Social Media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Social Media - Essay Example Always on the front edge of emerging trends and fads as an integral element of standard business practices, those involved in public relations have been eager to use social media as a powerful new tool in their arsenal. However, the problem with using social media in this way is intrinsically related to the reason it has such transformative power to begin with. Social media has the power to transcend all borders, infiltrate every language system and instantly connect with a world that is ready and waiting to connect back - that is its strength. Yet this ability to connect to such a strong degree also has the ability to deliver erroneous messages instantly, fails to take into consideration the possibility that what is acceptable in one place may be diametrically opposed to values held in another place and the people receiving these messages are just as capable of telling the world how much they like a product as they are of revealing its failures. One model that may be effective when using social media is the two-way symmetrical model of public relations suggested by J.E. Grunig. By more specifically defining what is meant by social media and examining what Grunig's two-way symmetrical model is, it is possible to understand the various ways social media may help to make this model effective as well as how it may hinder the process. Social media has expanded well beyond the simple concept of email lists and newsletters. By the time children reach college age, they have likely already become familiar with the idea of scanning codes for everything from buying groceries to checking in to a store for discounts. They are proficient in using the high-tech features and apps of smart-phones and have played at least one interactive, real-time online video game with friends living hundreds or even thousands of miles away that they may or may not have ever met in person. These friendships are forged through numerous social media outlets such as texting, chatting, tweeting o r something invented tomorrow. In the modern world, email has now become common for personal, educational and business use; Twitter and Foursquare have become the new favorite means of keeping up with friends; news of the world is delivered via YouTube video, streaming video or status updates sent directly to an iPhone or similar device; and texting gives one the convenience of online chatting without the necessity of being chained to a desk. â€Å"Nowadays, we think nothing of emailing our aunts in Germany and getting an answer back within minutes, or seeing the latest streaming video full of up to the minute news† (Boswell, 2006). Information is able to travel literally at the speed of sound - traveling around the world in as little as a few minutes. For those who have grown up within this emerging technology, not only is it expected that instant answers to any possible question that might arise will be found, but that the answer should prove both entertaining and engaging while it informs. Through networking sites such as Facebook and Tumblr, this information can be requested directly from friends, former customers, and