Social Media Reflections

The Future of Social Media Technology

The future of Social Media is Social Media. People sharing short quick digestible bits of information. Information that is informative and humorous.

Social Media is going to shape peoples identities based on the idea that people will choose to follow, like, subscribe to only certain media sources. Individuals will become more exposed to unique niche related content based on their individual personalities. Social media will turn people into who they are based on what they look at. The knowledge gained from social media will depend on what the individual chooses to look at. Individuals will effect each other on a greater level and effect each other with their

Digital Divide

People are developing unique online networks and relationships that would have not been possible without the internet. It is common to feel connected with a person or group you have never met in real life, but have spent time learning from, teaching, discussing, debating, developing, and sharing experiences and passion for a particular topic. It is safe to say that without these mediums to connect: forums, blogs, social networks, websites, these people would have never met. The ideas gone undiscussed. Progress never made. The development and progress that these networks facilitate is changing the new world and shaping the way people interact with each other.

Online environments give subcultures a place to gather and build relationships.

Although the internet, social networks, and gadgets seem common place there are people still people who are not able to access these online environments. These people may not be able to connect with online communities for a a number of reasons:

• An older generation who have not grown up with technology
• Lack of access based on location, rural environments where the internet is not available
• Lack of resources, people not having enough money to pay for the internet 
• Lack the basic cognitive skills needed to use the technology
• Then there are Luddites and people who choose use technology

This is what is known as the Digital Divide.

dig·it·al di·vide

noun

1. 1.

   the gulf between those who have ready access to computers and the Internet, and those who do not.

   "a worrying “digital divide” based on race, gender, educational attainment, and income"

The digital divide adds another level of inequality among people. The ramifications of not being able to access these online communities are immeasurable. The lack of access to peers, information, and online ways of making money places these people at a disadvantage.

Social Media and Learning

When I was in 4th grade in the early 90s I had a pen pal. She lived in St. Louis Missouri and drew me picture of an Arch, which I figured was very important to her. As a class we gathered nick-nacks that represented Hawaii, packed them in a box, and left it up to our teacher to send them off. Within an eternity of time  Ms. Ashley would bring us a box and as a class we would open it to examine the artifacts of this distant land and read our letters.

In 2013 the interactions between 4th graders from different parts of the world have dramatically changed. The concept of having a pen pal has been revolutionized by the use of Social Media Technologies. Students can now Skype, make youtube videos about their hometown and culture, or instantly share photos of their school and city through Instagram.

Teachers can use these technologies to help students broaden their sense of the world around. Teachers can also use this online world to teach their students about collaboration. Google Docs and Drive makes it possible for people work on the same project in twi separate locations.

Science experiments can have a greater reach when classes from all over the U.S. work together on the same project. This massive collaboration and group work will teach students of the diversity in the world. Allowing them a greater amount of references, thus building their neural nets in a way that has never been done before.

Teachers around the world can not ignore that Social Media can play an important and beneficial role in childhood education.

Yes, social media websites can be distracting. This is why it is important to address these issue and teach students how to successfully allocate their computer time.  Yes, there are downsides. That is why it is important to be open and honest with students about the powerful tools they are now dealing with and also warm them pitfalls of this online environment.

How Social Media has changed the Business of Selling Clothes

A new type of marketing has developed since the emergence of Social Media. Using applications and websites such as Twitter, Instagram, Blogger, and Wordpress individuals can become independent marketers. Using social media to gain popularity people produce content in the hopes of gaining followers. When a person gains a large amount of followers they become powerful. The idea that a person has lots of people seeing everything they post excites product sellers.

When a person gets a lot of followers they are then approached by clothing companies, cosmetics, and other fashion related products. The individual may either get these products for free or get the produced for free and get paid to post a picture of the product or them wearing the product.

Do you want to become a fashion blogger and gain enough followers to get free swag or paid to do wear and use products? If, so follow these fun and easy tips.

How to become a successful fashion blogger.

1. Figure out who you are, your style, and what type of person would be interested in you.
2. Come up with an easy to remember, unique, descriptive, username. Remember words are powerful. Choose a username with care. Make sure this username is not taken by an already known content created.
3. Create a new gmail account using this username. With this email register for all social networking sites,

Fol-low-er Fe-ver
  /ˈfälō-ər/      /ˈfēvər/

noun
1. The feeling one gets when they gain a new follower
2. Power associated with having a lot of followers see and hear what you show them.

verb
1. The act of producing content in hopes of gaining a large amount (10,000+) followers

How does Follower Fever relate to business, marketing, and selling things?

Become your own marketing entity by using Social Media

Social Media and Politics

"We now track every mention of a Senator, House Representative, or Governor. That allows us to build a list of every person that mentions a Democratic incumbent in California, for instance. If they do this multiple times, or for multiple Democratic incumbents in California, we can assume that they are from California." Zachary Green is CEO of 140Elect

You have become more politically involved without your knowledge. Besides potentially being on some list, I have not become more engaged in politics. I follow Barak Obama on twitter, but most of the time I just skip over his tweets. Politicians and political organizations have not effectively reached me. I am skeptical when it comes to articles, videos, and advertisements about politics. There is so much information it is hard to know what is true and what is misinformation.

Yet, when Bo Xilai appeal rejection video was circling the internet I became a little more educated and aware of global politics and history.

So, in my experience social media has been effective in spreading issues and events in a documentary or journalistic manner. Not in promotion and marketing of an individual or cause. Yet, there is lots of room for improvement. Social media tools can enable future candidates and issues to become popular within hours. A catchy jingle, provocative photo, or wise words and spread to millions leaving an impression in the consumers minds. This impression now gives people a frame of reference and familiarity with the person or cause. When it comes time to make a choice the person will always choose what is more familiar.

Graphic Design Quick Tip: Use Pen Tool to Create Unique Path for Typography

Why specialize when you can just be friends with ME?

I work as a Video Journalist for my colleges newspaper. Recently I was asked to cover a music event Chico Unplugged. The show was put together by the students studying music industry and recording arts. 

What do you think one of the most important aspect of videos is?  the audio, it can help to drive home the exact emotion effect the director is going for.

I took this opportunity to get acquainted with the people at my school who love making and recording music. I have lots of experience with filming and video editing, but very little with composing or increasing sound quality. What my productions lack and very much need is an audiophile.

Each building on my campus is devoted to a specific major. People are grouped together based on what they are studying: art, music, theater, engineering, agriculture, psychology, etc. Yet many tasks would be better tackled by a variety of people with a variety of backgrounds. 

Online social networks are built to collect people of similar interests and connect them. Unlike my college, these people are spread out all over the world. Instead of spending the time to go to college to study recording arts, you can join a recording arts forum, and pitch your idea to see if anyone would be interested in helping out on the project. Social networks now allow people from all around the world to work together, collaborate, and share their expertise. 

Some social networks even provide a platform for sharing and collaborating.

There are some differences in building online relationships vs. face to face relationships. Often people who use a particular social network like to see a certain level of dedication to the network, so you may need to invest time into building your presence. 

Calling all Content Creators

Hey there Medialites! There is a reason, You've, yes YOU, have been named the TIMES "Person of the Year"

Web 2.0 and the emergence of social networking websites has forever changed the future, and luckily for you, it's within your ability to become a media entrepreneur: self employed, self directed, and self motivated. "Build your own dreams or someone else will hire you to build theirs." What are your dreams? Who do you want to become?

Want to be a movie producer? Simple, your probably already a natural storyteller, recruits some friends, and film on your smartphone, then upload the results to Youtube and Vimeo

How about a famous writer? Start a free blog using sites like Blogger and Wordpress or self publish your latest book on Amazon

What about a successful musician? Record with GarageBand or Audacity a free open source recording and sound editing software, then publish your music on Soundcloud

So long are the days of working for others. Now you can share your creativity with the world, and make money.

It is important to remember, you are not the one person given this power. People all around the world have been gifted these tools. This means:

• It is necessary to establish a likable online personality
• Keywords and search engine optimization is key
• What you create must be thoughtful and well produced
• Your understanding of the elements of design will propel you forward
• GarageBand, Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash, and Premier will become your best friends

The websites and tools available are powerful. Use the power wisely. 

Media Mentor: Emily Marie

Hello. You found Social Media Mentor because you are interested in Social Media.  A place to discusses and explores issues relating to the latest social media trends. While using and reviewing the current social media tools. Through my experience with social media I can provide an in depth analysis on how to effectively use social networking for you benefit. 

At SMMentor you will find tutorials on social media, social networks, search engine optimization, and more. Each tutorial is designed to help you use, benefit, and exploit Social Media. Have a look around!