Wednesday, January 30, 2019

Week 2A - Overview of Social Media


Which social media platforms seem geared towards personal use? Why do you think so?


   I think the three largest social media platforms that are more focused on personal use is Instagram, YouTube (in a different way) and Facebook. Instagram and Facebook at their cores are really similar in that they both have in-app messengers to talk with friends and they allow for photo and video sharing. Facebook is still one of the best ways to keep track of and stay in touch with friends and family and Instagram has largely avoided the political and privacy plague that Facebook has become, which is why there may be a trend of declining use by younger people and a trend of increasing use by older people within Facebook. I think Instagram still seems more personal because it hasn't been commercialized like Facebook but that may change since Instagram just launched shoppable links in 2017.

   YouTube is a different animal but in my opinion, there is an increasing trend of young people posting videos for personal use because they want to share their stories in a way that pictures and text just can't do or they feel more fulfilled in life to have followers who comment on and who request different videos from them. Yes, there are some YouTubers who make an incredible amount of money posting videos but in today's ever-evolving world of communication where people talk less face-to-face and talk more through electronic devices and social media, it only feels more natural to "talk" to their followers through videos and comments. For other users, YouTube may be the best way to vent their feelings and emotions.

Which ones seem to work better for business? What makes them seem more suitable to business use?


   The social media platforms that work better for business are Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. Facebook is an evolving social media giant and has become far too commercialized in recent years with the addition of ads, product recommendations and Facebook business pages but it seems to work since they continue to make billions of dollars each year. Since Facebook has the largest number of active users on the planet, it only makes sense that they are the best place for business and content can be shared, liked, commented on and re-posted so easily. The platform can also be a tool for YouTubers who want to reach out to other platforms. I only include YouTube for business possibilities because there are so many people who make money on that platform that have turned their personal lives and their hobbies into a business, and I think we are more adapt to watching an ad or two on a video rather than clicking on an advertisement. Twitter has become a great way to connect larger businesses with their customers that allow the business to listen to their customers more easily but I don't think there's very much income generated through that platform when compared to Facebook or YouTube.

Do any seem to work well for both? How are they used differently?


   As I mentioned before, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube are the top platforms that have personal users and business users. Facebook is better when it comes to marketing strategies that include targeted ads and business pages on the platform. Instagram is sort of a passive platform that can be good for businesses that are in design or art where images can be appealing and tells a product or lifestyle story such as house or cake decorators or fashion designers, etc. YouTube is all about video content; besides being used for personal life-sharing videos, businesses such as educational or art-related companies that teach or train people rely on video content on this platform.

5 comments:

  1. Hi David,
    I agree that facebook is one of the best ways to stay in touch with family and friends. It's nice to have a way to easily stay in touch these days. I'm not a big facebook user but yes it's very true that there is a trend of young people trying to get noticed. I feel like a lot of people I know are trying to be instagram famous. It's all bout likes and followers

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  2. You really understand the differences between each of the social platforms you discussed in your post, and it shows in your analysis. Great job! I think your point about young people striving to be "internet famous" is very interesting as well. As long as there's money to be made on a platform, there will be people trying to find their way in.

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  3. Hey David,
    I enjoyed how much you went into your blog post. I have to agree with you and KenMe about Facebook being one of the best social media platform of staying in touch with friends and family. When you are talking about instagram and youtube, it's true that people are trying to get famous from it. But, that's how our society has changed and grown into numbers.

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  4. Hi David,

    I agree with you that Instagram is good for businesses that are in design or artistic fields. I use it often to promote my business. It really helps to show a 30 second to 1 minute teaser video on Instagram to encourage our followers to visit our youtube page for the full video.

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  5. I agree with assessment on these social media sights. I forgot youtube was a vehicle in social media, but of course with videos a source of expression so thank you for reminding me of this in your blog.

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Week 17 - Wrapping Up

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