Where Social Media Will Take Us

Remember everything I spoke about in my previous post about the power of Facebook, Twitter, and other social media platforms to help develop modern businesses. It’s evident that Facebook creates opportunities for companies. Social media sites continue to increase sales for companies and widen their networks of connections.  The fact that Facebook hit 1 billion users means businesses have more potential users to appeal to. Customers appreciate how easily accessible information can be found online. The benefits of sharing information online are that it’s quick and easy. This generation wants everything at the tip of their fingers. Social networks are becoming a new kind of virtual currency for companies and corporations. You may ask yourself how much social media will evolve over the years? Companies are behind the eight ball when it comes to adapting to the newest technologies and change. Social media provides companies with power and allows them the opportunity to become market leaders and influencers.

Companies should know the following about social media:

1. They know what their consumers are interested in. They know what you’re interested in buying, selling, and seeing. With a simple "like" on Facebook or "follow" on Twitter companies know what their consumers are looking into.


2. Companies know before they know. They do their best to know things before their consumers know. Companies want to know what the customers thinking of. They are sites like Chango with information about what their prospects and consumers are looking at. This benefits the company because it will lure the potential consumer into their services or products.


3. It’s not who you are it’s what you know! The power of networking will benefit you in the long run because the contacts you gain may help you book an interview or meeting with a potential employer. To measure your online influence, visit Klout and login with your social media accounts. The site will generate a score that measures your influence among the media platforms you are active in. It also has a this cool feature, “pulse”, in which you can keep up to date with the world’s top influencers and see where they stand among the rest.

Here you can see how influential Justin Bieber is compared to our President on social media

These many changes continue to shape how companies and well known corporations such as CBS, NBC, and etc., conduct their business. We live in a social media driven world, embracing change is optional but then again so is survival.

#socialmediaistakingover

A televisions show’s Twitter hashtag or trending topic can make a world of a difference in a show’s presence, especially for a popular show with low ratings that has loyal fans.

If you don’t know Twitter, this is how it works: a trending topic is a word or any group of words put together behind a simple hashtag (#).  Only the ten most tweeted about topics will appear on Twitter's homepage and landing in this spot will create A LOT of attention for the show. 

 You will notice that throughout the day, many topics will move up or down the list depending on current events that continue to occur. It’s amazing how much you can learn about the show without even watching. Like seriously, if I miss my episode of Pretty Little Liars or Catfish I can simply scroll through my timeline on Twitter to catch up. People usually tweet the entire time through the duration of the show. Viewers would tweet about the plot and the climax as it continues to happen. They serve as commentators for the show.

The power of social media NEVER ceases to amaze me day in and day out. Viewers/tweeters have landed shows in the TOP 10 spot. Viewers/tweeters not only serve as a narrator to their fellow followers but also as a passionate promoter of the show. The effect of Twitter leaves other fans curious and eventually tuning in even if it wasn't in their plans to do so. I should know! At times I get frustrated with the million conversations on Twitter and I tune in to find out what the discussion is all about. If not, I’ll be sure to catch a rerun.

During Twitter's early stages, viewers/tweeters would just create a trending topic while watching their favorite shows so their followers would know what they’re talking about. But, now, tweeting about television shows or movies has become second nature to tweeters/viewers. The hashtag movement has become so powerful that even some channels are encouraging viewers to tweet while watching their shows. Channels like ABC, CBS, THE CW, FOX and NBC live-stream their fans tweets during the show and on their website. They even have their own Twitter account so the tweeters can directly mention them through their tweets with a simple (@).

See below for all the television hashtags: #seehowdiscretelytheyplacethem

It’s all about fast information in this generation. The Twitter accounts for television shows have added to the experience with the ability to update fans at all times, anytime with news and information. Just as fast as piece of news is posted to the website/Facebook page, fans can make it part of their tweet. With the power of a tweet fans can be immediately connected with their favorite network and/or television show. Fans show their love with a (#) or (@).   

Twitter has definitely become a new frontier for television shows increasing their audiences and creating anticipation for upcoming episodes or seasons. For instance, True Blood created a hashtag, #waitingsucks as their promotion for their new season premiere. 

#whatdoyouthink?