The Rise of Social Media

As we embark into a new resource in this course, it is easy to become bored. That being said, I'm going to keep this pretty short and brief. We begin with a general background into social media as a whole, and what its definition is at heart. In our current textbook "Social Media for Strategic Communication" by Karen Freberg, the conversation starts pretty slowly. The working definition that is given just sums up the different things that can be done through social media such as content creation, insights and the sharing of general media by its users. 

Something that we must consider going forward into the working world is that these platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram hold power over all types of consumers. Social media not only allows companies to establish connections with their stakeholders, but also creates a forum for the consumers to share experiences with one another. In order to successfully use social media in a corporate setting, we must be diligent in recognizing influence held by media and continue to be proactive in the recognition of potential issues. If you are able to see potential issues before they arise, your platform will be in the position to hinder these problems from fully arising. 

Overall, the book gets off to a pretty slow start since I knew these things going into this week. When we take a step back and evaluate social media channels professionally, it is important to acknowledge how influential these channels have recently become within our society. People talk, and now there's a way for them to do this in a public space that can damage your company reputation. Keep a careful eye on potential issues and remember that sometimes it's better to be safe than sorry.