An Integral Part of Our Lives “Social Media�

What would the world have been, if there were no Tim Berners Lee? It would have been a world where people:

• still wrote letters instead of emails,

• walked the miles to meet the loved ones instead of video calling them on Facebook,

• waited for their favourite band to turn up on a music channel on TV instead of finding them on YouTube anytime, anywhere,

• Kept bundles of photo albums and waited for guests to visit their places to be able to show them the photos instead of posting them on Facebook, Instagram, Flickr just as soon as one clicks it!

The examples are innumerable. In short, the world is now just a CLICK AWAY, and this interaction among people over the internet i.e. virtual communities and networks is what we call the Social Media.

Timeline of Social Networking Sites

2003

Some of the first popular social networking sites were MySpace and LinkedIn, both founded in 2003, wherein MySpace was more for youth to connect with their friends and LinkedIn was more of a website for professionals.

2004

Facebook was launched by Mark Zuckerberg for the Harvard students to connect with each other.

2006

• Facebook opened its floor to everyone above the age of 13 and this transformed the way people used the social networking sites.

• Twitter came into being in 2006, and gained the name “SMS of the internet�.

After 2006

• Facebook crossed MySpace in terms of most-used social networking site.

• LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook have gained enormous popularity.

• The other social networking sites which have emerged recently are Youtube, Google+, Tumblr, Pinterest, Instagram, WordPress, Dropbox, Flickr, et al.

Importance of Social Media

1. It’s faster than news channels. Remember Osama Bin Laden’s killing and a guy tweeting about it live? Twitter spreads the news faster than any news channel today.

2. Sceptical about which book to read next? Visit Goodreads.com, read the reviews, rate the books, and decide the next best book to read. It’s as simple as that!

3. Gone are the days when people used to write journals or keep scrapbooks. There were no masses to flip though them and appreciate their writing/work/art. Now the writers, poets, photographers, and anyone and everyone with some interest BLOG about it. People connect and share their views on websites such as WordPress.com, Blogspot.com. These sites are a blogger’s first love!

4. Looking for a platform to showcase your talent? Make a video and upload it on YouTube. Become a rockstar, within a FEW HOURS, which earlier was unimaginable. Life was never so easy!

5. Professionals are making full use of the social media to enhance their PERSONAL BRAND by publishing about their achievements and awards at various social networking sites. Companies such as Salesforce.com and Entelo are recruiting the employees on the basis of their “score� on social connections.

Social Media has become an indispensable part of our lives. It feels like the day hasn’t ended well, if we don’t check Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and many more sites before going to bed, doesn’t it?

Blog by:- Pallak Sharma

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