Social Media is computer based technology that facilitates the user’s creation of sharing or exchange of information, interests, careers, ideas, and through virtually or by networks. The users share, create content and participate in social networking websites and applications. It is also a internet based so that it gives users quick electronic communication of content. Usually every user’s access social media services through applications on desktops, laptops, mobile phones or download that offer social media. People engage with these electronic services as they create highly interactive platforms through which individuals groups organizations share user-generated content or self- curated content posts online. Besides people use social media to record memories; learn and explore about things; advertise anything and also build or develop new friendships as well as creating or innovating new ideas, videos, photos, podcasts. A number of social media websites/ apps have over a 100 million registered users which include Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Tumblr, Linkedin, Whatsapp, Messenger, Pintrest etc. Since past years, social media has been addictive to majority of the people. Checking and scrolling through social media has been an increasingly popular activity. It is a behavioral addiction, as users get too concerned about logging in or using social media to give more time and effort to it and reduces other important life areas. Addictive social media is more likely seen in mood changes as decrease in engagement, less likes or comments would lead to frustration. Physical, emotional symptoms, conflicts and maybe reverting back instantly or being impatient etc. Social media tools can be used for various things like marketing research, communication, discount, promotion, sales, organizational/relationship development and e-commerce. It sometimes becomes a good source of information to various industries and to embrace changes and new trends.The idea of social media known for the ability to bring people together connect them in this huge world with different kind of technologies that we had traditionally like telegraph and telephone today everyone is just one call/ message away from each other and not miles. Few types of social media are like Blogs, Business networks, Collabrative projects, Social networking, Forum, Microblogs, Photos and videos posting, products/service review, social gaming, influencer marketing etc. Social Media (Advantages and Disadvantages).
Let’s see some advantages and disadvantages of social media:
#1. Advantages of social media:
1. Brand Awareness:
Good for brand awareness as it grabs the attention of potential customers and also increase brand visibility.
2. Brand Reputation:
Increases brand reputation as it improves your business and seen by your audience.
3. Cost Effective:
It is cost effective as it is cheaper than traditional advertising. Cost of maintaining social media is minimal. It is also flexible as it allows you a more or less budget as you require.
4. Website Traffic:
Helps you enhance your website traffic and helps you also increase your conversion rate such as sales and leads.
5. Help You Track:
You can evaluate and analyze your website traffic. Helps you track how much sales were created due to your paid advertising.
6. Customer Interaction and Feedback:
It also improves your customer interaction and services effectively as we can get feedback by the customers. Wherein positive feedback would help your business to get potential customers and negative would help you to improve things.
7. Target Audience:
Social media helps you in targeting audience as per your preference.
8. Build Relations:
Boosts loyalty and advocacy towards your audience and also helps building relations.
9. Helps During Nobel Cause:
Helps a lot during some noble cause or while spreading help to others need.
10. Gives Lot of Information:
We get a lot of information and update be it be regarding anything important or any television or movie related.
11. Spread Awareness:
Social media helps to spread awareness among everyone.
#2. Some disadvantages of social media:
1. Lack of Emotional Connection:
You cannot know what the others person mood is or what they actually mean, because sometimes body languages speak more than what words say.
2. Toxicity:
There are few toxic people too online as people are covered behind the screens and take advantage of it and they feel that gives them the right to be hurtful to other people.
3. Lack of Face to Face Communication:
It also decreases face-to-face communications, you just cannot convey a message online as good as in person.
4. Misunderstanding:
Sometimes the message gets conveyed in a wrong way even though if it doesn’t mean something rude, it may still sound wrong to the other person.
5. Miscommunication:
It reduces understanding and thoughtfulness between each other. You can’t fully understand the person through social media.
6. Makes you Lazy:
It facilitates laziness, as people will keep staring and scrolling through social media and will reduce their physical activities and also make them introverts as they would prefer staying home and won’t go more of social gatherings.
7. Reduce Family Closeness:
It will also reduce family closeness as young generation would keep chatting or moreover using these social media apps. They will be on their phones rather than spending time with their brother sisters or even mom, dad.
8. Distraction:
Social media also causes a lot of distraction, be it be studying, working, travelling. People start using these apps more than watching television or hanging out with friends, cousins, or family event.
9. Negative Feedback:
Sometimes negative feedback leads to stress, damage reputation etc.
10. Cyber Crime:
Lots of illegal things like illegal hacking, cyber bullying, frauds, scams.
11. Fake Profiles:
Cheating and relationships are also other disadvantages as people may take wrong decisions as sometimes people use fake profiles to trap other people into marrying or dating or any such things.
12. Influences Wrong Things:
Glamorizes drugs and alcohol, as people tend to follow and get influenced very quickly through social media.
Conclusion:
As social media as very vast and complex to many person to person Social media has been taken onto this real world as it been into many people’s life. There are really people who earn through social media. As many users log in to social media profiles, they are also being removed from the real world and placed in virtual dimensions. There is a competition between real world and virtual world for communication as it has reduced a lot of face to face interactions. People need to aware of all the social media scam and hacking that other people misuse as. To continue with the idea of phone addiction we could look more into why people use certain apps and how specific apps make them feel or on why they use.
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