As with any new technology or invention, there will always
be the early adopters who rave that the new “whatever” is going to change how
(insert category here: i.e., business, life, the environment, sports, comedy,
etc.) is done.
Social network sites (SNS), just over a decade in existence,
have been simultaneously hailed as eliminating all communication barriers
between people everywhere as well as being a festering pool of anti-social
behavior, rampant with cyber-bullying and decreased productivity.
Yet SNS continue to evolve and appear on the digital
landscape. Interestingly, a recent trend noted by a classmate of mine is
movement away by today’s teen generation from the traditional “generic” powerhouses
(Facebook, Twitter) to more specialized SNS like Pinterest (lifestyle) and messaging
sites. Might this signal the next evolution of SNS? Time will tell.
SNS are dramatically changing the way advertisers are
reaching out to potential customers. Surprising research about
demographics is showing the traditional classifications (age, gender, marital
status, etc.), while helpful in broad-brush generalizations about public
segments, is less predictive of actual purchasing behavior than classifications
about what topics interest SNS users. If a SNS user is interested in
woodworking tools or videos, their age or gender is less important.
What do you look for in a SNS? Do you belong to a single SNS
or do you belong to multiple SNS? SNS continue to evolve, but that is merely
because it’s in their DNA.
My background
I joined the online community in 1994, creating an account
with Prodigy. Using my phone line and dial-up modem, I was able to connect to
the internet (the what?) and essentially join various “chat rooms,” usually
created around specific interests or topics. Later that same year, I joined
America Online (MaxBrand was my account ID) because it offered better graphics
and faster connection speeds. I rarely used AOL for my job as Communications
Manager at Bon Secours Hospital in Grosse Pointe, Michigan.
Those early online services were created, evolved and died,
eventually evolving into what we consider to be SNS today. My early use of SNS
coincided with my change in marital status and move to a large urban area where
my own network of friends was smaller. I was looking for ways to connect with
people who shared similar interests.
By 1998, I had switched my user ID to StepDad1@aol.com
and began using the actual World Wide Web to find information for use in my job.
AOL offered not only a user name but a
linked email account, enabling the user to receive either instant messages
(IMs) or Private Messages (PMs) as well as the linked email account. Email was
becoming much more common in the business world.
By 2003 or 2004, AOL had become such a huge memory pig, I
left the service for simple web browsing, a Google email account and much more
specialized SNS, like Flickr. I also learned of a “new” thing called blogging.
I created my own blog (David’s Home Work) about the trials and tribulations of
renovations associated with converting a two bedroom house into a five bedroom
house.
And this personal activity of mine with SNS enabled me to be
a much more savvy communicator, looking for ways to leverage this new
technology to replace (or at least compliment) the traditional communication
activities I was directing at Holy Cross Children’s Services as Director of Communications
(Michigan, 1996-2007).
Moving away from a paper internal newsletter to an
electronic version distributed over the internal network was a substantial
savings – which for a non-profit agency is always a win. Establishing an
internal network (bulletin board style) for addressing issues and rumors also
helped to improve internal communications for an agency with nearly 30
different sites scattered all over the State of Michigan.
Today, I am a regular user of Facebook for my personal use
as well as my own home-based business (https://www.facebook.com/PallirondackChairs)
making rustic patio/deck furniture from nearly 100% recycled wooden pallets. I
can be found on Pinterest, Tumblr, Lumberjocks, Flickr and most recently,
Twitter (@David_THD).
Today, my use of SNS is more about keeping in contact
with people removed from me geographically, keeping lines of communication open
with people I see on a regular basis, and seeking specialized information on
topics that interest me (woodworking, photography, family,etc.).
Evolve or die
As we have discussed in previous posts, nothing remains
static and survives. Newspapers and traditional media continue to evolve in order to remain viable businesses. SNS, while mere infants when compared to
traditional media, have gone through a number of transformations since
appearing in the mid 1990s. Expect that trend to continue. It will be up to
strategic communicators to stay on top of these trends and changes and be able
to adapt as well as secure C-suite buy-in to be flexible and responsive to new
technology innovations.
Can a social network
site create a false sense of “relationship” with people who only exist in
cyberspace? Sure. Has there been an explosion of cyber-bullying as a result of
SNS access. Yes. Are there research studies documenting a reduction in
productivity by people using SNS like Facebook at work? Yes. Are privacy issues
more critical in a SNS-connected society? Without question.
But SNS also have
completely changed the way companies market their goods and services.
Electronic messages or email are far more cost effective than traditional
printed communications tools. SNS have opened the opportunities for writers and
bloggers, not only to get their messages out, but to connect and engage with
their readers. And by utilizing SNS, communication barriers between those
trying to communicate and those seeking information have greatly been reduced.
But there are always dangers with any new technology. We had
automobiles for nearly a century before seatbelts were not only an option but
finally required to help ensure passenger safety. There are as many, if not
more, benefits of SNS as there are hazards.
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