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Social Media in China

We are in week 11 and sadly this is the last post for the unit.  This week we discussed the topic ‘social media in China’.  This is a very interesting topic as unlike the Western World, China restricts and controls their citizens’ access to the internet.  They have two main ways to censor the internet, the Great Firewall as the foreigners called it, by blocking a list of foreign websites and particular terms / keywords when they are used in the search engines (The Economist 2013).

Expatree 2012

The Chinese Government and private companies hire around 100,000 people to monitor the China's internet around the clock. The main reason for the censorship is to prevent the internet from being used to organise real-world political activity such as demonstration and riots.

China is the world’s largest social-media market (Chiu et al 2012).  In 2015, China had about 630 million Internet users, spending an average 25 hours a week on the internet (MSB 2015) and the figure is growing.  Social Media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are restricted in China, as a result home grown social media platforms were developed.  The Chinese internet users participate in blogs, social networking sites, microblogs and other online forums. 

Here are some of the most popular Chinese social media sites (Fang 2016):

Icon.Inc 2016

WeChat - a mobile app, is possibly the biggest hub for communication in China. It is similar to Facebook Messenger.

RenRen - "Chinese version of Facebook"

Weibo – similar to Twitter, sharing personal opinion

Youku Tudou - similar to YouTube but contains less self-produced content and more professionally created ones

DianPing – similar to the "Yelp of China"; a website and app for crowdsourcing reviews on established businesses such as restaurants

DouBan – it is social media site for users to discuss books, movies, music, and events

The popular use of social media sites has led to companies developing more advanced tools than the West (Chiu et al 2012).  An example is the ability for Chinese internet users to embed multimedia content in social media more than 18 months before Twitter users could in the United States.

For foreign companies operating in China, social media gives them more opportunities to engage with their customers.  A survey also showed that most shoppers make a purchase after hearing good reviews from family and friends on social media sites.

Reference

Chiu, C, Ip, C & Silverman, A 2012, Understanding social media in China, McKinsey & Co, viewed 2 February 2017, <http://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/marketing-and-sales/our-insights/understanding-social-media-in-china>

Expatree 2012, President Xi defends the Great Firewall of China [Image], Expatree, viewed 2 February 2017, <http://www.expatree.com/blog/president-xi-defends-the-great-firewall-of-china_273>

Fang, A 2016, 6 Chinese Social Media Sites You Should Know About, TutorMing Chinese for Business Blog, viewed 2 February 2017, < http://blog.tutorming.com/business/chinese-social-media-sites>

Icon, Inc. 2016, Introduction to China’s social media landscape [Image], viewed 2 February 2017, < http://iconpr.com.au/blog/detail/introduction-to-chinas-social-media-landscape>

The Economist 2013, How does China censor the internet?, The Economist, viewed 2 February 2017, <http://www.economist.com/blogs/economist-explains/2013/04/economist-explains-how-china-censors-internet>

Verot, O 2015, The Top 5 Chinese Social Media Networks You Need to Know, Windmills Marketing, <https://maximizesocialbusiness.com/top-5-social-media-networks-china-2015-17447/>

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Social Gaming

We are into week 10 and the topic is ‘social gaming’, something that is unfamiliar to me.  So let’s start by defining what ‘social gaming’ means, it is the activity or practice of playing an online game on a social media platform: ‘social gaming, with its emphasis on friends and community, is seeing tremendous growth’ (Oxford 2017).

I do not play any online games even though I have tried Candy Crush and Virtual Families a few years ago.  I have never participated in any online games involving other players and I simply do not understand why so many people would spend a significant amount of their times behind computers ‘wasted’ on this activity, but then I guess others could say the same thing about me spending too much time at the gym, oh yes I believe this is called ‘addiction’.

Pinterest 2017

What makes social game so addictive? 

According to Natasha Schüll, a cultural anthropologist and associate professor in MIT, designers use the same principles as slot machines - gamers always want to return and hit the button one more time.  “Games and social media sites are solitary, continuous, and rapid,” explains Schüll. “It’s just you and the machine. No one else is there to interrupt your experience. And you set the pace and go as fast as you wish.” (MIT 2017).

Gamers also love their rewards and it is the unpredictably rewards that keep the gamers logged in.

Walayatfamily.com 2012

Online Psychology Degrees n.d.

Online Psychology Degrees n.d.

What are the Signs of Video Game addiction problem?

When you sacrifice much of your personal time in real life for virtual games, it is time to consider changing your behaviour.

Symptoms of Video Game addiction (PsychGuides.com 2016)

·         Feelings of irritability when you are unable to play      

·         Frequent thoughts of previous game      

·         Anticipation of next online game      

·         Lying about the amount of time spent playing to family and friends    

·         Isolation from others in order to spend more time gaming      

·         Fatigue or migraines      

·         Poor personal hygiene

Negative aspect of social gaming

·          Personal relationship being neglected      

·         Lack of social interaction in real life      

·         Long hours of playing can cause sleeplessness and health issues  

·         Some online games teach wrong values      

·         Games can confuse reality and fantasy

Positive aspect of social gaming

·         Planning and resource management      

·         Improve multi-tasking ability      

·         Quick thinking, making fast analysis and decisions      

·         Problem solving and logic      

·         Perseverance – you keep trying until you get to the next level      

·         Awareness, memory and concentration          

Reference

MIT 2017, How do people become addicted to online games and social networking sites?, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, viewed 29 January 2017, < http://engineering.mit.edu/ask/how-do-people-become-addicted-online-games-and-social-networking-sites>

Online Psychology Degrees n.d., The Science Behind Mobile Gaming Addiction [Images], Online Psychology Degrees, viewed 31 January 2017, < http://www.online-psychology-degrees.org/mobile-gaming-addiction/ >

Oxford 2017, Definition of social gaming in English, Oxford University Press, viewed 28 January 2017, < https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/social_gaming>

Pinterest 2017, Gaming (Browser, Mobile, Social) [Image], Pinterest, viewed 28 January 2017, <https://au.pinterest.com/kissala/gaming-browser-mobile-social/>

PsychGuides.com 2016, Video Game Addiction Symptoms, Causes and Effects, PsychGuides.com, 30 January 2017, < http://www.psychguides.com/guides/video-game-addiction-symptoms-causes-and-effects/ >

Walayatfamily.com 2012, Addicted to Online Games Boxing Day 3am [Image], Walayatfamily.com, viewed 30 January 2017, < http://walayatfamily.com/>

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Visual Communities and Social Imaging

This week we discuss visual communities, what it means and why the use of videos and photographs are so important to our social media platforms in recent years.

Let’s start by explaining what ‘visual communication’ mean.  Visual Communication is defined as “The expression of ideas and information using visual forms or aids” (Business Dictionary 2017).  Visual Communities are communities who use visual forms or aids to converse and connect to others via social media platforms.

With the development of technology such as mobile phones, users can easily access to the internet and connect to family and friends by uploading photos and videos via the camera application on their mobile phones, rather than typing a lengthy text behind their computers and using a keyboard.

The most popular social media platforms which allow users to provide visual forms include:

- Facebook

- Instagram

- Twitter

- Snapchat

Snapchat is the one of the most popular choice amongst teenagers to share videos and photographs with friends and the public.

Seel n.d.

It is an image messaging which was created by Evan Spiegel, Bobby Murphy, and Reggie Brown, former students at Stanford University in 2011.   This application is easily accessible by mobile phone download and the core functionality is sending temporary photos or videos to your targeted audience.  Photo snaps can be viewed for a specified length of time before they become inaccessible.

Constine 2017

With the shifting trend of technology users engaging in visual forms in social network platforms, businesses are now incorporating photos and videos into their marketing strategy to attract attention to a large audience. 

In 2012, a study by ROI Research found that it is the photos that the users enjoyed the most with their friends on social media sites and 40% of the respondents are more likely to engage with brands if they post pictures than any other media (Walter 2012).

I am a regular user of Facebook and Instagram.  I often post photos of our family’s outings, including beautiful sceneries, photos of fine dining experience with critics, events and product awareness. 

The usage of photos and videos makes it much easier for users to express ideas and thoughts.  In a number of occasions, I have used photos as evidence to support my claim of poor quality products provided by suppliers.  This is the most effective way to prove my case as opposed to typing a lengthy claim.

In summary, visual forms have become a phenomenal trend in communicating to our targeted audiences as internet is easily accessible on mobile phones which have camera functionality for photo/video upload.  It is a convenient and effective way to connect to our community and can reach a large group of audience instantly with the touch of your fingers.

Reference:

Business Dictionary 2017, Visual Communication, WebFinance Inc., viewed 20 January 2017 <http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/visual-communication.html>

Constine, J 2013, Reverse Engineering Snapchat’s Size Is Impossible…But Here Goes [Image], AOI Inc., viewed 20 January 2017 < https://techcrunch.com/2013/11/19/how-many-users-does-snapchat-have/>

Seel, Tony n.d., Snapchat: 12 Marketing Tips [Image], Tony Seel Online Marketing Solutions , viewed 20 January 2017, < http://www.tonyseel.com/12-snapchat-tips/>

Walter, E 2012, The Rise of Visual Social Media, Fast Company, viewed 20 January 2017, <https://www.fastcompany.com/3000794/rise-visual-social-media>

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Interesting article about crowdsourcing mapping

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Crowdsourcing in time of crisis

This week we look at crowdsourcing in time of crisis.  So what exactly is crowdsourcing?  Crowdsourcing is the practice of obtaining information or input into a task or project by enlisting the services of a large number of people, either paid or unpaid, via the Internet (Oxford Dictionaries 2017).  Some of the common goals include innovation, problem solving, efficiency or sharing information.  It is supported by new technologies, social media and the internet.

 Fireband 2017

Crowdsourcing can take place on many different levels and across various industries. Our growing connectivity makes it easier for individuals to contribute, share ideas, information, expertise or funds for a project or cause.

Crowdsourcing can provide organisations and groups with access to new ideas and solutions, deeper engagement, and new business opportunities.

Crowdsourcing is often used during emergency crisis such as Japan Earthquake in 2012, South East Queensland floods in 2011 and Haiti Earthquake in 2010.

Britannica 2017

In January 2010, Haiti was struck by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake with more than 230,000 people died and some of the most popular areas in Haiti were severely damaged (USIP 2010).  An extensive search and rescue missions were immediately launched as a result. 

As local emergency response services were inoperable as a result of the earthquake but 70–80 % of cell-towers were quickly restored, people with a mobile phone in Haiti quickly connected – texting, calling and connecting via social media.  A number of people came together quickly to establish an SMS-based reporting service within Haiti called ‘Mission 4636’, gathering and disseminating missing person data, reaching people via text messaging (Munro 2013).

Miss Quinn 2017

 The benefits of crowdsourcing include:

-          using the power of the Internet and social media to "virtually" bring together in crisis management

-          great way to engage the community and to gather the accurate real-time information from the ground

-          health professionals use crowdsourcing as a method for predicting and monitoring infectious disease outbreaks

The limitations of crowdsourcing are:

-          Credible information

-          too much information causes confusion

-          verification of data may be a difficult task

The increased use of crowdsourcing platforms and the development of crowdsourcing help common people to become more informed citizens.

References:

Britannica 2017, Haiti earthquake of 2010 [Image], Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc., viewed 15 January 2017 <https://www.britannica.com/event/Haiti-earthquake-of-2010>

Firebrand 2017, Brands: Why are you crowdsourcing your own PR crisis? [Image], Firebrand Talent, viewed 15 January 2017 <http://blog.firebrandtalent.com/2016/05/brands-why-are-you-crowdsourcing-your-own-pr-crisis/>

Miss Quinn 2017, Browsing Y11 Natural Hazards - Y11 Haiti Quake [Image], Miss Quinn, viewed 15 January 2017 <http://www.missquinn.co.uk/?cat=5>

Munroe, R 2017, Crowdsourcing and the crisis-affected community - Lessons learned and looking forward from Mission 4636, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, viewed 15 January 2017 <http://www.robertmunro.com/research/Mission_4636_Haiti_2010_SMS.pdf>

Oxford Dictionaries 2017, Definition of crowdsourcing in English, Oxford University Press, viewed 15 January 2017 <https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/crowdsourcing>

USIP 2010, Crowdsourcing Crisis Information in Disaster- Affected Haiti, United States Institute of Peace, viewed 15 January 2017 <http://preparecenter.org/sites/default/files/crowdsourcing_crisis_information_in_disaster-affected_haiti.pdf>

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Trolling and Social Media Conflict

Trolling is defined as ‘a person or group that attempts to disrupt others while they are online. Trolls have been around since the 1980s when Internet bulletin boards were first being used’ (Reference 2017).  They have the intent to provoke readers into an emotional response. 

Some of the common behaviour of trolling includes posting offensive comments in response to a post or article, disregard of others’ feelings, stalking and harassment.

The Conversation 2017 

Trollers predominantly participate in online discussion forums and social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and blogs.  They find pleasure in harassing others online and defenders often find themselves in emotional state by responding to their trolls.  Amongst the internet users are teenagers who do not realise the impact of their comments on others posted on the social networking sites.

The personality of a troller includes (The Conversation 2017):

•  Machiavellianism – willingness to manipulate and deceive others

•  narcissism – grandiosity and entitlement

•  psychopathy – lacking remorse and empathy

•  sadism – taking pleasure in the suffering of others

A 2013 survey published by Ditch the Label showed that approximately 37% of the correspondents claimed that they had encountered cyberbullying/trolling in their lifetime (The Circular 2017).

Trolling can play a significant impact on the targeted victims, such as depression, self-esteem issues, drug and alcohol abuse, paranoia and even suicide.

Daily Mail 2017

Daily Mail 2017

There are laws that regulate trolls.  The Criminal Code Part 10.6 regulates internet services, as well as using a carriage service to menace, harass or cause an offence to the reasonable person as stated in Part 10.6, Division 474.17(1) (Findlaw Australia 2017).

There are laws at state level to prohibit offensive online behaviour, such as Queensland’s Criminal Code, as well as the Crimes Act in both New South Wales and Victoria (Findlaw Australia 2017).   Other options include filing a police report or seek legal advice. 

Some of the high profile cases of trollers being jailed are (BBC News 2017):

•  Natasha MacBryde - Sean Duffy was jailed for 18 weeks for posts on social networking sites about the 15-year-old after she took her own life

•  Hayley Bates - MP Karen Bradley raised trolling in Parliament after a Facebook page was set up mocking the 17-year-old's death in a car crash

•  Jade Goody - Colm Coss was jailed for 18 weeks after posting obscene messages on Facebook sites set up in memory of the Big Brother star and several other dead people

Reference:

BBC News 2017, Trolling: Who does it and why?, BBC, viewed 10 January 2017, <http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-14898564>

Daily Mail 2012, 'Can you kill yourself already?' The vile online messages from internet trolls 'that led girl, 16, to hang herself' [Image], Daily Mail, viewed 10 January 2017, <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2246896/Jessica-Laney-16-committed-suicide-internet-trolls-taunted-told-kill-herself.html>

Findlaw Australia 2017, Internet Trolls can be Prosecuted Under Australian Law, 2017 Thomson Reuters (Professional) Australia Limited, viewed 8 January 2017, <http://www.findlaw.com.au/articles/4259/internet-trolls-can-be-prosecuted-under-australian.aspx>

Reference 2017, What is an Internet Troll?, IAC Publishing, LLC, viewed 10 January 2017, <https://www.reference.com/technology/internet-troll-fcb78edbd3631fad#>

The Circular 2017, The Dangerous Consequences Of Cyberbullying and Trolling, The Circular, viewed 10 January 2017, <http://thecircular.org/the-dangerous-consequences-of-cyberbullying-and-trolling/>

The Conversation 2017, Personality differences: trolls and cyberstalkers aren’t the same [Image], The Conversation Media Group Ltd, viewed 9 January 2017, <http://theconversation.com/personality-differences-trolls-and-cyberstalkers-arent-the-same-23309>

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When clicking counts: In defense of slacktivism and clicktivism

Online activism is — and has always been — a means to an end, just like phone calls, handwritten letters, and in-district meetings. Online petitions can have extraordinary reach to alert and activate tens of thousands of people around the world (or in the case of our current Thrive campaign, hundreds of thousands). A petition alone — as with any action by itself — cannot sustain a campaign or is unlikely to create change. But coupled with offline actions, media and grassroots activism, a petition can bring new voices into a campaign and help push direct action. And they are incredibly easy to share with others, so they can get passed around quickly and efficiently.

http://www.one.org/us/2012/05/03/when-clicking-counts-in-defense-of-slacktivism-and-clicktivism/

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Activism and Protest

Social media is a powerful tool to use to increase awareness to a cause, to raise funds for campaigns, to influence others to action and to make a change. 

Internet accessibility and the ability to communicate to a large scale of audience without the geographical and time constraints have led to many activists using digital platform as their choice to spread messages instantly across the globe (Reset 2017).

In 2010, protests and civil war broke out in the Middle East, and social media played an important role in global awareness named the Arab Spring, which was the beginning of social media being used for activism (ABC News 2016).

Activist groups use social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and blogs to spread their messages.

An example of an activist movement is ‘Black lives Matter’. 

Black Lives Matter 2017

This campaign was sparked 2012 when a young man named Trayvon Martin, aged 17 was fatally shot by George Zimmerman, as a result of an altercation between these men when Martin was on his way to a convenience store to buy sweets.  Initially, police did not charge Zimmerman but after public outcry, Zimmerman was charged but later was acquitted of murdering Martin.  The unfair dismissal of Zimmerman’s charges sparked this movement.

ABC News 2016

What Does #BlackLivesMatter Mean?

Black Lives Matter 2017

Change.org is a petition website which posts regular petitions on their website, Facebook and other digital platforms.  Any activist can start a petition via Change.org by filling out a few simple questions (change.org 2017).  I, like many others, regularly ‘like’ petitions that are posted on Facebook, and may sometimes participate in petitions but beyond these, I do not take any further action to participate in the campaign.

Change.org 2017

Clicking ‘like’ on someone’s posts requires less effort than signing the petitions, therefore has been criticised and defined this act of activism as ‘clicktivism’.  It is non-committal and it is a response to something encountered online rather than an act like marching or protesting and therefore considered to be meaningless.  However, others may argue that clicktivism is an effective way to raise awareness for international campaigns as it can reach global audience instantly.  It is simple to understand and is effortless, resulting many to ‘like’ their campaigns. Using Change.org.uk as an example, says that out of the 1500 petitions started in the UK every month, almost 800 have achieved their outcomes  (Cross-Pollinate 2017).  

Culture Jamming is defined as an intriguing form of political communication that has emerged in response to the commercial isolation of public life (University of Washington 2017).  Culture jams refigure logos, fashion statements, and product images to expose the real messages behind the advertisements. 

Jammers voice their opinions by hacking the advertisements as their mean of communication back to the corporate advertisers.

So Bad So Good 2017

So Bad So Good 2017

Culture jamming provides the opportunity for jammers to expose issues such as labour being exploited during production in factories, portrayal of women in advertising, misleading information etc, in order to disrupt corporate power and make a better society for all.

Reference:

ABC News 2016, Protestors march in the Leimert Park area of Los Angeles after the George Zimmerman verdict on July 13, 2013 [Photo], Timeline: The Black Lives Matter movement, ABC News, viewed 3 January 2017, <http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-07-14/black-lives-matter-timeline/7585856>

Black Lives Matter 2017, Black Lives Matter [Image], About the Black Lives Matter Network, Black Lives Matter, viewed 3 January 2017, <http://blacklivesmatter.com/about/>

Black Lives Matter 2017, What does #BlackLivesMatter Mean? [Image], About the Black Lives Matter Network, Black Lives Matter, viewed 3 January 2017, <http://blacklivesmatter.com/about/>

Change.org 2017, Adoption Law Reform #its time SA [Image], End Discrimination : Legalise Adoption for Same Sex Couples In South Australia, change.org, viewed 3 January 2017, < https://www.change.org/p/hon-jay-weatherill-end-discrimination-legalise-adoption-for-same-sex-couples-in-south-australia>

Change.org 2017, Start a petition, Change.org, viewed 4 January 2017, <https://www.change.org/start-a-petition?step=ask>

Cross-Pollinate 2017, Clicktivism Interview: Advantages and Pitfalls of Social Media Activism, Cross-Pollinate, viewed 4 January 2017, < http://crosspollinatesolutions.com/2014/10/07/clicktivism-interview-advantages-and-pitfalls/>

Reset 2017, Digital and Online Activism, Reset, viewed 3 January 2017, < https://en.reset.org/knowledge/digital-and-online-activism>

So Bad So Good 2017, 20 Brilliant Examples of Culture Jamming, So Bad So Good Pty Ltd, viewed 4 January 2017, < http://sobadsogood.com/2012/07/22/22-brilliant-examples-of-culture-jamming/>

Washington University 2017, Culture Jamming, Washington University, viewed 5 January 2017, < https://depts.washington.edu/ccce/polcommcampaigns/CultureJamming.htm>

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Digital citizenship 1 - Politics and civic cultures

The use of social media has changed the ways politicians run their campaigns, increase their profiles and be more accessible to voters.  In 2008, President Obama gathered a large number of young adult votes by engaging with them on Facebook and Twitter. Other candidates have since adopted similar social media strategies (Belbey 2016).

I personally do not follow any politicians via social media but I do follow a number of media channels such as CNN, ABC News, SBS News and Nine News just to name a few, who regularly post updates leading up to and/or during elections. 

Politicians came to the realisation of the power of social media and use platforms such as Facebook and Twitter as their means of having direct interactions to voters (Members' Research Service 2014).  They often hire media/public relation personnel(s) to manage the flow of communication and monitor feedback from voters.  In addition, social media is used to test on how the public responds to an issue or controversy, then adjust their campaigns to win more votes, in real time, without incurring a high costs for polling.

 Source:  #ausvotes, Twitter

Social media can reach to millions of people instantly without incurring any cost, but having direct contacts with voters can have it downfall and be a public relation disaster.  Allowing a politician to send out unfiltered tweets or Facebook posts may land a candidate in embarrassing situations.

One reason social media is effective is that it engages younger voters.  Like thinking voters can share politician posts on Facebook and retweet on Twitter, expanding targeted audience.

Social media has given everyone the opportunity to be a publisher, however the information provided by contributors may often be bias or simply not true.  The volume of information sometimes may cause confusion and followers may find it hard to determine facts versus propaganda (Trounson 2016).  

Another negative aspect of Social media is activists can easily join together to petition the government and/or their elected officials, influencing lobbyists and special interest groups.  It can either easily promote or destroy the reputation of a politician overnight. 

Social media allows the politician’s posts and messages to be tailored according to their agenda and specific target, which means one message may be suitable for audience under the age of 30 but may not be suitable for audience over 30+.

Social media is accessible 24/7 which requires regular updates to engage to the audience. Without regular updates, followers become disengaged and unfollow as a result.  This form of digital communication is immediate and the most effective way in reaching a large audience at no cost. 

References:

Belbey, Joanne 2016, The Three Golden Rules of Social Media in Political Campaigns, Mad Marketer, viewed 10 December 2016 < http://www.madmarketer.com/topics/news/articles/416950-three-golden-rules-social-media-political-campaigns.htm>

Harley, J (@JonathanHarley), Introducing the #ausvotes Twitter emoji, 2016 Twitter, Inc., viewed 9 December 2016 <https://blog.twitter.com/2016/introducing-the-ausvotes-twitter-emoji>

Members' Research Service 2014, The role played by social media in political participation and electoral campaigns, European Parliamentary Research Service Blog, viewed 8 December 2016 https://epthinktank.eu/2014/02/12/the-role-played-by-social-media-in-political-participation-and-electoral-campaigns/>

Nielsen 2016, Q4 2015 Local Watch Report: Where You Live and its Impact on Your Choices, The Neilsen Company (US), LLC, viewed 10 Dec 2016 <http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/reports/2016/january-2016-local-watch-report-where-you-live-and-its-impact-on-your-choices.html>

Trounson, A 2016, Social media politics: for and against - Social media has brought unprecedented access and power to ordinary citizens but is it improving the political discourse – or making it worse?, The University of Melbourne, viewed 9 December 2016 < https://pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/articles/social-media-politics-for-and-against>

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Digital Communities - The Power of Social Media

Thank you for visiting my blog.  The aim of this blog is to share weekly learnings from the key concepts of ‘Digital Communities’, with fellow students at Swinburne Online.

Allow me to recap on what we have learnt in the last 3 weeks.

Social media, a phenomenon that is slowly taking over our lives, is transforming the way we live, work and socialise.   Most of us spent hours of our free time per week on social media sites, checking out the latest fashion, learning on how to do certain things or finding out the latest gossips on celebrities.  The digital era is so powerful that more and more businesses are going online to increase brand awareness and market share.  It is the future of communication. 

Some of the terminologies that we will be using throughout this unit are:

·        Digital community - a network of people who communicate online with one another by sharing ideas, experiences, product recommendations and feedback just to name a few. 

·         Virtual Community or online community is a group of people sharing common interests, ideas and feelings over the Internet or other collaborative networks (Wren 2006).

·         Smart Mob is a group of people whose co-ordination and communication activities have been enhanced by digital communication technologies.

·         Networked Publics are publics that are restructured by networked technologies (Boyd 2010).  They connect people beyond their close friends and family for social, cultural, and civic purposes.

·         Digital Society - The increasing use of modern network technologies is changing people‘s daily social and economic lives which allows society to engage interactively in digital spaces (Dapp 2011).

When referring to social media and social network, many people think they are the same thing, in fact they are different.  Social media is a tool that people use to share information, collaborate and build relationship (Schauer 2015), whereas the purpose of social network is to generate revenue. It is the platform for users to publish information which includes everything from marketing to counter-terrorism to cancer research.  Information provided on social network seem to be more factual and social media are more of a gossip nature and contains personal opinions.  

Ferdinand Tonnies, a German sociologist divided the social theory into two categories:  Gemeinschaft ‘Community’ and Gesellschaft ‘Society’.  Ferdinand defined Community as a group of people that shared common bonds around traditions, beliefs, or objectives and actively worked together to maintain their bond and achieve their goals.  In Society, relationships tend to be informal and impersonal, acting in the interest of efficiency or other economic and political considerations (study.com 2016).

As social media is available 24x 7 and can be easily accessed via handheld devices, some argues that this technology has negative influences on human connection.  However, there are also many benefits of social media which include brand awareness, attracting customers, increasing revenue, networking, empowerment, and building relationships with communities.  Examples of social media tools include:

·         Facebook

·         Twitter

·         Instagram

·         MySpace

·         Reddit

·         YouTube

·         Snapchat

People use different social media platforms for different purposes but there is no denial that digital technology has allowed people to be connected regardless of time, religion, beliefs, values, cultural differences and other boundaries.  It is the new way of communication.

References

Boyd, D 2010, Social Network Sites as Networked Publics: Affordances, Dynamics, and Implications, viewed 3 December 2016 <http://www.danah.org/papers/2010/SNSasNetworkedPublics.pdf>

Dapp, TF 2011, The digital society - New ways to more transparency, participation and innovation, Deutsche Bank Research, viewed 3 December 2016 <https://www.dbresearch.com/PROD/DBR_INTERNET_EN-PROD/PROD0000000000276332.pdf>

Schauer, P 2015, 5 Biggest Differences between Social Media and Social Networking, Social Media Today, viewed 3 December 2016 <http://www.socialmediatoday.com/social-business/peteschauer/2015-06-28/5-biggest-differences-between-social-media-and-social>

Study.com 2016, Ferdinand Tonnies Theory: Overview & Explanation, Study.com, viewed 3 December 2016 <http://study.com/academy/lesson/ferdinand-tonnies-theory-lesson-quiz.html>

Wren, S 2006, Virtual Community, TechTarget, viewed 3 December 2016 <http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/virtual-community>