Communication Essay Assignment (Read Carefully)
Unit V
Lesson 2: Technology in Communication
Introduction
How we communicate always affects our professional image. When communicating formally or
informally through various messaging formats, every message must be accurate and easy to
understand. Social media and other types of technology are forums where ideas and opinions are
presented to unlimited numbers of people for better or worse.
Using Social Media Effectively
As electronic forms of messaging continue to expand in professional and personal settings, it is
more rather than less important to write and speak effectively in our technology-driven society.
We already communicate through many of the formal and informal channels such as e-mail,
memorandums, reports, text messaging, blog posts, phone calls, and of course, face-to-face
communication. According to powerdirect.com (as cited in Eastman, 2013), e-mail usage
increased 5.4 % from 2011 to 2012. Eastman also noted that 4.1 text messages per person were
sent daily in the United States at the time of her article in 2013. As of today, there are 2.3 billion
active social media users throughout the world, with 1.99 billion social mobile users, and an
annual projected growth of 10% annually (Chaffey, 2016). Any doubts about the potential of
social media for the business world have evaporated with the proliferation of social media sites
and users throughout the globe.
In addition, we communicate using the ever-expanding social media platform. The term social
media was first used in 2004 (Myers, n.d.). Some of the many platforms available include the
following sites:
LinkedIn helps employees build a professional network and communicate with professionals in a
variety of fields. Here, people share information and get to know about other companies. Many
use this social media site to demonstrate and develop a professional image and maintain
communications with peers who share news about jobs and current issues affecting a variety of
fields of endeavor.
Facebook has over 1.5 billion followers around the world. Many businesses also use this social
media outlet to market their goods and communicate with people in multiple countries. Users can
keep in touch with family, friends, and business partners. According to Eastman (2013),
Facebook has become one of the primary ways people send messages. In fact, the number of
messages sent through Facebook has now surpassed in volume the number sent by texting. It is
clearly the largest and most influential of the social media outlets.
Pinterest allows users to “pin” their ideas, as if on a bulletin board, and share them with family,
friends, and business associates. According to Meng (2014), in 2014, Pinterest was the fastest
growing social media platform for sharing content online, suggesting that businesses should look
beyond Facebook and Twitter to expand their social media communication.
Instagram is used to share photographs and videos. It is an app used for smartphones and
provides users with easy access for posting and finding photos. Here, with relative ease, one is
able to customize photos and market a variety of business products to like-minded peers.
Reddit is a platform in which one can communicate with others by submitting new content as
well as discussing and voting on content submitted by others. Users can be directed to a
business’s products and provided customer service through dedicated channels. Customers feel
heard and are able to get their questions answered (Beck, 2012). This service is extremely
valuable to any business because it costs less to keep a customer than to gain a new customer.
Google+ helps a member connect with others who share the same interests. Google+ allows
users to have separate “Circles” for work, news, or family. Additionally, one is able to join
“Communities” instead of Circles, depending on his or her interests. For example, if a subscriber
is interested in Nexus, he or she is able to join the Nexus Community. While Circles and
Communities are subsets of Google Plus, Circles permit users to isolate their followers into units
based on a criterion established by the user, business or otherwise. Communities are much like
traditional online message boards and usually have a theme and, therefore, attract like-minded
people who share ideas and communications.
Twitter has grown to be a very popular social messaging platform. Businesses can send out
messages, such as job postings, and employees can get answers quickly when doing research.
Since people can use the same Twitter account on different devices—iPhone, Android, Windows
Phone, Blackberry, and so on—tweeting has become very popular. Businesses are able to
determine how people feel about their products by following conversations being tweeted. Users
are limited to 140 characters on Twitter communications.
Things move very fast in the world of social media, and if any business had doubts about the
benefits of employing social media as a business tool, those doubts are now a decade too late.
Today social networking is the top online activity in the United States with the average
American spending some 37 minutes every day exploring a variety of sites. A shocking 46% of
web users are affected, if not influenced directly, by social media when purchasing a wide
variety of products. Similarly, 70% of business-to-consumer marketers acknowledge getting
customers via Facebook. Some 90% of online retailers today use Pinterest. On Twitter, almost
70% of its users buy directly from brand names advertised there. The big three sites today
offering the largest business opportunities are Facebook, Google, and Twitter (Karr, 2015).
All of these channels of communication can be used to interact with business partners,
coworkers, family, and friends. There are positives and negatives associated with these forms of
communication, and every user must determine which choice of social media will make a
particular communication most effective.
As social media outlets continue to grow and expand, it becomes more imperative to continually
adapt in order to make your voice heard and create the changes that will bring in more
customers/clients.
Using Other Forms of Technology
A blog is the shortened form of the word “weblog.” A blog is actually a website that someone
develops. This platform is similar to a journal in which the blogger shares his or her ideas about
a specific topic or several topics. When other people access someone’s blog, it becomes very
interactive as they express their opinions and respond to other bloggers.
A wiki is very similar to a blog except that it is used for groups rather than individuals. Wikis are
used in businesses so that employees are able to post and acquire information regarding projects
on which they are working.
Podcasting is another medium that has become popular in the business environment. Businesses
broadcast their products and services using podcasts. Users subscribe to podcasts, many of which
are located through blogs. Once a user is subscribed to a podcast, he or she receives automatic
downloads on that topic. Time shifting is a term associated with podcasting. It means that a user
is able to listen to content anytime, anywhere, as opposed to needing to be present for a live
event such as one typically found on radio (Starak, n.d.).
The growth of not only the number of social media sites but also the incredible number of people
using social media throughout the world on a daily basis is challenging to comprehend. The
world is changing daily in ways we find it almost impossible to believe. Online shopping sites
like Amazon have dramatically altered decades-old patterns of shopping to the extent that many
of the oldest names in business are no longer competitive and might disappear in the near future.
Technology has completely changed our world in a short period of time, and history, too, is now
in the process of cataclysmic changes that have been affected by mobile technology in particular.
Yesterday’s world is gone, and although we are here today, we also know that tomorrow’s world
will offer new technologies and the corollary challenges that always go with rapid change.
Check for Understanding
1. Today, in the world of social media, we are able to worry less about writing and speaking correctly.
a) True b) False
2. What is the single most influential and largest social media platform? a) Twitter b) YouTube c) Facebook
3. How many active social media users are there today in the world? a) Millions b) Billions
4. One of the fastest growing social media platforms, this site claims that 90% of online retailers use the site regularly.
a) Instagram b) Pinterest
5. Social media sites have become incredibly popular but have yet to affect business in any significant way.
a) True b) False
Review
1. We communicate formally or informally through a variety of messaging formats. 2. Today, social networking is the top online activity in the United States. 3. As social media outlets continue to grow and expand, it becomes more imperative to
continually adapt in order to make your voice heard and create the changes that will bring
in more customers/clients.
Answer Key
1. False - Today, when customers and associates make up their minds about us from messages, pictures, or interactive communications, such as Adobe or Skype, our writing
and speaking are more critical than ever.
2. C – Facebook - Facebook is clearly the most visited and influential of all the social media platforms, followed by YouTube.
3. B - Global social media statistics estimate that some 2.3 billion active users of social media existed early in 2016 with that number increasing every day.
4. B - A phenomenally popular and growing site, it is the biggest challenge to Facebook and Twitter and has a strong business oriented following. Instagram is not primarily a
business site.
5. B – False - In fact, social media sites have already changed the way we do business throughout the world with large companies like Amazon and Alibaba. The current
business climate is that companies adapt and use social media or wither and perish.
References
Beck, B. (2012, September 20). 6 ways to use Reddit to grow your business. Retrieved from http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/reddit/
Chaffey, D. (2016). Global social media research summary 2016. Retrieved from
http://www.smartinsights.com/social-media-marketing/social-media-strategy/new-global-
social-media-research/
Eastman, H. (2013, July 7). Communication changes with technology, social media. Retrieved
from http://universe.byu.edu/2013/07/07/1communication-changes-with-technology-social- media/
Karr, D. (2015). Infographic: 46% of consumers use social media in purchase decisions.
Retrieved from https://www.marketingtechblog.com/social-media-infographic/
Meng, A. (2014, January 20). What is Pinterest, and how does it work? Retrieved from http://www.infront.com/blogs/the-infront-blog/2014/1/20/what-is-pinterest-and-how-does-it- work#
Myers, A. (n.d.). 13 types of social media platforms and counting. Retrieved from
http://decidedlysocial.com/13-types-of-social-media-platforms-and-counting/
Starak, Y. (n.d.). What is a podcast? Retrieved from https://www.entrepreneurs-
journey.com/230/what-is-a-podcast/