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What does Social Media really do for us?

When you think about it, what does social media really do for us today? We meet people through friends and then find them on Facebook and become friends with them, we post pictures... some more vulgar than others, and post with friends. Depending on your privacy settings, many people can see your profile and get to know you without you ever knowing. Even though social media can be seen as a positive, it can also be seen as a negative and have the potential to ruin relationships or your future career.

I had a professor my sophomore year of college who went through our Facebook profiles and pictures. The people who did not have their profiles on private and had disturbing pictures of their nights out posted were embarrassed in front of the entire lecture class. Some of the pictures I have seen made me ask why anyone would ever put up a picture like that so others can see. My professor put a new picture up on the overhead screen and told us everyday that this is what our employers are seeing. Luckily, I have a lot of privacy settings on my profile but at the same time I do not take nor do I post pictures that have the chance to embarrass me or cause a problem with someone I have a relationship with. I have been thinking about deleting my Facebook. I do not need to connect with people through it because the people that reach out to me on Facebook are the people I am friends with and talk to everyday. I also do not post many things on Facebook unless I really want my friends to see where I went on vacation or put pictures up with my friends so they can have those pictures as well.

My professor taught me to see Facebook differently. I do not think it something worth great value, even though it does have some positive things about the site. My professor's message was that anyone can see these pictures as well as our profiles and we should consider putting up some privacy settings or even taking stuff down. Even though Facebook allows us to connect and check out what someone else is doing and how their night was, the site has the ability to generate unwanted attention. So many people have made Facebook a big part of their lives. People let others know exactly where they are and what they are doing. Maybe it is time to take a step back from Facebook and see if it really has as much to offer as you think.

The impact of Social Media on Body Image...

With modern increases in technology, it is inevitable that the media plays a prominent role in society. The media influences public opinion of everything from politics to what products people purchase on a daily basis. Technology is used more than ever to advertise products, and sex appeal is a critical component for many companies and their products. Racy images of men and women are used to sell everything from clothes to cars. The desire to be like the young, attractive celebrities and models that advertise products leads to a skewed body image and perception of life. These standards of beauty, which often negatively impact America’s youth, can be difficult or impossible to obtain and can lead to mental health issues and eating disorders. It is clear that the media has a detrimental effect on personal body image and needs to be made aware of its power in today’s society. The ongoing problem of eating disorders has taken a toll on the female population in the United States. Women of all ages have become targeted victims just by being exposed to the media that circulates throughout our country.

There are websites that even tell you how to lose weight fast. Celebrity role models have also caused their most loyal followers to start dieting so they could look just like a celebrity. Many people across the United States do not understand how severe the outcomes of eating disorders really are. According to statistics one of every 10 cases of anorexia nervosa causes death by hunger, cardiac arrest and/or other medical complications, or by suicide. This causes me to wonder why the public has not done more to help females around the world to stop this battle. 

The never-ending battle with a woman vs. herself has caused the Dove Company to be one of the first companies to put their foot down. In 2004, heads turned when Dove launched their Campaign for Real Beauty.  The campaign highlighted real women promoting the lotion they were selling at the time. Slowly but surely advertisements in magazines, billboards, and TV commercials across the United States were everywhere. Not only were the advertisements a huge success, but they also allowed the “real women” shown in the ads express to other women that it is ok to be who you are. 

Without these companies, societies will continue to see depressed girls with eating disorders who will go to great lengths to be just like Barbie. These social views have led to an increase in frequency of eating disorders and other debilitating health issues. Media exposure will only continue to expand in the future. It is important to understand the impacts of this growing problem that threatens the well being of America’s youth.

The wonderful thing about social media is...

I have come to realize that without social media I would not have met my boyfriend. It was a Thursday morning in July and I just parked my car when I got a text message from my mother. I was walking to the train station to catch my train into New York City for my internship. My mother asked me if she could give Geoff a resident my phone number. I met him briefly in the past and was attracted to him but thought nothing of it. I figured he was either not going to interested in a college girl or he was in a current relationship. Boy was I wrong about both of those! I gave my mother the green light to give him my phone number. He immediately asked her for my full name and found me on Facebook. Before I knew it he friend requested me and wrote me a Facebook message. Facebook allowed him to see pictures of me as well as my interests, which allowed him to get to know me a little before he met me. Unfortunately I did not get the Facebook message until a few days later. Nonetheless he called me that same Thursday night at around 11pm to ask me out. He was very persistent and according to him he could not wait to ask me out. Ever since we have been in a relationship and things have been great! If it weren't for social media I may have never had the chance to go out with him. Even though my mother gave him my phone number, Facebook connected us on our own level and we got to see what the other was like before we even met each other. Social media is helpful and beneficial in many ways. It connects us to one another. Without social media we wouldn't know half the people we know today.

Social Media in Tennis

Social media can be a very controversial subject. People may question who owns social media, and answers range from Public Relations to Marketing. However in the end, many people put social media together. I personally believe that social media is owned by nobody. If it is found on Twitter it is owned by a Public Relations group or a CRM group depending on what the topic may be. It is possible that it can also be in possession of a marketing team if there is a media budget (perhaps a commercial or advertisement). Social media should be integrated throughout a company rather than being owned by one department. It all depends on what the purpose is and what message is trying to be sent. Social Media is viewed by people around the world and is something that cannot be put together by one person. 

Today is day one of the US Open Tennis tournament and you know there is going to be great coverage of it. Anyone interested can turn on ESPN, check their phones for updates, or even turn the TV on to see a match. Scores can be found on people's Twitter or Facebook accounts as well if they follow a certain player. People who work for the number one player in the world, Novak Djokovic work to keep his Twitter and Facebook interesting and up to date for fans. Djokovic has become an icon in the sport of tennis. He can be found on Facebook, Twitter as well as other various websites. Djokovic has 1,082,498 likes on Facebook and has 292,220 current followers on Twitter. This can be seen as a from of Public Relations. However, the people that work to put advertisements and commercials together use Marketers and Advertisers to put on TV, the internet, or newspapers. 

Social media is found everywhere!