Perspective - (2022) Volume 12, Issue 5
Received: 03-May-2022, Manuscript No. JMCJ-22-67900;
Editor assigned: 06-May-2022, Pre QC No. P-67900;
Reviewed: 17-May-2022, QC No. Q-67900;
Revised: 23-May-2022, Manuscript No. R-67900;
Published:
30-May-2022
, DOI: 10.37421/2165-7912.2022.12.463
Citation: Agrawal, Rashmi. "An Overview of Social Media." J Mass
Communicat Journalism 12 (2022): 463.
Copyright: © 2022 Agrawal R. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
The creation and exchange of information, ideas, interests, and other kinds of expression through online communities and networks is made possible by social media, which are interactive digital channels. Although there are difficulties with the definition of social media because there are so many standalone and integrated social media services now, there are certain common characteristics [1]:
1. Social media are Web 2.0 Internet-based interactive apps.
2. The lifeblood of social media is user-created content, which includes written postings or comments, digital photographs or videos, and data generated through all online interactions.
3. Users build profiles for the website or app that are particular to the service and are created, updated, and managed by the social media company.
4. By linking a user's profile with those of other people or groups, social media aids in the growth of online social networks.
When referring to media, the word "social" implies that platforms are usercentric and encourage social interaction. Social media can therefore be seen as an online facilitator or enhancer of human networks-networks of people that improve social connection.
In addition, social media is used to create memories, discover new things, promote oneself, make friends, and cultivate ideas through the production of blogs, podcasts, films, and gaming websites. The burgeoning subject of technological self-studies is focused on this evolving link between humans and technology. With more than 100 million active users, some of the most wellknown social media platforms are Facebook (and its companion Facebook Messenger), TikTok, WeChat, Instagram, QZone, Weibo, Twitter, Tumblr, Baidu Tieba, and LinkedIn. YouTube, QQ, Quora, Telegram, WhatsApp, Signal, LINE, Snapchat, Pinterest, Viber, Reddit, Discord, VK, Microsoft Teams, and more are examples of well-known websites that are occasionally referred to as social media services, depending on the context. Examples of collaborative content development include wikis. Typically, users access social media services using web-based desktop applications or by downloading apps for their mobile devices (e.g., smartphones and tablets). Users of these electronic services create highly interactive platforms as they interact with them, allowing for the sharing, co-creation, discussion, participation, and modification of usergenerated or self-curated information that is published online by individuals, communities, and organisations [2].
Traditional media (such as print periodicals and newspapers, television, and radio broadcasts) and social media channels are different in many respects, including quality, reach, frequency, usability, relevancy, and permanence. Additionally, although traditional media outlets work under a monologic transmission paradigm, social media outlets operate in a dialogic transmission system, i.e., many sources to many receivers (i.e., one source to many receivers). For instance, a radio station plays the same shows to a city's worth of listeners, and a newspaper is delivered to a large number of subscribers. Using social media has a wide spectrum of both beneficial and bad effects, according to observers. Social media can make people feel more connected to offline and online communities and can be a powerful marketing and communication tool for businesses, entrepreneurs, non-profits, advocacy groups, political parties, and governments. In times of political turmoil, social movements are increasingly adopting social media as a tool for organising and communication, according to observers [3].
History of social media
Following its creation at the University of Illinois and subsequent commercial marketing by Control Data Corporation, the PLATO system was introduced in 1960. It provided early versions of social media features like Talkomatic, possibly the first online chat room, TERM-talk, Notes, PLATO's message-forum application, News Report, a crowdsourced online newspaper, blog, and Access Lists, which let the owner of a note file or other application restrict access to a specific set of users, like only friends, classmates, or coworkers.
Social media's emergence and growth were assisted by digital imagery and semiconductor image sensor technology. The invention of the NMOS (n-type MOS) active-pixel sensor (APS) at Olympus in 1985, was made possible by advancements in the production of metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) semiconductor devices, which decreased to micron and then submicron levels during the 1980’s and 1990’s and later, in 1993, at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), the complementary MOS (CMOS) active-pixel sensor (CMOS sensor). Digital cameras and camera phones became widely available thanks to CMOS sensors, which accelerated the development of social media [4].
Social media marketing
Social media marketing refers to the use of social media websites and platforms to advertise a good or service as well as to engage with potential clients. The rise in active user rates on social media websites has led to an increase in social media marketing. Nevertheless, these figures are not exponential. As of 2018, for instance, Instagram had 800 million users, Twitter had 330 million active users, and Facebook had 2.2 billion members. Then, in 2021, Twitter had 206 million users and Facebook had 2.89 billion. The three categories of sponsored media, earned media, and owned media can be used to categorise all forms of social media marketing, just like traditional advertising. In paid social media, a business directly purchases advertising space on a social media network. Earned social media occurs when a business does something that makes its clients or other stakeholders happy and they impulsively share their own content on social media about it. Owned social media refers to a situation in which a business owns a social media platform and produces content for its followers.
One of the key uses is engaging audiences in conversation to raise awareness of the business or organisation. The main goal is to establish a two-way communication system where the audience and/or customers may converse, for example, by giving feedback on the things the company sells. But because social media enables users to communicate with one another and share thoughts and experiences, some power has shifted from the company to the user because these communications can be open and sincere [3-5].
Social media may also be used for direct marketing; for example, running an advertisement on Facebook's Newsfeed can provide the brand widespread exposure. Advertising on social media networks can also target particular audiences. Social media users can then "like," "share," and "comment" on the advertisement, turning them from passive consumers of advertising into active producers of advertising since they can spread the message of the advertisement to their friends. Businesses that use social media marketing must stay current with the various social media platforms as well as current trends. Internet celebrities known as "influencers" on social media, social media personalities are paid by or sponsored by businesses to advertise their goods online. According to research, digital endorsements are effective at drawing social media users, particularly younger customers who have grown up using technology.
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