick and smooth access to internet-enabled platforms, be it websites, social media sites, or e-commerce websites.
No Gatekeeping: Before social media took over the internet, the information was collated by the news organizations primarily and after checking for its importance it was passed on to publish in the newspaper and or on the website for users to access. So, in effect, various kinds of news and information were filtered by the processional media practitioners, known as gatekeeping.
However, social media allowed common people to publish events happening around them. This gave rise to citizen journalism, which often lacked the professional journalistic treatment of news and information. But it allowed people access to the happenings around them. And it made the gatekeeping process go irrelevant. And today common people are generating more content than all media professionals put together all around the world.
Interactive: The ability to interact with various kinds of people and entities made it a very easy tool to connect and have meaningful conversations going. This allowed people not only to connect but connect in real-time and provide real-time feedback as well, which brought people closer to each other, through their content. The ability to share information in real time is what social media garners the maximum advantages. Whether you are going for a product or service, the feedback and users’ comments in the form of recommendations through their likes, and dislikes go a long way in helping people decide about the product or service. Moreover, it allows you to connect with people you are unaware of, however, you come to know about some common connections in terms of products or services accessed or liked. And you end up getting honest feedback, which at times helps you to decide in decision making.
Endless Possibility: In the beginning, social media was just a tool for connecting with people, accessing news and information, and publishing various kinds of content. However, as people experimented with various aspects of content creation and consumption, users resailed their true potential, and today a lot of people are commanding a good earning through their content postings. Social media has created a separate world for highly active social media users like social media influencers and celebrities commanding a very large base of followers, which is not only helping them earn a good dollar but also encouraging a greater number of people to go for it. Besides, nowadays companies, corporations and entities are always tying up with these celebrities and influencers to endorse their products and services. All this is happening when we are in the 4G tech age. The possibilities of future content as we get into 5G are beyond anyone’s comprehension. However, people are looking with promising anticipation that it will take online content creation and consumption to a new height. However, it will take some before people actually realize its full potential. But in a nutshell, it can be said that possibilities will have no limit. As the saying goes, possibilities are only limited by our imagination.
Precaution: Last but not the least, a fair amount of precaution is needed as part of the active social media world, especially in light of online frauds, online cheating, hacking of accounts, and siphoning off money through unscrupulous online means. With the rise of people staying online for longer periods of time, the online crime rate is also increasing, so be mindful of the same while being online.
We may have come to the point of welcoming the 5G network technology with open arms and set out to reap the advantages of the same. However, to get the benefit of the same, you need to roll on with the bandwagon of social media and reap its benefits. But remember, optimizing with fast-changing network technology is not easy, and aligning your website, products and services is what you need the most. And that’s where Gracia Marcom comes into the picture with its expertise and proven track record of optimizing its clients’ websites, and social media integration as per the need of the time.
Since its inception in 2011, Gracia Marcom has had the distinction of serving a host of clients with its website and social media integration and management of the same. For more information and value-added services, please visit us at https://graciamarcom.com/.
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