All Touching On The Social Media Discussion

March 7, 2010

One definition of the word revolution is a sudden and complete change in something. A famous example, of course, is the American Revolution. Another is the counterculture revolution of the U. S. and much of Europe in the 1960s. Currently, the social media revolution is spreading the most.

Social media has transformed people from content consumers to content producers. How knowledge and information spread has undergone radical change. In the past, we were used to the monologues of broadcast media: one person delivering information to the rest of us. We know this typically in the form of newspaper articles and TV newscasts.

However, because of the new revolution, these familiar norms are being forced to amalgamate themselves with the unfamiliar new. Now called dialogues of social media, not just one person but also many are now the disseminators of information. We now both gather and produce information, which is why we can be called content producers.

Several forms of this are common. One well-known one is ideas or concepts designed to be easily regurgitated so that they are easily repeated often to others. Another form is print media, which is designed to be reproduced to the masses. A third form is the movement at ground level of direct dispersement, including rallies, demonstrations, and public speaking. A fourth is the mass sharing of information from advanced search-capable Internet and mobile devices.

There are some major differences between social media and mass media, also commonly referred to as traditional, broadcast, or industrial media. First, social media is relatively inexpensive and more accessible. Broadcast media usually requires more resources in order to share information. Second, traditional media production usually requires special training, whereas social media usually does not. In essence, the latter can be operated by anyone or adapted to be easily used by anyone.

Third, response time and relevancy are more impacted, whereas, the time lag in social media can be instantaneous. In industrial media it often takes hours or even days. However, it should be taken into account that as industrial media takes on more and more of social media’s tendencies, there might not be such differences much longer.

Fourth, permanence is treated very differently by the two. In mass media, after an article is printed and distributed, it cannot be changed. Corrections, retractions, and apologies may be necessary, but the article is unable to be altered. In social media, however, changes can instantly be made.

Another interesting note is how the two forms of media are similar. Both social and traditional media reach a small or worldwide audience. A blog post or other such type of social media communication can reach no one or everyone. A television news broadcast can reach the exact same range of people.

Where the future of social and traditional media is headed is anyone’s guess. A prevailing opinion is that the two will intertwine and create a media hybrid using basic parameters of each. In fact, in some circles, this hybridization is more than just theory…it’s real.

Whatever the future brings, the social media discussion is not transient. It is here for good, even as its future direction is still not clear. Will hybridization continue evolving? Will mass media, as we know it, continue? Will the social media tool evolve to the point that it engulfs both the traditional and the hybrid? Keep abreast with your local media outlets as we go forward.

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Thanks so much!
Michelle

Posted by Guest Post | Filed Under **Internet**, **Marketing**, **Media**, **Motivate**, **eBusiness**, Advertising, Development, Everything Else, Promotion, Writing