We all know that the term 'friends' on Facebook has a very different meaning than the dictionary definition of the word, but with technology moving at lightning speed, and human adaptation and utilization of technology following close behind, both groups of 'friends' are now quite relevant and important.
It is clear that most of what is posted by individuals on social media sites is meant to portray that individual in a certain light, and keep up a certain persona. Be it, 'party animal,' 'intelligent and witty bookworm,' 'misunderstood quiet kid,' 'successful business person,' or any other label our hearts may desire, users are in control of the how we come across to others. Through the types of pictures and text posted, as well as interactions with other users, social media consumers are responsible for controlling and manipulating how they will be portrayed and advertising to the world. There is no filter or ‘Facebook god’ (besides our mighty Zukerberg) that will determine if any information posted on the site is a misrepresentation of the truth. Instead, and maybe for the first time, user are fully in control of their own image, and part of the process of branding themselves.
Facebook, Google+, twitter, and Linkedin, simultaneously allow and require their users to communicate efficiently. Whether this is in 140 characters, or through a profile picture, the power is given to the users, but it is up to these individuals to keep other people interested in them and their message. Of course, there is a certain sense of affirmation triggered when receiving a 'like' on Facebook or notification that someone has added you to a circle on Google+, but there is a distance being created here between maintaining an internet persona that others like and respond to, and our 'real world' selves. Particularly for younger users, I believe that the discrepancy between these two facets of life can be difficult to juggle and keep up with, and psychology tells us that this is certainly changing the way younger generations act and think.
From personal experience I estimate that I would probably have no communication whatsoever with about 75% of my social media connections, if it were not for the specific websites that keep us connected. From old college roommates and teammates from years back, to those random acquaintances met at parties or music festivals; social media creates a unique platform, which can not be achieved by anything else in the world. As much as certain interactions on these sites are superficial, or to provide entertainment, when utilized correctly, they can also be harnessed as an amazing tool. Whether this means you are an individual updating old friends on a new company you started, a corporation advertising to millions that you are looking for an intern, or a girl plugging your blog through twitter and facebook (*cough* *cough*), social media sites allow for access and two-way communication between so many people.
Similar to how our 'friendships' on the Internet now work, companies of all kinds are utilizing social media and digital marketing to connect with particular demographics of people. The practice of communicating a company's mission or executing their vision online starts with doing so in a familiar and comfortable platform for the modern consumer, the ever-changing Internet.
For the skeptics of online connection, we can also turn to the success and popularity of online dating sites, which too, give users the freedom to create and maintain a profile and create a similar ‘advertisement’ for themselves that other social media sites call for. Here, the stakes are even higher, with people searching specifically for husbands and wives, instead of networking or making friends, but nevertheless, sites such as e-harmony and match.com have a large number of clients and have achieved a lot of success. Utilizing both the business and communication/ entertainment aspects of social media, online dating sites have created a business around connecting individuals together, and doing so for profit.
Whether online dating can actually help individuals find love and get married is actually a secondary point here. Rather, what needs to be focused on is the fact that millions of dollars are made in this market each year, with a plethora of users seeking these companies out and going to these sites for the specific purpose of finding the ultimate human connection. With people turning on their own to a online resource/ social media tool seeking out love, this shows that humans are not only recognizing the power of the Internet, but embracing it.
Because of the interactions between humans and technology, the speed, ease and type of connections we now possess are completely unique to our time, and ever changing. Relationships now exist that would have been absolutely unheard of just a couple of decades ago, and the overall amount of communication that we send and receive each day has skyrocketed. These new and different relationships between people from all different backgrounds, age groups, and social circles are a result of the Internet and social media revolution, and have given us a new platform, as well as the power to share information with anyone and everyone.
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