#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?

Unlike Any Other Generation

The Generation Y which is the Millennial Generation consist of those born between 1980-2000. Digital technologies have given rise to a new generation of students and consumers. This generation was spoiled having to grow up with the internet. It definitely shaped their approach to education, work and politics.

Generation Y was born in the digital age unlike other generations who had to relearn everything. The forms of expression have changed immensely, where others may have wrote essays or poems to express themselves to now students creating YouTube videos. For example, have you checked out the new "Harlem Shake" Video Craze? It's the latest craze to sweep the internet that is bringing college students together. Check out the following video made by yours truly, Fairleigh Dickinson University Freshmen: 

We can never underestimate the power of the internet. It’s even evident in the school system! Professors and institutions transformed their learning techniques to cater to the computer-savvy students.  Teachers moved lessons to online discussions to fully engage the new student demographic. The school system designs their lesson plans to cater to the digital generation so they can feel more comfortable as students have radically changed. It’s scary how we're even at this point! Teachers may even feel as though their students are more up to date than they are. The students who are more digitally aware may understand things teachers or professors may not and the professors or teachers will have to play catch up.

As social media changed the way we learn in a classroom it has also changed how students practice activism. Students can freely join a Facebook group supporting a specific political party. According to the Pew Research Center study, 18-24 aged users were the LEAST likely of all ages to e-mail/reach out to a public official or to make a online political donation. But, when it came to using the web to share political news or join political causes, they were the primary age group to do so. They dominated the news feed with political related updates! The digital era isn't genuinely interested in being more politically involved; instead they only wanted to broadcast their “activism” to their fellow “friends” or followers on Facebook, Twitter and etc. The level of involvement we may see on these social media platforms may be deceiving.

Social Media Marketing

Social media plays a huge role in marketing. The several platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Linkined, etc. place such a high value on social media because of the significant role it plays in their business. The top reasons as to why businesses use social media is because: it generates more business exposure, increases traffic for the company, and provides marketplace insight. 

According to a Social Media Marketing Industry Report, the use of social media marketing has increased.

Use of Social Media Marketing

They asked if companies used social media to market their businesses. The overwhelming majority (94%) indicated they were employing social media for marketing purposes.

Social Media takes over!

Social Media is Important for their Business

A significant (83%) of marketers said that social media IS important to their businesses.

There was a drop from 2011 where (90%) thought social media was extremely important where only 62% agreed in 2011.

The solo business owner was more likely to agree with this statement. 

Weekly Time Commitment for Social Media Marketing 

About 59% of marketers are using social media for 6 hours or more and 33% for 11 hours or more weekly. This is such a significant number, don’t you think? Marketers spend so much time on social media it’s even a part of their job description. They must have knowledge on social media platforms and keep up to date with the current trends in their industry.

Social media has become vital in many professions. We can’t even begin to think how we did without it!

Marketers may think they can achieve more benefits by investing more time in social media.

Generation Y Addiction

Do you feel uneasy without your phone? Do you feel uncomfortable when your phone is no longer in network? Do you check your phone to see if it’s vibrating when it’s not? Does it bother you to turn your phone off or on silent?

If you answer yes to the above questions then you may be suffering from Nomophobia- the fear of being out of mobile phone contact. The term is an abbreviation for “no-mobile-phone-phobia.” It’s the plague of the 24/7 online Y-Generation. Your usual stresses such as getting married, going to the dentist, or searching for a job is no longer a source of stress, instead, being out of reach of your phone is. This generation of people are living in fear of being out of mobile contact. They have been so dependent on their mobile, that discovering that it is dying or misplaced sends stress levels soaring. Due to the rise of cellphone usage, psychological disorders have come up amongst the younger generation. It’s even said that students are losing their hearing or hearing false rings due to the high cellphone usage.

I know for one of my classes, my professor suggest that we turn our phone off or switch to silent mode. Honestly, the silent mode makes people uncomfortable NOT knowing if they are receiving a phone call, text message, or e-mail. Even if a ring were to go off, students would look at their phone to see if it was their phone receiving the incoming notification. Is it addiction that has this generation on edge? How long can you go without checking your phone?

Check this interesting chart out:

Not using your phone is one thing but imagine losing your phone! Just the thought of it drives me crazy, how about you? I know when my close friend lost her phone she simply stated, “Oh my god, I lost everything, my phone is my life”. Now that statement is so sad yet so true nowadays.  That’s the moment you realize how big of a role your phone plays in your life. Without it, you feel so removed from the world. With it, you feel so connected.

But, to avoid feeling that void in your life, you might want to walk around with your charger handy. If you were to ask any FDU student if they're carrying their charger, I bet it’s a high chance they’d say yes! This might even be a great question for the survey I plan to conduct later in the semester. Anywho, having a low battery can also be a shocking experience for some. I know some of my friends may post on Facebook or Twitter from their laptop or tablet, “Don’t worry if I don’t answer, my phone is dead/off”.  This is to notify friends to not get tense over the not so immediate response.

I think it’s safe to say that our dependency on technology has more downfalls than advantages. The Y-Generation uses their phones to remember loved ones phone numbers rather than memorizing it as the old days. They even forget about birthdays and anniversaries because they depend on their phone to remind them. Back then, people genuinely remembered numbers and special dates.

A Life Without A Cellphone

A life without a cellphone. Imagine that? I bet you can’t even begin to imagine life without it. But think about a time before cellphones. How did people survive? There was a time only doctors and drug dealers used cell phones until just about 1995. Then an outbreak occurred in which everyone had a cellphone. Simply because it’s convenient! You can call anyone in your phonebook at any given moment. But whose convenience is that, yours or theirs? The contacts stored in your phone can call you at any moment knowingly, wherever you are, you will pick up and if not they had a presence in your day.

Before the cellphone age, people use to stand around each other and actually engage in intellectual conversations! *GASP* People actually interacted several years ago. If you were to take a trip to a nearby restaurant and take a look around the waiting area, you are guaranteed to see everyone facedown staring into their phone. You would most likely be the ONLY one looking around and not looking at a phone. Cellphones continues to remain a craze among the human race. It’s scary!

But, staring at your phone isn’t the only possible way to wait for table, a friend, appointment, or whatever the case may be. Listen up! There are other things out there to do besides starting at your crotch and into your phone. Here is a list of things you can possibly do instead:

(They may sound challenging but give a try)

• Make eye contact- honestly, it’s not that hard. People do this all the time. You may have the opportunity to share a moment with an attractive stranger, you never know. You want to wait until the person looks away from the phone for a few seconds to actually lock eyes. After this is done, just simply smile! If you master this you may want to put it on your resume under skills.

• Talk about the weather- this is a classic introductory and conversation starters. You may want to open it up with a simply, “This is some rain, don’t you think?”, or “They say it’s supposed to snow all week long!” Now this may be a little harder than the first because you have to catch someone else who ISNT staring at their crotch. I know, I know. BUT- it’s not impossible. I still have faith in humanity.

• Be observant of your surroundings-now, if you take some time away from your phone and take time to look around you may find some interesting things. It’s important to live in the moment. You may miss all the amazing things that are happening around you.  A cowboy dancing for change, an older man doing cartwheels, a dog wearing a tutu, you just never know. Then once you resume to your phone, your observations can make excellent tweets or statuses on Facebook!

• Or, see what other people are looking at on their phones- take this time to simply examine why others are glued to their phones. You may want to look over your shoulder and see what your neighbor is looking at. You may come across some interesting things. Shiny gold case with an incoming call from “IGNORE”. A blackberry with 100 unread e-mails. A HTC, reading NY Times, “Church helps fill a void in Africa.” This exercise can be quite fascinating and endless.

• Last, but no least, you can read a book- rather than risking the chance to get cancer or carpal tunnel. You can pick up a book and turn the pages of a good oh story. But you might just be staring into your nook or kindle instead.

The preceding items are useful and free things to do when you're not using your phone. But, hey you may be reading this post from your phone who knows.

Did You Know?

Did you know an estimated of 300 hiring professionals monitor social media to search for job candidates?  I find that intriguing! We spend so much time on it that we sometimes forget to filter what images or language we post online. Are you careful with what you post online? Hiring managers search through social networks thoroughly and examine the types of posts and behaviors you are associated with. Employers usually screen candidates after receiving a completed application. Even though Facebook is said to be a dying network, employers use Facebook the most to screen the candidates. You may not think that employers are taking the time to look you up but they actually are! So, don’t give them a reason to reject your application. The main thing you want to refrain from is lying about your qualifications and having them cross-check your LinkedIn profile to find out it’s a lie! Today, nothing is private! Corporations may be interested in observing your social skills and personality and see if you will fit in with their corporate culture. Your name is your brand! You don’t want to deteriorate your personal brand by associating with negative comments or exaggerating about your skills.

Below you will find another inforgraphic, How Are Employers Screening Job Applicants?” 

As students, especially as graduate students it's imperative that we are cautious as to what we are Tweeting, Face-booking  and so on. We are no longer undergrads in which we were naive and young. Now, we are at a different level and are viewed as professionals.  But we have to remember that personal brand isn't perishable. So whatever we may have posted in the past will not go anywhere. Even if you go a year without activity, social media sites will still remember who you are! Scary? Just a little! But that’s the risk you’re taking when you create all these different accounts. So what we have to ask our self everyday is, “Is this building a personal brand?” if so, then awesome, if not, then refocus your priorities.

 

Is Social Media Taking Over Our Lives?

Is social media taking over our lives? Recently, social media has become one of the most powerful sources for news updates through media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus. For instance, companies and organizations are using Facebook Pages to update their employees and prospective employees. Nowadays, social media has a HUGE influence on networking and job searching as well. Companies are utilizing LinkedIn to screen employees for potential job opportunities.

Below you will see an Infogrpahic by Morrison & Forester’s popular Socially Aware Blog that captures American’s true obsession with social media.

Again, is media taking over our lives? Let’s see how much time we really spend on social media…

I thought to share this with you all because I found the statistics to be so fascinating! The numbers actually amaze me in the sense that I thought we spent more hours a month on social media networks. All the time spent interacting digitally hinders the face to face interactions and even creativity! It makes me think about those who are introverted and can network on line from inside their comfort zone but when in person they cannot articulate or communicate as effectively. As social media is relatively new I still feel there will be a impact sooner than we think. 

Just some food for thought!