When I was looking for the meaning of Social Media, one article gave the most clarifying definition as “Social media are web-based communication tools that enable people to interact with each other by sharing and consuming information.” Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp, and Snapchat were categorized as part of a subgroup Social Media Network within the article context. I could not agree more, as those have the main purpose of networking and share status.
Social Media, to me, has a big purpose of keeping in touch with my family and friends and creating new connections based on my growth and development of new tastes and habits. According to Sensis Social Media Report, I am not the only one “For 83% of people, and social media is a way of catching up with friends and family. This is easily the most prominent reason among both males (80%) and females (85%) and across the age divide”. I am also part of the second most common reason to use social media, which is “to share photographs or videos (39%) with females above average in this behaviour (46% vs 32% of males).” Sharing photos and videos of moments, places I am visiting or of what I am doing is a way to create a memory to remember of past but also to incentive interaction with those who are interested to know more about my lifestyle in another country and get to know another culture. It became a daily habit to check on friends social media to keep up to date on their lives that, without a conscious mind, can develop into an addiction. Sensis also reported that “31% say they spend too much time on social media; even higher among the 18-29s (49%), 30-39s (37%) and females (39%)“.
One of Social Media invention principles was expanding communication methods to maintain relationships and statuses, which always existed in Society. In the past, paintings and writing were a way to mark and make history, and nowadays, we use those networking platforms to mark our timeline with our friends or share good moments with others. As living in a society, we always consumed information in different ways, and the most recent one is happening through online methods.
