Static web pages have dominated the World Wide Web since it was first created. Such websites in which users are not allowed to participate in are termed “Web 1.0.” These are read-only websites that contain information published for people to view. In web 1.0, people are essentially consumers. With the launch of web 2.0, consumers are now producers as well. Web 2.0 can be seen in social media websites that encourage the creation and exchange of user generated content. Popular examples of such are YouTube, Flickr, Twitter, Facebook, and Blogspot where people have the option of not only reading but also writing/producing content.

There are many implications of the rise of social media, especially in the corporate world. As social media is on the rise, corporate communication is slowly being democratized. The power is now shifting from producers to consumers. With the use of the information superhighway and web 2.0 technologies, people are able to document and share their views on any subject without having to seek permission from corporations. The large impact social media can have on such corporations can be seen through the example of Dave Carroll who created and posted a video about United Airlines on YouTube after the United staff broke his guitar in 2008. His music video, “United Breaks Guitars,” which documents his experience with United Airlines went viral and has been viewed more than 10 million times. 

The popularity of Carroll’s video has caused permanent damage to the brand name as Carroll’s YouTube video link turns up as a result every time anyone does an internet search for United Airlines. 

The death of Martine Vik Magnussen which led to a boycott of Coca-Cola products also shows the power of social media. 

 

Magnussen’s murder was suspected to be linked to Farouk Abdulhaq, son of Saher Abdulhaq. Farouk’s father is one of Yemen’s most powerful businessmen, and his father’s company was the main Mercedes importer in the country and also a main shareholder of Coca-Cola bottling and distribution in the Middle East. As Farouk fled from Britain after the incident and refused to return to the country for further investigation, a group called “Justice for Martine” was formed on Facebook to encourage people to boycott Coca-Cola products. More than 53,000 people signed up on the Facebook page within the first two weeks. This Facebook group managed to capture the attention of the Coca-Cola Company and on March 14, the company announced that they will be severing all ties with Saher Abdulhaq. 

You can read more about this article at:

http://www.newsweek.com/2011/03/20/some-justice-for-martine.html

These examples show the rising power of social media and stress the importance for organizations and individuals to recognize its power and understand what it is exactly. 

Another popular form of social media websites are blogs. Before online blogging was made available, one would have to be published in a book or gain popularity through the media before one would be able to publish one’s thoughts. Now, anyone’s thoughts can published for free on the internet through websites such as Blogspot, Wordpress, Livejournal, and many more. Again, this shows the democratization of corporate communication as people no longer seek information solely from companies but also from individuals who they deem interesting and knowledgeable on certain subjects. 

There has been a rising trend of blogging as people have started to realize the economic viability of this activity. Blogging was once viewed as a way in which individuals can express their thoughts, but now bloggers are slowly being integrated into the corporate marketing structure as companies have realized that blogs have a large following and that the opinions of certain bloggers have the ability to influence its readers. Many bloggers are sponsored with products by companies or are paid to do advertorials for them on their blogs. Blogging is now utilized not only as a venue in which one can express their opinions, but also as a platform in which companies can market themselves. Therefore, blogging is made alluring to many due to such monetary and fame incentives.  

Social media websites are a force to be reckoned with. The power of the words and thoughts of individuals can be seen through social media websites as these sites provide users with a platform for vocalizing their opinions with minimal restrictions.

The Internet

Harrow all! This blog is for the purposes of my Com125 module which introduces us to the internet.

The internet is a collection of computers connected to form a global networked environment. It provides the infrastructure for us to use electronic mailing and to find information online through the World Wide Web. Both the internet and the World Wide Web are used by the masses worldwide. 

With technological advancements in cellular devices and satellites, many of us are connected to the internet 24/7. We browse web pages on our blackberries and iphones, update our statuses with insignificant details of our lives on social networking sites every hour, send/receive e-mails, and at the end of the day, return home to stream YouTube videos or movies online. This actually does describe my life in a nutshell, and I am sure it is the same for many of you as well. As the internet is now a considerable part of our lives, let us learn exactly what the internet is and how we are able to utilize it! 

The internet has significantly changed many of our lives. It has brought us all closer together as time and space constraints are not an issue in a virtual network. We are able to communicate with one another through e-mails; albeit this does present some form of lag time, and with internet programs like Skype, we are able to communicate face to face in real time. However, the issue these days is not about the benefits of the internet but the disadvantages it is causing us. Many have complained about feelings of detachment and isolation as we become so overly immersed in our online activities that we begin to ignore the importance of physical interaction. 

Overall, the internet has presented to us many opportunities that were previously unavailable to the masses. It has been integrated seamlessly into our lives, so much so that few of us can remember how we managed to survive without the internet before. There is no doubt that the internet has created many problems for us due to our overreliance on it, but if we are able to control our usage of the internet, we are able to limit the disadvantages it brings to us as well. 

Next up! Social media... Ooooh....