Influence of the Media

Facebook and Twitter and LinkedIn—Oh my!

With so many different forms of social media available how are people to choose which to utilize and which to ignore?

Personally, I like to explore as many social networking sites as possible because I think that each platform allows for different types of communication and relationships. Where my LinkedIn account is strictly professional and networking focused, my Facebook page is for keeping my friends and family updated on my newest adventures. I enjoy using multiple sites daily to gather different types of information; from managerial tips to what my college roommates are up to.

One site that I primarily use to stay informed of current events is Twitter. I follow different news and media outlets so that I can get important updates as soon as they are available. I found Twitter especially useful after the bombings at the Boston Marathon. Having friends and family in that area as those events unfolded was terrifying, but I found solace in following the constant tweets that news sources were posting. Knowing that I was getting the freshest information at the fastest speed gave me piece of mind, and having the ability to check for updates from my phone allowed me to be connected no matter where I was.

I think that having critical information available quickly is a big asset of social media sites, but people also need to be aware of the sources of that information. Knowing that each form of social media targets specific audiences and their needs can help to determine where to turn for updates. If you want to learn about current events, check out CNN’s Twitter; and if you want to know what your cousin in a different state has been doing, you can look at their Facebook page. I enjoy having access to so many different sources of information, and I think that having the types of updates broken into categories by the social networking sites helps to meet the needs of specific audiences.