What is your interpretation of the term ‘social media’? What have you learned from the Sensis reports? Include 2 or 3 references from academic sources.
The term social media to me has constantly changed over time as the environment of contemporary media is never permanent. From my basic understanding of Social Media, my interpretation was that it was a space where users can connect and communicate with one another. But as I grew older and used social media for business purposes, I’ve realised that social media and Web 2.0 as a whole is about user-created content and that anyone can produce and distribute their content on the medium. The freedom to express one’s own creativity on the platform and have a strong base of influence on subjects represents social media’s nature. The Web 2.0 era saw many businesses and organisations rely on their customers by providing affordances of control to them; two-way communication, and participatory culture to create a better relationship between the brands and consumers. With the emergence of user-created content, media control is decentralised, and there are many niches; thus consumers are very selective with their media consumption. According to Tuten (2008), the age of one-way communication (traditional media) is outdated, and the culture of co-creativity and shared control is the improved approach for businesses on Social media. Converse, a well-known shoe company, has taken this approach of “shared control” by enticing its consumers and potential customers to participate in the brand’s image and meaning. Their Brand Democracy campaign offered consumers the freedom of control and creativity within the campaign to build up personal relationships with the brand; Converse is portrayed as the brand of the public.
However, while analysing the Yellow Social Media Report by Sensis, I’ve noticed that our dependency on social media has escalated significantly. With the access of the Internet and social media bleeding across all platforms, i.e. smartphones, tablets, and laptops, consumers are constantly conversing with media, with 56% of Australians accessing the Internet more than 10 times a day (Sensis Top Line Findings, 2020). This emergence has lead to multiple Transmedial Textualities and Hybridising Media examples from businesses to gain as much exposure and reach amongst the public. Furthermore, the report has shown me that social media is ubiquitous; embedded into our everyday lives. While the idea of participation and co-creativity on social media affords users freedom and control, I perceive it as an illusion of control by the big organisations. To gain freedom of access on social media, users must submit their control (i.e. personal information and social media activity) to the social media companies. The actions of crowdsourcing have also made me think of how businesses exploit consumers in terms of free labour, as consumers are involved in the brands’ creation and idea process. Moreover, 51% of consumers are likely to trust and purchase products from brands who communicate positively with their customers on social media; they make consumers perceive that their purchase decisions are in their control when in reality, organisations have implemented those decisions for you. By submitting your information, they can monitor your activity, such as what you are searching for, use that information to their advantage, or even sell it to other social media companies to cater to your preferences.
Tuten, T 2008, Advertising 2.0: Social Media Marketing in a Web 2.0 World, Santa Barbara: Greenwood Publishing Group.
Sensis, 2020, Yellow Social Media Report Initial Top Line Findings: Draft March 2020, viewed 25 March 2021, <https://rmit.instructure.com/courses/85925/files/17041728?module_item_id=3091675>.