As the 21st century has introduced new technological advancements, the world sees significant transformations. Social media is a relatively recent invention which only appeared in the current century. However, its rapid development allowed it to shift from away escapism to an important activity that attracts billions of people worldwide. As Hawi and Samaha (2017) say, one-third of the planets population is now registered in at least one social network. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram quickly gain followers becoming major players in the mass media market, as the total number of their users grows by 10 percent annually. Therefore, it is possible to assume that the influence of social media has reached a significant level in a variety of spheres.
Sports Marketing
The purpose of this assignment is to investigate the impact of social media, or lack thereof, within the context of sports teams. As a matter of fact, sports marketing is a particular sphere that uses its own principles. While sports management and marketing activities demonstrate many similarities with other areas of business, such as production and event management, Vale and Fernandes (2017) discern a particular tendency that makes the difference. In the case of sports teams, their fans play the role of customers, but the nature of the relationship is different. Fans tend to build strong relations with their preferred team, and, according to da Silva and Las Casas (2017), sports marketing is particularly demanding in terms of effective communication.
The Impact of Social Media on Sports Marketing
Considering the tendencies described above, it is possible to say that social media has particularly strong potential in the context of sports marketing. Vale and Fernandes (2017) have conducted research concerning the relations of fans and their teams on the Internet. As the results show, there are seven motivations that make fans engage in the social media exchange. First of all, they search for relevant, fresh information and sports-related entertainment content from a team. At the same time, online interactions have valuable social aspects promoting integration and empowerment. Furthermore, peoples personal identity development becomes a key factor, along with the sense of remuneration. Simultaneously, fans love and dedication to their team is another incentive of active social media communication within the context of sports.
Overall, the motivations described previously serve as the incentives for people who use social media to interact with their favorite teams. All seven elements are equally important, and they promote three types of social network behavior. Consumption is the primary type, meaning that people are the recipients of content available online. In the case of sports teams social media accounts, consumers read new posts and watch videos without engaging in the process. At the same time, there is the contribution behavior when users are partially involved in the content in the form of commentaries or polls. Creators reach a new level of engagement, directly producing the content, thus reaching the highest point of online media involvement.
Washington Capitals Facebook
The present research examined the Facebook account of an NHL team called the Washington Capitals. Facebook is the worlds largest social network, uniting a broad array of users from the whole world. The format of Facebook allows for all the described motivations and behaviors to be present. As of October 29, 2020, the Facebook account of the Washington Capitals counted over 750-thousand followers, which is more than the official population of Washington D.C. While the statistics revealed the international presence among followers, the vast majority of them are from the United States and Canada. NHL venues are located in the aforementioned countries, making 80% of subscribers possible visitors of the Capitals games.
Washington Capitals Attendance since 2006
The presented slide demonstrates how the attendance rate of Washington Capitals home games has changed since 2006. The statistical data were collected by the Statista agency based on the official NHL information (Gough, 2020). The graph shows a significant increase in attendance in the late 2000s and early 2010s. From that point, the level has been steady, except for the latest season, which was negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The surge of attendance appears to correspond with the moment from which the popularity of social networks has been continuously increasing. As Facebook is the largest social network, it is possible to assume that it played a key role in the presented tendency. In other words, the development of social media increased the teams exposure and attracted visitors, amounting to 17-percent growth.
References
Da Silva, E. C., & Las Casas, A. L. (2017). Sports marketing plan: An alternative framework for sports club. International Journal of Marketing Studies, 9(4), 15-28. Web.
Gough, C. (2020). Total/average regular season home attendance of the Washington Capitals from 2005/06 to 2019/20. Statista. Web.
Hawi, N. S., & Samaha, M. (2017). The relations among social media addiction, self-esteem, and life satisfaction in university students. Social Science Computer Review, 35(5), 576-586.
Vale, L., & Fernandes, T. (2017). Social media and sports: driving fan engagement with football clubs on Facebook. Journal of Strategic Marketing, 26(1).
These days many individuals engage in active use of social media, with the trend particularly prominent among young adults often referred to as Generation Z. While there certainly are some benefits to social networks that became especially apparent during the COVID-19 pandemic (allowing people to stay connected while in quarantine), evidence suggests that excessive consumption of social media content can have a negative impact on a persons mental health. Therefore, people must become mindful of their activities online.
There are several dangers associated with increased social network usage. If an individual stays online browsing their feed for prolonged periods or frequently and compulsively checks the latest updates, it can be considered an addiction. Such behaviors are associated with several negative implications. First of all, it is linked to increased alienation levels since people who spend large proportions of their time online tend to be less invested in the real world, missing opportunities for building and maintaining meaningful relationships (Yadav & Rai, 2017). Moreover, frequent distractions and prolonged usage of social networks are likely to negatively affect their professional or academic performance (Yadav & Rai, 2017). Active social media users may have problems concentrating, feeling a constant compulsive desire to check their smartphones.
There are many ways how peoples well-being can suffer due to the excessive use of social networks. For instance, research suggests that individuals who consume much social media content tend to compare themselves to others more often, leading to lower self-esteem levels (Shensa et al., 2017; Hawi & Samaha, 2017). Moreover, many studies find correlations between social media addiction and signs of depression (Barry, Sidoti, Briggs, Reiter, & Lindsey, 2017; Kelly, Zilanawala, Booker, & Sacker, 2018). The reported symptoms include anxiety, sleep disturbances, and body image issues (Kelly et al., 2018). Thus, individuals who spend much time online are at increased risk of developing mental illnesses, such as depression or eating disorders. It is also worth mentioning that active social media users may sometimes engage in unhealthy or dangerous behaviors online, bullying their peers, or disclosing personal information. This leads to such alarming trends as cyberstalking and online harassment (Yadav & Rai, 2017). Therefore, there are not only personal but social reasons why excessive social media use can be harmful.
Young people are particularly susceptible to the dangers listed above. Generation Z is often described as technically innate and very style-conscious (Yadav & Rai, 2017). This refers to the fact that many young adults have little to no experience of life without technologies. They are considered the main creators and consumers of online content (Yadav & Rai, 2017). They may feel compelled to keep in the loop and follow the latest trends. Thus, individuals who belong to this generation are more exposed to risks associated with excessive social media use. For instance, they may engage in frequent self-comparisons damaging to their psychological well-being or experience FOMO (fear of missing out). Compulsive social media checking in itself means less engagement with the real world, leading to lower academic performance, fewer close friendships, and less energy devoted to pursuing realistic goals and aspirations.
This problem, however, unlike some suggest, would not be solved by restricting the use of smartphones in classrooms or other authoritative measures. Only if young adults themselves recognize the issue and take action, these negative consequences can be prevented. First and foremost, they need to evaluate their social media usage patterns noticing any problematic behaviours such as opening applications too frequently or regularly comparing themselves to others based on their online popularity. Young people must acknowledge how these actions negatively impact their well-being.
Several steps can be taken to overcome the problem. First of all, young adults should limit their time online, trying to replace it with other activities, for instance, by pursuing a new hobby (Avison & Mercado, 2020). Introducing an engaging offline activity that grants a sense of fulfillment may help reduce ones desire to constantly check their smartphone. Spending more time with ones friends and family members in real life can also be an excellent option. It can not only help to build a better relationship but would also allow individuals to acquire strong social support networks, especially important when dealing with compulsive behavior.
For people with severe cases of social media addiction, there are treatment options available. For instance, a new rehabilitation program is offered by the Addiction Center (Addiction Center, 2020). When frequent or prolonged social networks use transforms into an obsession, uninstalling all social media applications can be an appropriate option, but for the majority of individuals, it can be a too drastic measure. Therefore, for most, it would be beneficial to start with taking small steps such as turning off notifications, taking breaks from social media (in the evenings or on the weekend), or tracking the time they spend using smartphones. These measures can help break the habit of compulsive social media use and make a person more mindful of their online activity.
To conclude, while there are several positive changes brought to peoples lives by social media, there are also multiple risks associated with using it excessively. Young adults, who are among the primary consumers and contributors to online content, are found particularly vulnerable to social medias negative influences. Therefore, they should make conscious steps to limit their use of social networks and replace it with other activities, engaging more in their relationship, studies, or work. Even if one is currently not noticing any social media addiction symptoms, it can still be beneficial to limit their time online to prevent its formation.
References
Addiction Center. (2020). Social media addiction. Web.
Avison, P., & Mercado, M. (2020). 7 easy ways to detach yourself from social media. Web.
Barry, C. T., Sidoti, C. L., Briggs, S. M., Reiter, S. R., & Lindsey, R. A. (2017). Adolescent social media use and mental health from adolescent and parent perspectives. Journal of adolescence, 61, 1-11.
Hawi, N. S., & Samaha, M. (2017). The relations among social media addiction, self-esteem, and life satisfaction in university students. Social Science Computer Review, 35(5), 576-586.
Kelly, Y., Zilanawala, A., Booker, C., & Sacker, A. (2018). Social media use and adolescent mental health: Findings from the UK Millennium Cohort Study. EClinical Medicine, 6, 59-68.
Shensa, A., Escobar-Viera, C. G., Sidani, J. E., Bowman, N. D., Marshal, M. P., & Primack, B. A. (2017). Problematic social media use and depressive symptoms among US young adults: A nationally-representative study. Social Science & Medicine, 182, 150-157.
Yadav, P. G., & Rai, J. (2017). The Generation Z and their social media usage: A review and a research outline. Global journal of enterprise information system, 9(2), 110-116.
The list of the most demanded mass media nowadays includes the internet as one of the strongest competitors. This happened because the technologies have been gradually conquering the world during the last couple of decades. The popularity of various digital devices and the services they provide such as entertainment, marketing, and connection is growing incredibly fast. The development in the spheres of digital technologies exceeded that of any other sphere. Having penetrated every aspect of our everyday life the technologies provided us with comfort and opportunities.
Among all the benefits digital technologies and the internet carry social networks are the most popular. Some of them are huge international platforms and some are of local character. The people of majority of the worlds countries are connected to both local and global. This paper will discuss the internet and technologies in Romania, its social media use and online social trends. Even though Romania was one of the last European Union members to embrace social media, their growth in this country is extremely fast and their power allows Romanians address a variety of social issues.
Country Profile
Romania is a country in the Southeastern Europe. It is a member of the European Union and its capital city is called Bucharest. The population of Romania estimates 21.4 million people according to the data of 2011 (Romania country profile, 2012). The population of the country is rather dense and accounts for 89 people per square kilometer (Romania, Internet Usage Stats and Market Report, 2013). Romania has a coastline in the Black Sea and is visited by thousands for tourists every year due to its beautiful nature and mountain landscape. The countrys economy has been developing at a slower pace ever since Romania obtained its independence from the USSR in the beginning of the 1990s. During the world financial crisis of the 2008, the countys economy has experienced a serious downfall which resulted in mass dissatisfaction of the population with its government of the time.
TV and Radio in Romania
Media market of Romania is rather active and generally is more dynamic that those of the neighboring countries of the Southeastern Europe (Bulgaria, Hungary, Moldova). Television is the medium of choice for the Romanian population. Some of the most popular privately owned outlets are Realitatea TV and Antena 1, while the largest state-owned broadcaster is TVR (Romania country profile, 2012). The key TV platforms in Romania are paid television (cable and satellite channels). As for the digital television, it is still in the process of developing and winning its viewers.
The number of radio stations in Romania is impressive about a hundred of privately owned radios orientated at the audiences of various kinds. The radio platform owned by the state is called Radio Romania; in runs four different networks operating on national, regional, and local levels (Romania country profile, 2012).
Regardless of the rapid growth of the popularity of the internet in Romania, the demand on television is still higher. During the period between the 2012 and 2013, at least 40 national TV channels were launched in the paid TV sector, which is a good demonstration that investing in to this media is extremely profitable in Romania (TV and on-demand audiovisual services in Romania, 2013). Besides, when it comes to the advertising, in 2011, 64 % of the market share belonged to the television, while the internet got only 11 % (Initiative, 2012).
Internet Usage in Romania
When it comes to the use of the internet, Romania is getting more and more connected by the year. For example, in 2000 the popularity of the internet in Romania was not the strongest, approximately 800 thousand people (while the overall population of the country estimated over 21 million people) were regularly using the internet, this number accounts for only 3.6 % of the general number of citizens (Romania, Internet Usage Stats and Market Report, 2013). In 2004, the number of regular users of the internet grew drastically and started to estimate four million people (which means that over four years the popularity of the Internet became five times as strong as in 2000), who composed 18.7 % of the population (Romania, Internet Usage Stats and Market Report, 2013).
In 2012, 44 % (over 9.6 million people) of the overall population of Romania were connected to the internet on the regular basis (Romania, Internet Usage Stats and Market Report, 2013). When divided into several age groups, the population of Romania demonstrates the following statistics: in the age category of 16 to 24, 80 % of the population are regularly using the internet; among the 25 to 34 year-olds 87 % access the internet on the regular basis, within the age group that includes 34 to 44 year-olds 68 %; the lowest percentage (64 %) is registered among the Romanians of 45 to 54 years old; the statistics demonstrates growth for the older generation (55 and more) 72 % of users (Daily internet usage rate in Romania in 2014, by age group, 2014). Yet, the internet is gradually winning popularity, as it managed to gain 3 % of market share, while print media and television lost points.
Social Media in Romania
As it was mentioned before, the Romanian markets are strongly influenced by the internet as this media has been gradually and rather rapidly winning the devoted audience within all of the age groups. Today, the internet in Romania is an influential media that provides a wide range of services and opportunities such as learning and education, entertainment, marketing, banking, communication, and advertising.
Among all the media currently used on the territory of Romania, social media is the only one with the growth tendency. The people of 18 to 34 years old are the most active internet users, 80 % of them access the social media every day (Daily internet usage rate in Romania in 2014, by age group, 2014). Romanian population also has a strong intension to go mobile smart phones and tablets are more commonly purchased than the PCs.
Generally, the Romania population quickly embraced the mobile telephony and over several years it became the most popular means of communication and attracted some of the most recognized competitors of the European Union such as Orange, Vodafone, Digi, and Cosmote. At least 82 % of the Romanian households use mobile connection and about 41 % are connected to the internet (Social media guide, 2014). The internet is used by children, teenagers, youth, adults and elderly people, and half of the regular internet users daily access various social networks.
Some of the most common activities of the Romanian population online are the search for information and news, shopping, communication, and entertainment are portion of these activities can be done with the help of social networks. Yet, they are much more frequently accessed by the youth rather than the older users. In the summer of 2011 about 63 thousand blogs created by the Romanian users were registered (these blogs are regularly accessed and read by around 3 million people) (Social media guide, 2014).
Twitter is another very popular social platform in Romania; around 51 thousand people have accounts on it. At the same time, the most popular website in Romania is Trilulilu.ro, it is a social network which provides the users with video sharing opportunities, this website has 3 million unique accounts (Social media guide, 2014). There are two more very popular local social networks called Netlog and Neogen. Yet, the most popular national social platform in Romania is Facebook with a penetration of 43.3 % reported in 2013 (Social media guide, 2014).
Social Issues and Campaigns
The fast growing popularity of the internet and social networks provides numerous opportunities for public attention raising. As a result, multiple social issues started to be addressed and discussed with the help of social media.
One of the frequently discussed events in this sphere is the recent elections which were accompanied by a series of powerful social media campaigns on the most popular networks in Romania such as Twitter and Facebook. The purpose of the election campaigns of the two competing candidates Iohannis and Ponta was to create a massive buzz in the digital space of Romania (Csala, 2015). The impact of the followers of Iohannis was times stronger than that of the supporters of Ponta. Interestingly, the campaign of Ponta was generally stronger throughout the two rounds of elections. Yet, Iohanniss followers initiated a very strong support during the final part of the process and this candidate is currently the president of Romania.
Petrovici and Dobrescu (2013) emphasize that the exploitation of the emotions of the audience is the main strategy of the social campaigns in Romania and characterize them as modus vivendi , a unique way of gaining visibility in the public space (p. 71). Some of the most popular social campaigns run via TV and social media in Romania cover the issues of the childrens vulnerability in the internet, environmental responsibility, and equality.
Conclusion
As a member of the European Union, Romania showed slower economic development than the other countries. The penetration of the internet in Romania started later; yet moved at an incredibly speedy pace showing 500% improvement over just a few years. As a result, almost half of the Romanian population uses the internet regularly for shopping, search of information, news, and communication.
The internet in Romania today is all-consuming; its users include children, youth, adults, and elderly citizens. In the contemporary Romania, social media are a powerful tool for marketing and advertising, they have been re-conquering the market share that earlier belonged to the print media and television. Social situation in the country is also largely influenced by the tendencies happening in the digital space. For example, the presidential elections of 2014 engaged Facebook and Twitter and demonstrated the impact the social media are able to make and the number of individuals they may affect when they are used professionally.
Reference List
Csala, D. (2015). How Social Media Won the 2014 Romanian Presidential Elections for Klaus Iohannis? Web.
Daily internet usage rate in Romania in 2014, by age group. (2014). Web.
Initiative. (2012). Media Fact Book: Romania 2012. Web.
Petrovici. A., & Dobrescu, T. (2013). New Trends in Responsible Romania: Social Campaigns. Social and Behavioral Sciences, 92, 697-701. Web.
Romania country profile. (2012). Web.
Romania, Internet Usage Stats and Market Report. (2013). Web.
Social media guide. (2014). Web.
TV and on-demand audiovisual services in Romania. (2013). Web.
This report is aimed at examining the work of the social media industry. In particular, it is necessary to focus on such issues as its competitive environment, the interactions with other companies, and the regulations that can affect these organizations. Moreover, much attention should be paid to the technologies that these enterprises use. One should also focus on innovations because they play a critical for the sustainability of these companies. Overall, this analysis can be useful for anticipating the main trends that may later transform the social media industry.
Competitive environment
The size of this industry can be measured in several ways. At first, one should consider the number of users who rely on these online resources. According to the estimations made in 2005, there were 1.7 billion people who were using social media (Statista, 2015a). It is important to remember that the net revenues of this industry are slightly more than $ 5.1 billion (Pacheco & Udowitz, 2014). Nevertheless, they are expected to increase by approximately 200 percent during the next decade (Pacheco & Udowitz, 2014).
Admittedly, this sector is dependent on the development of other industries because they often act as advertisers of the products or services offered by other enterprises. However, the social media industry does not rely on the single sector of the economy. Thus, they are more resilient to changes. It is possible to distinguish various segments of this industry. For instance, one can mention social networking sites, blogs, video-sharing resources, forums, photo-sharing sites, enterprise networks, and many other resources.
Overall, the social media industry performs several market functions. In particular, it enables businesses to advertise their products and services. These online resources help enterprises reach clients who may differ in terms of their age, gender, linguistic background, and so forth. At the same time, they may serve various needs of Internet users. One can distinguish several leaders of this industry. Much attention should be paid to such online resources as Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Reddit, and Pinterest. The market share of these sites can be presented in the form of a table:
Name of the social media site
Market Share
Facebook
46, 6 %
YouTube
21.2 %
Twitter
4. 58 %
Reddit
3. 92 %
Pinterest
1.5 %
(Statista, 2015b)
Industry environment
The social media industry serves two types of customers. At first, one should consider Internet users who may use these sites for various purposes. At the same time, it is vital to consider the needs of enterprises that rely on social media to increase peoples awareness about their products and services. Social media companies rely on various suppliers. In part, they are dependent on the enterprises manufacturing the equipment that is required for the functioning of Internet sites. At the same time, these organizations cooperate with software developers that can create new opportunities for Internet users.
Overall, this market is not very stable because many new businesses can create online resources that suit many people. For instance, for a long time, this industry has been dominated by Facebook. Nevertheless, Twitter has been able to attract many Internet users within a short period. Additionally, social media attract the attention of venture investors. Thus, start-up companies can generate sufficient capital to begin their operations.
There are several issues that influence the work of these organizations. For instance, they are required to restrict hate speech because it is one of the requirements set by the government. This policy is adopted in various countries, including the United States. As a result, these companies are required to develop software applications that can detect instances of hate speech (Farrington, 2014, p. 128). However, these businesses are more affected by the regulations that are related to the privacy of users and the protection of copyrighted materials. For instance, they can be required to delete videos, texts, or software applications. Additionally, they can be requested to disclose information about Internet users who are suspected of some illegal activities. Each of such incidents can tarnish the reputation of social media corporations.
Financial aspects
It is important to mention that the expenditures on information technologies vary considerably among the representatives of this industry. They spend between $ 1 and 2 billion on their IT resources (Zaruzelsky & Loehr, 2013). In particular, these agencies spend approximately 15 percent of their revenues on research and development. However, one should remember that in some cases, these businesses can pay significant amounts of money to strengthen their IT capabilities. For instance, Facebook purchased Whatsapp for more than $ 7 billion. Thus, it is possible to say that IT infrastructure is a top priority for these organizations.
Applications and technologies
Social media companies make extensive use of technologies that enable users to create their content. These tools are frequently called Web 2.0. For instance, one should speak about the JavaScript applications that are necessary for changing the content of web pages. Additionally, these companies apply the Document Object Model because this platform is useful for modifying certain parts of web pages without having to reload them (Stair & Reynolds, 2013). Additionally, much attention should be paid to the technologies that help customers interact with an external server. Among such programs, one can distinguish various web browsers. Additionally, they strongly rely on PHP web servers.
Additionally, these companies attach much importance to those technologies that enable users to communicate with one another. In particular, they apply Voice over IP applications such as Skype. For example, Facebook allows Internet users to call each other by phone. There are many firms that develop applications for social media companies. These organizations can be small or medium-sized businesses that make social networking sites more appealing to users. Nevertheless, there are large corporations. For instance, one can distinguish Adobe Systems that creates the so-called rich Internet applications (Stair & Reynolds, 2013, p. 204). Furthermore, one can consider the work of such companies as Microsoft, Google, and Apple.
Standards
The rules that regulate the social media industry are mostly related to such issues like privacy. In particular, these enterprises are expected to ensure that the confidential data of users are not disclosed to third parties. However, there are no trade associations that regulate the work of such organizations. This outcome can be partly explained by the fact that this industry is driven by innovation. Moreover, it is very competitive. Therefore, the excessive use of standards can impair the development of these companies.
Trends and innovation
Overall, the main trend is that these enterprises want to integrate various services. These services can be related to such activities as text messaging, phone calls, sharing videos, emailing, and so forth. To some degree, this strategy is adopted by Facebook. It is one of the reasons why this corporation acquired Whatsapp. Another significant trend is that these businesses want to adjust their services for the users of mobile phones. There are several businesses that can be regarded as the game-changers of this industry. Much attention should be paid to the work of Google and Apple because they create operating systems for smartphones. These changes require social media companies to change their websites. These examples indicate that in many cases, profound changes can be caused by the activities of businesses that do not necessarily belong to this industry.
There are several areas that are of great interest to the senior executives of social media companies. In particular, they pay attention to applications that improve the work of tablet computers or smartphones. For instance, they want to make sure that their online resources are fully compatible with Android or Mac Os. It is one of the trends that should be identified.
Conclusion
Overall, this discussion suggests that the social media industry is very dynamic. The representatives of this economic sector want to adjust to the new technological trends. Furthermore, they attach much importance to the changing lifestyles of Internet users who tend to rely more on smartphones. This industry is profoundly dependent on the technologies that enable people to create, modify, and share content. Apart from that, their applications are aimed at integrating various services such as the search of videos, phone calls, emailing, and so forth. The success in this industry is based on the ability of managers to anticipate the changing lifestyles of people who rely on social media.
Reference List
Farrington, N. (2014). Sport, Racism and Social Media. New York, NY: Routledge.
Pacheco, E., & Udowitz, R. (2014). U.S. Social Media Advertising Revenues to Reach $15B by 2018. Web.
Stair, R., & Reynolds, G. (2013).Fundamentals of Information Systems. New York, NY: Cengage Learning.
Statista. (2015a). Most popular social media websites in the United States in June 2015, based on share of visits. Web.
The rapid pace of market digitalization, outlined new models of indispensable use of social media in the companys business model. The organization of my employment is called Fer Wear, which presents a variety of affordable clothing designs at retail prices for an artistic audience. The brand focuses on unisex style and color of clothing that outlines its relevance on the market. 81% of Americans have social media, which indicates the vitality of creating brand profiles on online platforms (Sreenivasan). To obtain all targeted segments of potential buyers, the three most crucial social media outlets were chosen Facebook, Instagram, and Tik Tok. Combined, these platforms would cover various socioeconomic and age groups, which would benefit and precisely define the interested auditory of the brand.
Facebook is a universal platform used by every age group, and additionally may be utilized as a marketplace. It is crucial to create an account on Facebook as it may serve multiple functions of customer communication and digital business operation (Queensland Government). This social outlet is based on the idea of social networking, where the users may follow various people and share their personal life events. In recent years Facebook started to focus on helping businesses and created many functions that connect the brands to their customers through the platform.
Instagram profiles are necessary for establishing a visual brand reputation. It is a photo-sharing service that is now one of the most powerful online-business platforms, especially for young brands. Powered by Facebook, Instagram allows users to create profiles with visual content like photos videos,d stories. Moreover, it has various business tools that may advertise and promote the businesses. Creating a consistent page that combines relevant photos of the products and essential information about the business is sure to attract new customers. The targeted advertisement tools on this digital outlet are proved to significantly impact the customer base enhancement.
Tik Tok is a novel social media outlet that quickly gained millions of users. The platform is based on showing a personalized feed of short videos, fully adapting to your preferences. It is an innovative way of enhancing business performance and attracting customers. It is essential to learn the algorithm of its process, to seekable effects on the brand by introducing it to a broad audience (Balkhi). By taking advantage of all Tik Toks features, the business is destined to draw a variety of loyal customers.
Social media are extremely crucial to every organization communication; it makes up the heart of each business. Every information that the organization passes to its stakeholder is exceedingly dear. The feedback given by stakeholders is the motivating factor to an organization. It enables an organization to analyze its impact to the public. This engagement will be more meaningful if an immediate feedback and information dissemination mean is adopted. This leads to use of Facebook and twitter which allows fast dissemination of information. Compared to other social media it has numerous advantages in the sides of operation, cost, and speed among others.
The report unearths that use of Facebook and twitter has enabled ACS in fast dissemination of information. ACS has built a strong relationship between the organization and stakeholders. Distance and geographical barriers have been broken by the two social media. ACS support has improved rapidly in the world. Information the, organization posts, are received by millions of people with no cost. Events are well communicated to stakeholders and the participants can confirm their participation before the event took place. This helps in the success of such events. Facebook and twitter has given room to ACS to record videos on their page. The videos are detailed in information on how to prevent, cure and take care of cancer patients. This has helped many patients to take care of themselves thus prolong their lives and minimize suffering which is extremely vital to ACS.
Introduction
As the years unfold, there has been a significant change in the manner in which society send and receives information. The Facebook and twitter has opened avenues in which information gathering and sharing is done (Robbins, 2009). They have become most prominent ways of obtaining information and means of communicating with stakeholders. As new technologies are innovated and brought to market, ACS needs to embrace those which are beneficial to its mandate. Facebook and tweeter provide sites for individuals and organizations to chat with each other which lead to a strong link between the two parties.
Since communication has changed from one way to two ways, ACS has no option other than to engage in social media that have to provide this. Researchers have found out that the only way to reach the public in a convenient way is by using Facebook and twitter sites. ACS being a non profit making organization, its prime goal is to gain support of its stakeholders. They do this by composing messages conveying their cause and distributing them to a vast geographical area (Jessica, 2009). Through the use, of twitter and Facebook ACS has been able to send these messages at nominal cost. Upcoming events as well as creating a community to fulfill their cause. However, if ACS will not provide updated information on its Facebook and twitter then, this will lead it to be being viewed in a negative way. This report will go to address how ACS uses Facebook and twitter to communicate with the stakeholders. The report will provide information on how ACS has utilized Facebook and Twitter services to communicate to its stakeholders.
Methods
To determine whether ACS has used Twitter communication tools, the researcher carried out a content analysis of ACS tweets used in the past six months. On how the organization uses Facebook the frequency in which it updates its status determine how much the ACS engages it with the stakeholders. The comments and likes number of people on its Facebook page has been used to determine the organization involvement in Facebook. In order to have the reliable analysis, the researcher will use the number of persons who says they like and commend on ACS Facebook page as well as the users in the Twitter account.
Background information
Many organizations are opting to use social networking sites such as Facebook and twitter. This is because these allow fast dissemination of information as well as fast information exchange. These two have opened up possibility of the organization to engage their stakeholders in their day to day activities. This is achieved by allowing stakeholders send any information they have fast and receive feedback within a little time. A research carried out in 2009 showed that Twitter is a magnificent avenue for customer management. Failure of the organization to respond to PMs is equivalent to the organization unresponsiveness. For non profit making organizations sending PMs is a way in which they show responsiveness and it creates dialogue between the organization and the stakeholders (Silvia, 2009). The frequency, in which the organization engages in Facebook and the Twitter, is seen as degree in which the organization is active. Active organizations are considered to be those who post once or more than per week while inactive organizations are those who take more than a week to post.
Consultants have been advising organizations to use social media to create an intimacy linkage with their stakeholders. Despite this, there is only scanty result that shows social media growing social media being a mainstay in public relations efforts. Many non profit organizations are using Twitter and Facebook as a traditional information subsidy. Research has shown that people are pathetic to organization. Social media are helping organizations to improve customer relationships, extend the reach of marketing dollars and improve the stakeholders engagement (Safko, 2010). To be effective organizations need to view social media as the integral part of its overall communication strategy. It does not need to be the tools themselves, but they have to view social media as the relationship.
When social media are applied effectively, it will uncover significant opportunities for every organization which it can use to deepen prevailing relationships and lead to the emergence of new ones. Not all messages can be conveyed using twitter and face book because some data may be too complex to communicate via Facebook and Twitter. Other reason is that not all stakeholders have embraced social media thus the need to use other, communicating devices. Facebook page and Twitter account is among the top 15 breast cancer charities. Facebook and Twitter allows interpersonal communication between and among users. This offers individuals and organizations new opportunities to communicate with each other and stakeholders. Studies have found that people tend to trust organizations which engage actively in the social media such as Facebook and Twitter.
Findings
Facebook is easy to use, no training needed in order to convey information using the Facebook (Shih, 2009). The service is open to all different people. The old, as well as the young ones, can have access to the service. Facebook and Twitter service is cheap to its users making it preferred to other social media. Many people can afford to express their views, in one day many people do visit the Facebook thus making it the best mean that one can reach a wide audience. The message conveyed through Facebook is fast almost immediate. This makes it to be best when conveying. It is extremely easy to set up and maintain Facebook making it favorable for any organization to use. Use of Facebook and Twitter has enabled ACS been seen as a credible organization. There is much trust among the stakeholders and many people have come to trust them. This has been followed by improvement in donor funding.
Many people are posting much information on the ACS Facebook page and the Twitter account. This has led to considerable communication between the stakeholders and the organization. Beneficiaries of the ACS have made reliable feedback on the Twitter account and the Facebook page. ACS has engaged in active response to the stakeholders communication. ACS has disseminated most information through these two social media forums. ACS has two Twitter accounts i.e. general profile and More Birthday campaign. The Twitter account has more than 15000 followers. The site provides updates of more than 30,000 users.
Facebook is secure since one cannot alter the information written on it. One can comment but, he cannot change the information. This makes it a reliable way to convey a message because the organization is confidence that the intended message cannot be altered. Facebook provides a room for users to make known their views. This is crucial as immediate feedback can be achieved. Immediate response can be used to implement any suggestion as fast as possible. Twitter disadvantage is that the organization is supposed to respond to Public Messages. This might be time consuming. Many organizations may receive a lot of PMs which are overwhelming to the organization (Whitlock, 2008). Responding to a vast number of PMs would overload organization Twitter updates and this makes the users ignore messages which might be more beneficial to an organization.
Twitter has hash tags, which help, users to obtain information about the topic that they want. This helps users to save time and ensures easier exchange of information. Use of hash tags helps in sorting of information in normal and emergency situation rapidly. Failure of an organization tweeting more than three times a week makes organization tweets buried in its followers feed. Sending many tweets by an organization clutter its followers feed, which result, in users un-following the organization.
ACS has benefited from Facebook applications, which are designed, purposely to raise money to organizations. Facebook application Causes allow users to donate their contribution directly to ACS and other organization and invite others to do the same. Facebook has developed several applications designed to help organizations raise money (Veer, 2008). Facebook uses HTTPS to ensure the information one sends is secure to ensure no unauthorized person. Facebook has created advanced features that enable the user information is private and secure. Use of Facebook and twitter has enabled ACS been seen as a credible organization. There is much trust among the stakeholders and many people have come to trust them. This has been followed by improvement in donor funding.
Many people are posting much information on the ACS Facebook page and the Twitter account. This has led to vigorous communication between the stakeholders and the organization. Beneficiaries of the ACS have made reliable feedback on the twitter account and the Facebook page. ACS has engaged in active response to the stakeholders communication. ACS has disseminated most information through these two social media forums. ACS has two Twitter accounts i.e. general profile and More Birthday campaign. The Twitter account has more than 15000 followers. The site provides updates of more than 30,000 users.
Facebook has enabled ACS upload and share unlimited photos with the stakeholders which can be set to be viewed by all, certain group of people. Facebook has seen ACS to promote its events and invite their contacts to confirm whether they will attend or not. This has helped ACS to be well prepared before the event take place leading to success of such events. ACS has set up Facebook with Guidestar making it eligible to be a beneficiary on Facebook causes. Facebook provides a wall which makes one see the activities of ones network at a glance. The number of viewers is too many in Facebook than those in the Tweeter. Both of them attract different people who are of different social grounds. Academicians contribute remarkably as well as the general public. Discussions are conducted in a mature way that helps to make the rest of viewers feel free to contribute and depend on their contribution. This has made ACS be seen as the most well managed organization.
Viewers and commentators on Facebook and twitter have made other people feel the message contained on these two social media. This has boosted stakeholder contribution towards the activities that ACS engages in. the immediate response to viewers questions and up to date information have enabled ACS to be considered as the active communicator. American Cancer Societys Facebook page follows a trend of non-profit. Organizations. This is through creating a fan page which has robust supporters and posting videos, news and links. This Facebook page gives much information and engages more than 245,000 supporters. The site provides links many associated websites. The site also posts links to current news and activities. This makes supporters to participate fully in the cause through events and online surveys associated with the American Cancer Society.
Comparison
Red Cross has utilized the Facebook and Twitter to alert the world on any disaster relief especially after the catastrophic event like the one happened in Haiti and Chile. Red Cross uses these two social media to request for funds. American Red Cross has many likes, more than 202,000. This is a greater number than the number of people who likes the two social media of ACS. The Red Cross Twitter and Facebook page is updated frequently than the ACS Twitter and Face book page. Red Cross messages are more appealing and, therefore: they are able to attract more funds from the well wishers than the ACS. Red Cross Facebook evolves fast than the ACS to meet the demands of its mandate making it popular among the public. Its Facebook page is ranked among the top five active site.
Cancer Council Australia use of Facebook and Twitter is extremely similar to that of ACS. Both have similar messages, appealing videos and almost the same course. They have feedbacks of the beneficiaries who appreciate their help with gratitude. The photos on their wall have the cancer messages and means to use to eliminate cancer from the public. ACS updates are more frequent than the updates of Cancer Council Australia. There is much information on the ACS Facebook page as well as the Twitter account compared to that of Cancer Council Australia.
Recommendation
ACS should ensure its Facebook page and Twitter accounts should be well updated in order to serve as an engaging forum for stakeholders. Though Facebook and Twitter services are free to ACS and other non profit making organization they have to know that technology and time necessary to configure, monitor and update them has a cost (Baird, 2009). There should be continuous update to ensure the information given is reliable.ACS should post more videos and photos as these contain more information to the viewers. Through them, there will be more information dissemination. This will enable ACS to achieve its mandates i.e. to have a cancer free society.
Conclusion
Research shows that ACS use Facebook and Twitter in order to reach her stakeholders. Information, which is not, current, may lead to being perceived in a negative manner (Collier, 2010). Therefore, ACS need to ensure it up dates the information in social media. ACS has benefited especially in its effort in organizing campaigns to fight cancer and other issues. They have made ACS organize events and ensure they are successful. ACS has strengthened the relationship with her donors as every information is posted on these social media. This information is considered as the openness and accountability of ACS.
Many beneficiaries are able to share their stories a thing that make users of these social media to be engaging. Individuals are allowed to create and establish groups related to a cause and these do not require the funding of ACS. Twitter provides users to choose one among five personalized ACS designs for their personal page (Fitton, 2010). This has enabled ACS to get support from vast areas. This is through creating a fan page which has robust supporters and posting videos, news and links. This Facebook page gives much information and engages more than 245,000 supporters. ACS should strive to extract all the benefits associated with Facebook and Twitter.
References
Baird, T. 2009, The Truth about Facebook. Ilive, Pty Ltd, Emereo.
Collier, M. 2010, Facebook and Twitter For Seniors For Dummies,Port Press, Chicago.
Fitton, L. 2010, Twitter for Dummies,for Dummies, Ohio.
Jessica, V. 2009, Twitter Trips on its rapid growth. Wall street, London.
Robbins, A., 2009, Twitter Power:How to Dominate Your Market One at a Time. Wiley, California.
Safko, L. 2010, The social Media Bible, Wiley, Virginia.
Shih, C. 2009, The Facebook Era, Prentice Hall, Virginia.
Silvia, C. 2009, Social Media. How American Cancer Society use social media, Adventures Press, Chicago.
Veer, V. 2008, Facebook:The missing Manual, Pogue Press, London.
Whitlock, W. 2008, Twitter Revolution, Xeno Press, Chicago.
The social media offers a wide range of communication tools that ride on the social dimension of client experience. The communicative power of the society has essentially replaced many of the traditional tools, such as print and broadcast media, in the world of traditional communication particularly. In order to increase credibility and maintain professionalism, the social media channels often encompass processes and features that flawlessly facilitate healthy and lifetime relationships between an organization and its clients. Thus, this analytical treatise attempts to explicitly review the alternative social media channels that the Calgary Fire Service department may use to reach senior citizens to communicate its services to them.
Social Media Channels
Website
From a website, depending on its design, it is possible for a potential client and the general public to have a quick access to services offered by the Calgary Fire Service department and even request for services or purchase brochures online without necessarily having to appear physically. In relation to this, the proposed website will include tools laid down for support, governance, and paradigm shift as communication technology experiences metamorphosis between the department and clients. These tools include customization cursors, administrative components, and segments structured to guide authorized users either to edit or post a comment, a feedback, and a complaint (Bowden 65). The company may not have to incur repeated printing or mailing cost as information sharing is based on live chat and other connectivity tools. The convenience of clients is almost guaranteed in the website with a contact us link.
Free SMS Service
The Calgary Fire Service department may also consider introducing a free mass SMS service to reach the clients. The Calgary Fire Service department may approach the local communication service provider to obtain the mobile numbers of the clients within its areas of operations. The SMS service may be programmed to be delivered to the collected phone numbers database after every two days. The SMS will carry all the information that is to be communicated to the targeted clients since nearly all adults in this region own a mobile phone (Patino et al. 230). Through the repeated SMS delivery, the targeted clients will be persuaded to develop interest in the services that the fire department is offering. In addition, the SMS channel may be programmed to issue alerts to the clients on emergencies, latest development and training schedules for the Calgary Fire Service department.
Email
Since every home within the Calgary Fire Service departments area of operation is connected to the internet and the majority of the clients are computer literate, the company may consider using email services to communicate its programs and products to the clients from the comfort of their homes. As a policy, the Calgary Fire Service department may make it a requirement for the clients to register their email addresses with the department whenever they come to the fire department offices. Besides, the company may recruit a temporary team of personnel to collect the email addresses from the homes over a limited period of time (Weber 60).
In addition, the company may approach the relevant authority with the email addresses database for the targeted region. Though the initial cost of implementing this proposal may be high, the Calgary Fire Service department will benefit in the long run as future communication with the clients will be efficient, fast and reliable. Email services will allow the company to communicate the education programs and safety precautions to the majority of the clients within affordable expenditure.
Works Cited
Bowden, John. The Process of Customer Engagement: A Conceptual Framework. Journal of Marketing Theory & Practice, 17.1 (2009): 63-74. Print.
Patino, Anthony, Dennis Pitta, and James Quinones. Social Medias Emerging Importance in Market Research. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 29.1 (2012): 233-237. Print.
Weber, Larry. The Social Enterprise: Building a Digitaly Driven Business to Gain Competitive Advantage. Journal of Digital and Social Media Marketing, 12.4 (2012): 45-98. Print.
It has been observed that one of the common ways in which we define our place in culture and among family and friends is by creating and consuming stories and images (Rettberg 2009). It is through approaches such as these that various behaviors such as taking pictures at an occasion have almost become synonymous with the event itself. The popular sequence that entails falling in love, then marriage and having children is one such cultural template (Rettberg 2009).
Though a large amount of these cultural stereotypes do not match reality, it has been observed that as humans we consume and spread these fairy tales in songs, drama, Facebook profiles and YouTube videos (Rettberg 2009). In so doing we unconsciously respond to such cultural stereotypes whether the reason behind the adoption is conscious, unconscious and even if we reject them completely.
Among the major factors that have helped build this trend is the increased reliance on cell phones and mobile technology (Lefebvre 2009). The increased use of the internet in this age group is seen in data that indicates 87% of adolescents aged between 12 and 17 reported using the internet (Pujazon & Park, 2010). Of this over half or 21 million teens reported using the internet daily which suggests its crucial role in their lives. The increased use of the internet by teens is important given that these teen years form a crucial part of the identity formation stage in an individuals life (Pujazon & Park 2010). It has also been noted that for these social media sites to flourish there needs to be a sustained fundamental shift in human behavior is presently evident among teens (Dumenco 2009).
It has been reported that between the ages of 14 and 16 individuals are mainly concerned with forming an attractive social identity. Based on this it has been observed that the internet provides these teens the opportunity to try on varied personalities. This process has greatly benefitted from the Social networking websites that allow user to build profiles which may contain audio, video, photographs or even text (Pujazon & Park 2010). These social sites play a significant role in identity formation and are currently widely used in society.
Though the use of social media has increased recently and access to such websites has been found to have both adverse and positive effects. It has been noted that social media provides a new venue for learning that is more exciting than traditional venues (Pujazon & Park 2010). Based on this fact the teens prefer tasks that involve the use of social media and are more attentive to instruction. In addition to that it has been observed that these sites also provide the visitors with an opportunity to learn how to interact and exercise self control. This comes about due to the fact that varied opinions will be aired in relation to any topic under discussion (Pujazon & Park 2010). These interactions are very useful at strengthening offline relationships and allow individuals who feel isolated opportunity to interact with peers (Dumenco 2009). Among the major concerns in relation to social media are the issues of exposure cyber bullies and sexual predators (Pujazon & Park 2010).
Digital Memory and Archiving
In relation to identity social media and current trends infer a need for further investigation into the possible impact of current technological trends related to memory. This is because what individuals remember depends to some extent on the technologies of memory and socio technical practices in place (Van House & Churchill 2008). Whereas personal hard drives with gigabytes and terabytes of storage space were uncommon in the past, there has been a shift in the cultural context that has seen these devices become common in modern society.
In relation to this it has been observed that photos have long been considered an enduring aspect of personal, cultural or family memory (Van House & Churchill 2008). The increased use of social media has caused an increase in the number of picture taken by most individuals. Most of these images are stored on personal hard drives where archiving and retrieving them is problematic. The increased use of sites such as Flickr has led to a situation where photos are losing their archival value and are considered ephemeral and transitory (Van House & Churchill 2008).
Based on the above position it has been suggested by some that our memories are increasingly becoming digital. This has led to a situation in which society is rapidly amassing large volumes of information where deletion is uncommon but so is accretion (Van House & Churchill 2008). This huge collection of information is leading to a possible scenario where technology appears to be supporting human memory. This fact is crucial with the increased use of digital media as the observation of librarians and historians suggests preservation requires curation (Van House & Churchill 2008).
Curation suggests that there is a need to gain understanding on what is being stored permanently in order to manage this massive information archive effectively. This is because much of what we need may not be archived while a lot of what is unnecessary may be finding its way into archives (Van House & Churchill 2008). In addition to this it has been noted that as we become increasingly reliant on digital archives serious new issues are emerging in relation to ownership of digital information. The increased digitization of information has been viewed as a potential factor that could cause the colonization of memory by the developed world and the private sector. These issues are serious and need to be addressed given the degree to which the current generation relies on digital sources for a variety of activities.
It has already been observed that many teens currently rely on the internet and social media for interaction and building identity. However, many do not realize that the Internet Archive preserves past versions of large numbers of web sites (Van House & Churchill 2008). Based on this an author of an embarrassing posting may delete it to avoid repudiation in the future. However, it is known that traces of these postings remain alive on any computer that downloaded the page as well as on the internet archive (Van House & Churchill 2008). This was the case in the Enron corporation scandal that 85,000 pages of an internal email leaked to the public. This vast amount of information has led to deliberate forms of forgetting and has serious implications on the future of society. Based on this therefore it is crucial to re-examine who has the responsibility of archiving this data to avoid potentially harmful repercussions in future.
Privacy
In light of the increased use of social media web sites an issue that is worth consideration pertains to privacy of information. It is common for social media and other web sites to periodically collect information about the users. This is the case when features such as Google web history are used to provide maps of how frequently one uses Google search on different days and what they searched for using the search engine (Rettberg 2009). This form of surveillance is being used by these web sites to the benefit of the user while the user is introduced to a notion that surveillance is beneficial and constant.
Based on the prolific rate at which these social media web sites have led to sharing privacy is major concern given that these organizations have access to private information. Though the company executives do not read private information, their systems store a great deal of data about individuals (Rettberg 2009). The bulk of this data is used for advertising and though these companies do not sell the data to advertisers, they use it to ensure the target market is reached (Rettberg 2009).
Unfortunately there have been instances such as a case in China, where this private data has been shared with authorities leading to the conviction of dissidents (Rettberg 2009). Based on this position it has been observed that security agencies in some regions such as the EU have made it mandatory to store internet and telephone data for between 6 and 24 months. Whereas this information is supposed to be kept for investigation of serious crimes it is evident that this total surveillance appears unfair. This ability to document bits and pieces of our lives clearly possesses the potential to be used in a harmful manner against us.
Exposure and Disclosure
The use of the data that we use while visiting these various social media web sites also raises an additional question in relation to disclosure. These web sites are supported by systems designed to harness networks effects and improve as the numbers increase (Rettberg 2009). This suggests that even the systems that support these sites encourage the collection and manipulation of data with a view to providing better services.
The above position in relation to collection and manipulation of data should raise the question of ownership in the minds of the users. This is because whether the data is entered explicitly or generated implicitly, it still remains our data (Rettberg 2009). This is especially important due to the fact that social media is largely about the implicit data. This is because whenever you upload a video to YouTube, update your Facebook status, contribute to a blog some archival data is generated. Due to this position a web site such as YouTube has information on the people who post videos as well as those who merely watch and rate videos. In the past this collection of data was hidden from users though currently legislation requires these companies disclose the purpose for the collection. This is a major issue due to the ability to benefit from observation of patterns among the population. This suggests that it is important to consider the impact of these social web sites on our lives.
References
Dumenco, S 2009, 10 Things Twitter taught me about media and myself, Advertising Age, vol. 80, pp. 1-3.
Lefebvre, C 2009, Integrating cell phones and mobile technologies into Public Health Practice: A Social Marketing Perspective , Health Promotion Practice, vol. 10.4, pp. 490-494.
Pujazon, M & Park, MJ 2010, To Tweet or not To Tweet: Gender Differences and Potential Positive and Negative Health Outcomes of Adolescents; Social Internet Use, Americans Journal of Mens Health, vol. 4, pp. 77-85.
Rettberg, JW 2009, Freshly generated for you, and Barack Obama: How Social Media represent your Life, European Journal of Communication, vol. 24, pp. 451-466.
Van House, N & Churchill, EF 2008, Technologies of Memory: Key Issues and critical perspectives, Memory Studies, vol. 1, pp. 295-310.
This paper focuses on the topic of social media utilization in workplace environments and how it can have beneficial effects for a company. It details the advantages and disadvantages of the practice, what applications can be utilized and what outcomes can be expected.
Memorandum
To: The CEO
From: (PLACE NAME HERE)
Subject: Using Social Media Applications in the Workplace
Date: June 16, 2015
Over the years social media applications have become increasingly popular as an easily utilized and low cost method of communication for employees within a company (Trott, 2014). This helps to address the inherent need for companies to create a better working environment for its employees that fosters open communication and collaboration.
Brief Summary of Social Media Options Rationale for Selecting Proposal
At the present, there are numerous social media options to choose from ranging from online messengers, blogs, online forums, popular websites such as Facebook and Twitter or even social media applications that can be utilized on phones. Many of these choices are ideal for the company since they are low cost or even free options.
Advantages and Disadvantages
One of the advantages with the implementation of social media in the workplace is that it allows better communication and collaboration between not only different team members but also individuals from other departments. This largely informal means of communication makes asking questions far easier, especially in cases when a low level employee is inquiring about a subject to an upper level manager (Hearing & Ussery, 2012). Through this greater ease of vertical and horizontal communication, this enables company processes to operate more smoothly and thus lessen problems that occur due to miscommunication or confusion regarding proper implementation. On the other end of the spectrum, one of the potential disadvantages when it comes to social media use in the workplace comes in the form of potential drops in worker efficiency due to procrastination. Since social media usage would be allowed, this could result in workers allocating company time and resources towards nonsensical activities (i.e. talking to their friends) instead of concentrating on their respective tasks in the company (Hamer, 2013).
Comparing and Contrasting Two Types of Social Media
There are several social media options that we can choose from when it comes to our present day operations. One of the first and most widely utilized comes in the form of Facebook and its picture and messaging service (Facebook, n.d.). Employees within a company could simply add their co-workers and managers via their Facebook accounts and this would allow them to communicate and collaborate with each other no matter their location or distance (Brice, Fifer & Naron, 2012). They would be able to share files, send messages instantly as well as call each other using Facebooks Facetime application that allows VOIP (Voice Over IP) calls. Another potential social media application that could be utilized comes in the form of online forums (Hall & Lewis, 2014). Online forums act as a method where subjects or issues can be presented with employees being able to give their recommendations on how to resolve an issue or their own experiences having the same problem (Trott, 2014).
Supporting my Recommendation Description of the intended action and the anticipated results
It is based on what has been presented that I advocate social media use be integrated into our workplace environment as a means of communication and collaboration since it is a relatively free service that allows multiple individuals from different departments, locations and even countries to communicate, share ideas and do so in a manner that is cost free to the company (Google, n.d.).
Costs involved, including materials, personnel, and resources
The overall costs involved in this type of action is negligible since most social media applications are free and, as such, its application within the company does not require any resources aside from computers that are already in use.
Timeline
The timeline for implementation is negligible since it can be implemented easily via the use of online browsers (ex: Firefox).
Reference List
Brice, R., Fifer, S., & Naron, G. (2012). Social Media in the Workplace: The NLRB Speaks. Intellectual Property & Technology Law Journal, 24(10), 13-17.
Facebook. (2015). Facebook About Us. Web.
Google. (2015). Google About Us. Web.
Hall, R., & Lewis, S. (2014). Managing Workplace Bullying and Social Media Policy: Implications for Employee Engagement. Academy Of Business Research Journal, 1(1), 1128-138.
Hamer, S. (2013). Creating an Effective Workplace Social Media Policy. HR Focus, 90(10), 17.
Hearing, G. A., & Ussery, B. C. (2012). The Times Are Changing: The Impact of Technology and Social Media on the Public Workplace. Florida Bar Journal, 86(3), 35-39.
Trott, L. (2014). Social Media in the Workplace. Credit Control, 35(2), 23.
Overweight is a problem that has recently become familiar to a large amount of people, especially in the United States. Children, teenagers, and adults face weight issues and eating disorders. They tend to suffer from obesity and diabetes, low self-esteem and episodes of depression. The studies that were recently conducted show that 32% of youth aged 2 to 19 years are overweight or at risk of becoming overweight (Koehly and Loscalzo 99). We believe that technological development influences such data. With the appearance of the internet, social media turned out to become an integral part of peoples life. This paper will seek to explain how the social media affects their weight. We think that the individuals who come under the influence of advertisements and suffer from cyberbullying are at risk of obesity. On this basis, we develop a thesis statement, which claims that excessive use of social media contributes to obesity.
Forms of Media
Technological development has influenced peoples life greatly. By dint of it not that long ago appeared new forms of communication. Today we all are familiar with Twitter, Facebook, and other social media. These are computer-mediated tools that help people to communicate and share information, pictures, and videos.
Facebook occurs to be the first widely-spread representative of social media. Originally it was created by and for the students of Harvard College. Today the service is commonly used to get in touch with friends and strangers to have a conversation. People update their statuses to inform others about the things they are doing, feeling or thinking about. They post interesting videos and funny pictures, let others see their photos and comment them. Various communities have their pages on Facebook, which allows people join them with no effort.
Twitter was created soon after Facebook and became commonly used by people of different ages and social status. It also altered the way social media looks. From the very beginning, it was used to share the information about the things people are doing at the moment using no more than 140 characters. However, soon it turned out to become something more. Twitter is considered to be the best social media for sharing the news. It takes only a few seconds to write and post. One can use hashtags while sending messages so that they can be easily found.
LinkedIn is another representative of social media. It differs from the previous ones as was meant for specialists. One can create a professional profile and get in touch with co-workers and classmates. LinkedIn allows people find experts who work in various spheres and connect with them. It is also possible to receive the description of some company and the things it manages. Thus, this social network increases career opportunities and broadens their range. It is of advantage for those who search for work or want to discuss particular topics with professionals in the sphere.
YouTube is an extremely popular website that provides access to an enormous number of various videos. People have an opportunity to upload their own videos or share those presented by others. These videos can have different themes and purposes. Some are good for leisure time; they are films, TV-series or videos made by amateurs who just wanted to show their pets, etc. Others are useful in a job or educational perspective.
Instagram allows the users to share pictures and videos they made even using other sites such as Facebook and Twitter. The photos can be uploaded with a hashtag, which increases the opportunity for it to be seen and evaluated by others. One can also apply some filters to bring more attention. It is possible to follow people and observe all the changes they make and all the news they share.
These social media are widely spread, and people from different countries know about them and use them in everyday life. They also start to be utilized for the educational process. These websites provide an opportunity to caution the users about the danger of obesity and prevent it in this way. For example, Obesity Action Coalition can be found on the mentioned websites (Wielinski 2). However, yet they are mostly known to worsen this issue, which will be discussed further.
Binge Eating and Leptin Hormone
Binge eating is a disorder that can be described as the uncontrollable eating of large amounts of food. It is connected with the presence of leptin hormone that is produced to signal that the stomach is full, and it is time to stop eating. In such way, this hormone regulates the weight of a person.
As leptin deals with the consumption of food, its association with eating disorders is undeniable. People who suffer from binge eating disorder are said to experience hunger due to the reduced leptin. They are also likely to start comfort eating. It is claimed that females who have no weight issues, but eat a large amount of food on one occasion, experienced a binge episode, which influenced leptin. Damore and colleagues hypothesize that the relationship between severe binge eating and leptin concentration is mediated by lower dietary restraint and greater fat intake, suggesting that leptin may be a sensitive marker of metabolic changes occurring during binge eating episodes (Miller et al. 398).
Eating disorders become familiar to children and youth even though they occur rarely. They also report feelings of anxiety and depression. Many have reduced self-esteem. Studies show that on this basis kids and youth may face problems with weight in future. Even if the weight is controlled as well as binge eating, the level of hormone does not normalize. This process takes half a year or even more.
The level of leptin changes during the day and its peak occurs to be at midnight. It was proved by scientists that the lack of leptin makes an individual feel hungry all the time (Miller et al. 401). Trying to cope with this condition, one tends to eat more, which soon appears to erupt into binge eating. If a person has too much leptin, one also is likely to come to obesity. Very often it means that this individual suffers from resistance to the signals the hormone is sending. Thus, leptin is proved to be connected with binge eating and causes of overweight and obesity.
Media and the Science of Obesity
Not that long ago obesity started to be treated as an epidemic, which is likely to lead to the public health crisis. Many scholars who have explored media portrayals of scientific research point out that much of what we know about the science of obesity is filtered through the media. Some of them claimed that weight is not really important for public health, as the mortality rate in this group of people is the lowest. Still, we will pay attention to the way media and scientists inform the general public on the themes related to obesity.
A great role in the selection of attitude towards weight issues context plays. If obesity is said to be desirable, media suggests being tolerant and understanding. If it is connected with wrong decisions made by an individual (for instance, eating unhealthy food), obesity is claimed to be immoral, common for lazy people or even evildoers (Saguy and Almeling 57). General public tend to imitate these attitudes. Thus, even if a person started emotional eating because of problems that took place in ones life, others are more likely to condemn this individual rather than support and try to help. Very often overweight is described by media as a disease with no authoritative confirmation. Such treatment makes others believe that people do not control their weight, and they should not be blamed. However, then all fat individuals are considered to be ill because of this approach. Car and food industries are also often blamed by the media for being initiators of overweight. Still, only a few decent data is provided to support the idea, and mostly the assumptions are highlighted.
People are not able to evaluate these causes of obesity properly, as they know nothing about the situation and other possible reasons of why a person gained weight. Thus, they tend to choose one variant and lump everyone together. It proves that eventually general public occurs to treat those who suffer from obesity in the way media taught them, even though it is rather subjunctive.
Moreover, it is proved that media uses authoritative scientific data in the reports, but they filter the information to find the most striking one and frame it with stories full of drama (Boero 374). Thus, a problem of obesity among children, which can be treated and was highlighted by scientists to underline what should be done to improve the situation, occurs to be a crises or an epidemic with high mortality rate, which causes panic and misleads people. Blurring weight categories can be frequently observed in media, as very often extreme cases are described as if they are common ones.
Consequently, media tends to claim that obesity is a severe public issue, even though the blame for overweight is on the individuals. Mostly women occur to be in the limelight. Scientific reports are commonly used but almost never criticized. Saguy and Almeling consider that it is hard for media to promote the issue while treating obesity positively or at least neutrally that is why such dramatizing takes place (78).
Even though there is a drama in the news reports on obesity and overweight, it is based on scientific claims while the information that media gives is usually uncritical. Still, sometimes media expose wrong perceptions and poorly conducted researches by managing their own investigation. Science and reports can serve as authoritative sources of information about obesity and things connected to it while media overdramatizes the situation and often underlines the individuals fault for being overweight.
Aggressive Marketing
Aggressive marketing presupposes forceful promotion of products. Various companies are involved in it; however, those that promote junk food stand out against others. Their tactics lie in the fact that they advertise their products as healthy ones, which is considered to be unethical. In some cases, they even claim to improve the quality of the products with the help of health organizations, even though they did not. While adults evaluate the information they receive and understand the true danger that junk food provides, children occur to be vulnerable. They face obesity and become diabetics even before the moment they are able to realize how junk food influences them.
According to the research, about 1/3 of all children and teenagers have at least one meal of junk food every day in the United States (Wartman par. 3). For many representatives of general public such situation occurs to be normal and expected. Due to the advertisements many children believe that eating in McDonalds is good and rather healthy. This fast food restaurant offers a range of things that attract the attention of little buyers (toys, balloons, etc.), so they believe that they should always eat there.
The statistics provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention claim that 60 percent of adults and 15 percent of kids in America have weight issues, and primary we are to blame junk food companies with aggressive marketing. Their colorful and attractive advertisements can be seen outdoors, in stores, on the internet and TV. It was found that the average preschooler saw 2.8 TV ads per day for fast food, children saw 3.5, and teens saw 4.7 (Wartman par. 4). Being attracted to the McDonalds, almost half of all American kids ask to go there at least once a week, and the majority of parents agree. These data is shocking; it proves that the strategy chosen by the junk food companies actually works. Still, they gain money while their costumers gain weight.
Aggressive marketing targets also at minority youth. African Americans eat half as much junk food as European Americans. Various advertisements influence their choice more than that of their white peers, which is proved by the fact that their rate of obesity is 51 percent higher. Hispanic kids usually see more commercial. That is why they are likely to suffer from obesity and diabetes, and their rate is more than 20 percent higher (Wartman par. 9).
Unfortunately, the general public is not able to alter the aggressive strategy of junk food companies and reduce the number of their advertisements. Even though many people would like to forbid such organizations to promote their products and prevent children and representatives of minorities from seeing the advertisements, the companies have a legal right to continue doing what they want. And even though they provide new dishes that seem to be healthier, in reality they are just less dangerous.
Cyberbullying and Low Self-Esteem
Nowadays many people report being bullied at schools, universities and even at work. They become victims of those who dislike them and show their supremacy. Cyberbullying is a form of bullying that involves technologies to threaten or humiliate people online. Even though the victims do not suffer from any physical abuse, the adverse influence on their minds is undeniable. Cyberbullying is hard to escape. People got used being in touch whenever and wherever they are, so the undesired messages follow them in tracks. Social media are often used for bullying as they provide an opportunity to send messages, images and videos in no time and without any effort. A bully can create a fake account so that it will be extremely hard to trace him/her. The reactions of victims are different. They include negative emotions such as anger, fear, sadness or embarrassment. Thus, one becomes inattentive, gains worse marks and start playing truant. Such things put individuals in stressful situations, decrease their self-esteem and cause depression. The occurred situation has an impact on peoples weight in many cases. Some lose appetite and are likely to become anorexic, others tend to comfort eat and face obesity. The research conducted by Sleglova and Cerna includes a case with the female who gained undesired 10 kilos while dealing with cyberbullying (7). She also expressed aggressive behavior communicating with other people and lower self-confidence. This person received negative comments mainly on Facebook from the people who followed her. They knew each other in real life, which proves that cyberbullying targeted at a particular person usually appears to substitute a traditional one. LinkedIn and Instagram have less cyberbullying reports; however, private messages and comments are used for such purposes. Sometimes even images with humiliating context are sent.
According to the behavioral science research, today obesity faces stigmatization, and social media are spreading abusive stereotyping. Posts that can be found on Facebook and Twitter humiliate people who are overweight very often (Chou, Prestin and Kunath 314; Harris 62). These individuals are likely to have health problems because of such attitudes. For example, the risk of having mental health disorders increases; one can suffer from depression, feel lonely or anxious, or be dissatisfied with appearance, which leads to low self-esteem (Libbey et al. 25). Disordered eating and low physical activity can be caused by teasing. Cyberbullying is also observed on YouTube. There are lots of videos that deride overweight individuals. Comments to them often have the same message and even tend to be insulting. As users have an opportunity to upload their own videos, they often tease people they know and suggest losing weight in a rude form. Even people who refer to social media to share their experience related to the weight issues face bullying.
Cyberbullying makes individuals experience menaces and indignity wherever they are. They suffer from stress, lose self-esteem and become depressed. Thus, most victims start emotional eating while seeking for comfort and end up gaining undesired weight. It would be better for them to reduce the time they spend using social media, as then these individuals will face cyberbullying less often. Otherwise, it seems to be their decision to face bullying.
For a long time, overweight was considered to be a health issue but only some time ago it turned out to be a severe problem familiar to many people of different ages. The main reason they gain undesired weight occurs to be junk food. The companies that promote such nourishment use aggressive marketing to make people buy their products. The most horrible thing is that they are targeted at children. Frequent eating of large amounts of food causes problems with the level of leptin, triggers binge eating and increases the risk of obesity. Excessive use of social media can underlie this process, as it makes people deal with cyberbullying in some cases. Feeling depressed and having low self-esteem they tend to start comfort eating, which influences the level of leptin. As in the United States more people are overweight than ever before, the battle against obesity becomes more and more important. Social media has played a great role in causing the issue, but it can be also used to cope with it. Obesity Action Coalition allows people to connect them on social media and get involved.
References
Boero, Natalie. Obesity in the Media. Critical Public Health 23.3 (2013): 371-380. Print.
Chou, Sylvia, Abby Prestin, and Stephen Kunath. Obesity in social media. Translational Behavioral Medicine 4.3 (2014): 314-323. Print.
Harris, Janine, Sarah Moreland-Russell, Rachel Tabak, Lindsay Ruhr and Ryan Maler. Communication About Childhood Obesity on Twitter. American Journal of Public Health 104.7 (2014): 62-69. Print.
Koehly, Laura, and Aunchalee Loscalzo. Adolescent Obesity and Social Networks. Preventing Chronic Disease 6.3 (2009): 99-112. Print.
Libbey Heather, Marty Story, Dianne Neumark-Sztainer and Kerri Boutelle. Teasing, Disordered Eating Behaviors, and Psychological Morbidities among Overweight Adolescents. Obesity 16.2(2008): 24-29.
Miller, Rachel, Marian Tanofsky-Kraff, Lauren Shomaker, Sara Field, Louise Hannallah, Samantha Reina, Mira Mooreville, Nicole Sedaka, Sheila Brady, Tania Condarco, James Reynolds, Susan Yanovski and Jack Yanovski. Serum Leptin and Loss of Control Eating in Children and Adolescents. International Journal of Obesity 38.3 (2014): 397-403.
Saguy, Abigail, and Rene Almeling. Fat in the Fire? Science, the News Media, and the Obesity Epidemic. Sociological Forum 23.1 (2008): 53-83.
Sleglova, Veronika, and Alena Cerna. Cyberbullying in Adolescent Victims: Perception and Coping. Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace 5.2 (2011): 5-16.
