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! 

Trending Sites?

Social Cam “The Instagram for Video”:

Unlike Instagram or Twitter, Social Cam is a free app that allows you to shoot and share video files with friends and family. Social Cam Video app might be just too social. The Social Cam network connects with your facebook friends and adds them automatically. The app can also be annoying because it requires anyone who wants to watch your social cam video to sign up for the service before watching it. Although the features and tools are easy to use the option to watch isn't as easy. The connection to Facebook may be aggravating because maybe some users don’t want their videos to integrate with Facebook. Once a video is made it will be automatically posted to their timeline… doesn't sound too good, now does it? You have to use Social Cam with extreme caution and not activate your automatic sharing on Facebook unless you want everyone to know every video you just recorded.

But for the most part Social Cam is just like any other social site and it requires your e-mail to sign up. The easy to read and navigate labels include: Videos, Popular, The Red Dot (launches video camera on), Friends, and Activity. Similar to recording on your phone, you are to press the red record button on the screen to start shooting. But what I love about social cam is the various filters by simply swiping the screen. The filters include: Electronic, negative, Kodak, noire, grunge, action, bleach, rouge, vice, and 1970s effect. The filter and other effects are added as soon as you begin recording. It provides the users with a fun experience when recording. After you finish you have the option to add a “theme” and which style title you want. You can also add music to the background! How cool! But that’s not all! You even get to control the volume of the music by using the slider. Yeah, I know- pretty awesome.

BUT- when you’re finally done with your recording and editing and feeling like Spike Lee you get to save your video public or private. You can publish your video to the Social Cam Feed in which other Social Cam users get to view the video.

Path Changes the Game:

Now, on another hand there’s another app called Path which aims to make social network more personal. Path is an app that is interested in sharing personal moments with a smaller network of friends rather than a large one that you would find on Facebook or Twitter. But this app isn't your ordinary social network. Path is a place where you post photos and videos for your (inner circle). It’s like a diary in which you share more personal things. Because of that close and intimate connection, people are bound to share more as a result of that.

The unique thing about Path is that it picks up the users habits quickly. It registers and saves their favorite places and broadcasts it to their fellow path “followers”.  What others may find to be either an upside or downside, is that Path only allows up to 150 connections.  That is considered to be the upper limit of trusted relationships a person can have. This is the true beauty of Path. Just like other social sites it too integrates with Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare and Tumblr to allow cross-posting.  At the pace we're going, who knows if the next generation of social media is going to get personal. 

Social Media Trends in Presidential Campaign

Social media is used in our everyday lives! It’s so consuming, wouldn’t you think? Not only is it used for connecting with friends and family but also CEO’s, Executives, and even Politicians. In recent Presidential campaigns social media has played a huge role. In today’s society it’s not enough to just shake some hands and run some TV ads, instead they have to post personable pictures and blogs on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, etc. Nothing is private anymore! It’s all posted online! So why not have the candidate relate to us and post moments at home with their children and family on Instagram as well? This past campaign, both Romney and Obama injected themselves into social media platforms. It’s so accessible and easily done. For instance, on Twitter, Mitt Romney’s bodyguard posted a picture of the candidate’s family playing Jenga before the debate. This picture will appeal to all audiences, all to gain votes.

Twitter and Facebook have been the primary avenues for online campaigning, with their goal to reach millions of users of all demographics. Posting video clips, songs, or images on these mainstream sites will increase interaction with people, potential voters. Social media is a major trend that even the Presidential Campaign couldn't miss out on. The social network (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) consists of an estimate of 1.43 billion users which will continue to massively increase. People spend so much time on these sites that it just seems the most feasible way to reach out them.

Encyclopedia of false information?

Wow! Those are the exact words that came to mind when I easily edited the information on a Wikipedia page. I can't believe how simple and quick it was to change a source of information. Students, professors, etc. use Wikipedia as a "valuable" source to retrieve information, articles, biographies, and so much more! It's intended to be a encyclopedia but how so when just about anyone can "correct" the information? Wiki is definitely on the top of most browsed sites. The moment you "Google" something the first link that usually appears is Wikipedia.

Any who! I went on to change the "Uses and Gratifications Theory" page on Wikipedia because it approaches how people seek out media to satisfy specific needs.

Below you will see the section BEFORE any changes.

“===New Media Examples of UGT===

The application of New Media to the Uses and Gratifications Theory has been positive.<ref name="WestTurner392401"/>  The introduction of the [[Internet]], [[social media]] and technological advances has provided another outlet for people to use and seek gratification through those sources. Based on the models developed by Katz, Blumler, Gurevitch and Lasswell, individuals can choose to seek out media in one outlet, all falling within the proscribed categories of need. The only difference now, is that the audience does not have to go to multiple media outlets to fulfill each of their needs. The [[Internet]] has created a digital library, allowing individuals to have access to all content from various mass medium outlets.”

Now below you will see the changes that  I made to "New Media Examples of UGT" in bold. 

“===New Media Examples of UGT===

The application of New Media to the Uses and Gratifications Theory has been positive.<ref name="WestTurner392401"/>  The introduction of the [[Internet]], [[social media]] and technological advances has greatly impacted the efficiency of our communicative acts. Instead of having to have a long conversation with a client about his kids and home life, before asking a quick questions about an order, a brief and quick email can be sent to accomplish the same task. While this has made business interactions easier but it also harmed our personal interactions. The many technological changes have been both for better and worse.

I'm still flabbergasted by how easy it is to change information on a site that millions of people turn to for research and such.

Is It Normal?

As a society we are so deeply engaged in social media that we fail to realize our level of dependency on social media. A great analogy would be a drug addict! Just like an addict we build a tolerance that requires more and more of the use of media outlets to keep us satisfied. Yes, it’s convenient and as a nation that accustom to speed we appreciate the easy and fast accessibility.  But honestly, despite the fast food and cars, do we need to have fast communication? I think its more of an addiction rather than a tool. College students have been surveyed and admitted that they can't function properly without being “plugged in”. We depend too much on our computer or phone screen to communicate with one another. We lost our sense of feeling comfortable in speaking in front of people. College students lack public speaking skills because they are so use to “tweeting” or “facebooking” a status or statement. Even though I am a child of the Millennial generation, I much rather appreciate an in-person conversation instead of a text message conversation. Young people today are so caught up on the virtual relationship concept that they forget how to actually socialize and hold an intellectual conversation. The high level of reliance on social media decreases the relationships formed between students, professors, staff, and friends.

But you may ask yourself, what would it be like to go without social media? You possibly can’t even begin to imagine a life without such necessities! Could it be possible to give up your phone, iPod, and computer? According to a study conducted by the International Center for Media and the Public Agenda (ICMPA), most college students can’t go without their media links to the world. If a student were asked to abstain from plugging into their media sources they would feel isolated and lonely. They would have the urge to check their e-mail and text messages. It’s like a tick goes off and you then feel anxiety to know what’s going on. I personally know when I’m in class I fidget at times when I feel my phone vibrate. I feel secluded from the world. So is it normal to constantly be in the know of things? Is it normal to constantly be plugged in? This reminds me of the concept behind The Matrix, I honestly loved that movie but it made me think! Are we like Neo, plugged into another world? Just like Neo we can be discouraged with the grim realities of the world outside social media that we continue to stay plugged in.

There was a line that stuck out to me in the film,

Neo: “This isn’t Real…”

Morpheus: “What is real? How do you define real?...”

The above conversation is so relevant to what young people think is reality versus virtual reality. The relationships they form online tampers with their capability to actually form real relationships. Just like the characters in the movie, young people are hopelessly dependent on the systems. Rather than experiencing life they are experiencing a simulated life programmed by computers or phones. There are many comparisons from the film to today such as, sleeping and wakening. When a character awaken they realize and see the truth of the world. Just as students, once unplugged, they are awakened from the world they are busy creating all day. As in the Matrix, they aren’t ready to be u n p l u g g e d.

Convenience or Addiction?

Living in the 21^st century brings many advantages. We have immediate access to just about everything including 24 hour pharmacies or corner stores. Let’s not forget the world’s entire database of knowledge is available at our very own fingertips via personal computer or Smartphone. There’s no surprise that your average American spends about 10 hours plugged into their various media platforms. Think about it! The moment you lose your cell phone you realize how important social media is to you. Once you’re away from your phone you feel UN-PLUGGED from society and the world around you. But, is it bad to feel un-plugged once in a while? Social media is a growing sensation! Becoming more and more a part of our daily lives. The last twenty years the rapid transformation of information and media occurred through the advancement of technologies such as the internet. Now new media means on-demand access to content anytime anywhere. The rise of new media has definitely increased communication between people across the world and internet. It provides people the opportunity to express themselves and exchange ideas through blogs (like this one), photos, sites, and other user-generated media.  The prime social media platforms are Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and etc.

According to a LawMarketing blog Use of Social Media

These commonly used social media channels are redefining how and what we communicate with potentially equally negative consequences. According to a Nielsen study, the average American spends more time on Facebook than any other US website. Just like your favorite fast food chain, social media has grown into a craving for people. It’s obvious that the internet is just convenient for people to use to communicate rather than writing a letter or picking up a phone. It definitely played a fundamental role in shifting how we communicate. There’s numerous of examples of how communication changed due to social media. For instance, when sentences are written it’s not in full text or complete thoughts, it’s written with acronym’s and array of fragments. It’s even to a point that emoticons replace words to express feelings and emotions. Are we really allowing this to redefine and reshape how we communicate within our societies?