How does social media influence your life?

What forms of social media influence the way you work, and how?

Now that I’ve asked the question, let me try to answer it as well as I can, and then I hope to hear from some of you as well.

These are the main forms of social media I use: blogs (I write my own and read tons of others), microblogging (Twitter), wikis (but mainly to log in attendance at events so far, nothing much more than that - I think as a resource wikis are heavily underutilised and I am party to that state of affairs so far), and social networks (primarily Facebook). Other forms of social media that exist but that I don’t use much are virtual worlds (like Second Life), podcasts, and RSS feeds (if one can call that ’social’). I include comments as part of blogs.

Over the last couple of years, social media has increasingly taken over the way I live my life.

There, it’s out in the open. I communicate way more with friends I’ve made through social media and those that have an existence in the online world (like on Facebook) than I do with friends that don’t. I’m pretty sure it’s the same state of affairs for many people, but I may be wrong.

The reasons are pretty simple: I find social media engaging, and by communicating with likeminded people online, my need for socialising is adequately satisfied to a large extent. When that connection is continued offline, as with SMM sit-down lunches, for example, my quality of life is even better. (I guess that makes me a bonafide geek).

My thoughts are:

1. Isn’t everyone’s quality of life improved by connecting with people they share common interests with, with whom they can discuss topics and ideas of interest? If those connections originated in the online world, why should that make it any less social than otherwise?

2. I am constantly encouraged to think more about events which I largely hear of online, because of my presence and activity in social media. Therefore, it is a positive influence.

3. Social media has helped me connect with people I never would have met in the ordinary course of things. I’ve been greatly enriched by what they do - web entrepreneurs, for example.

Are these all valid arguments against critics of social media?

How does social media influence your life?

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June 12, 2008 | Filed Under Anjali Ramachandran 

Comments

3 Responses to “How does social media influence your life?”

  1. Jo Jordan on June 12th, 2008 4:37 pm

    Me too. I moved to the UK 13 months ago and set about meeting people via social media. OK met lots of social media people but others too.

    The thing with the UK is that it is huge. There is everything you want but you have to find it. What you want is tucked away here and there. Ordinary internet is not so good here. Actually it sucks. So you get into anything that is social media and you follow up.

    You go to the closest thing that interests you and you watch people who share your interests, and you go where they go. In no time at all you have been all over the place, met loads of people, met people who don’t use social media very much, etc. etc.

    And activity on line brings people to you. I lived in my last country for five years and moved towns there after 15 mo. In the second town, where I had 1000 clients accounting for 10% of my organization’s customers and about 33% of the revenue of my department, my phone rang for the first time after 11 months. OK they are famous for being insular. But this is a big difference.

    Why didn’t I use social media then? Well it wasn’t around then. 5 years ago you joined up on email lists and looked up websites. That’s how much life has changed. Now I live in the boondocks. I love living here. I have the best of both worlds. My neighbors don’t use internet (or phones for that matter). They come to the door and go cooee. And I have an active interesting professional life on line with more by-the-by chatter than I had when I worked on a corridor with 30 colleagues and 1000 clients likely to pop in at any time. Time has flown by here. A bit of a concern actually - Thursday already - again!

  2. Asha Treacy on June 15th, 2008 1:49 pm

    Unlike others who have been involved with Social Media for years, it’s not even been a year for me, so it’s early days yet I guess. I like what’s happening so far and if that just get’s better than I’ll keep smiling :-) I love meeting people and socialising, and social media has helped to enhance that even more for me. My first MediaCamp last October introduced me to lots of new people and while I won’t see them all of the time, the initial contact is made and I can carry that on online if just wanted to say hi.

    I’ve been wanting to get ‘out in the open’ a bit more especially with my profession in HR. Linkedin and Facebook has been really useful for this, I’ve joined groups and connected with people who do the same work as me not just here in the UK but a few around the world too. I think that’s pretty cool and would like to keep that going.
    Like Jo I too get the best of both worlds, I have lots of people around me who don’t really have much to do with social media, it does not interest them or they don’t have the time.
    I’ve recently just started blogging and it’s been great getting to hear all the different and interesting views from people about me doing this. (Something I’ll be blogging about soon).

    As if I don’t chat enough I’m doing more so with people online. I’m chatting to family and friends most nights and I’ve used Facebook to find some really old friends whom I’ve lost contact with over the years. It’s great to be connected again..
    You have to spend time on these networks and really learn and understand them after all we didn’t learn this kind stuff at school so it all takes time.

    Would make a good discussion for a sesion on the 5th????? :-)

  3. Dan Thornton on June 25th, 2008 7:23 am

    My blog and playing around with social networks got me promoted into my current job.

    Using Twitter has increased my contacts, knowledge and skills, and made my current role slightly easier.

    Using social networks has led to reunions with people I haven’t seen in 10 years.

    I’m now able to more effectively judge contacts and companies which I wish to do business with as a consumer, or as an employer.

    Prospective contacts and employers can now find me easily, and ensure their contact with me is more relevant.

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