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Running head: SOCIAL MEDIA
Social Media as a Means of Communication
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Social Media as a Means of Communication
Introduction
Social media has been a way of communication for over a decade with the access of internet. All
people of different cultures all around the world have taken advantage of social media with
keeping in touch with peers. It’s the way individuals consume media on the go that has allowed
the communication to be readily available with smartphones and tablets. Social media has
allowed many to use on the go apps such as Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat to connect with
others while in different parts of the world. While social media has many uses, it's one central
connect is the communication and sharing of ideas, knowledge, beliefs, and opinions among a
diverse group. While sharing this information, this allows many to learn and keep up-to-date
with evolving technology in healthcare. While social media has had its improvements, it also has
its privacy concerns with criminals trying to steal your personal information. Social media has
been said to improve networking and connectivity while having a positive and some negative
impact on our culture. When communicating over social media, we must be careful with our
words and how they may be perceived on the receiving end, it’s much different in person. While
business owners do not need to put much effort into advertising, social media may be a way to
gain customers and keep them. Social media has changed the way neighborhoods and
communities stay in touch, such as how they behave. Before social media, a lot of people use to
call on the phone if they saw suspicious activity. Even though people still make phone calls,
they have formed social media groups to post valuable information and videos, including
positive and negative information.
Keywords: policy, social media, communication, social media, Twitter, Facebook, privacy
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Social Media as a Means of Communication
History of Communication
Communication is nothing new to the new age, it first emerged in the 1990s with online
advertising, following the arrival of mainstream social media in the early 2000s. “Social media
communication has become the fastest-growing digital communications format for firms, such as
social sharing platforms and an active social network presence” (Gruner, Vomberg, Homburg,
Lukas, 2019, p.173). Printed books and newspapers can now be purchased or uploaded on an
electronic device to social media. Before social media news was spread through films,
newsreels, and cartoons. After and before Jesus died, people got the word out by word of
mouth, letters, and speeches. This can be thought of as a form of "social" "media." The
Christian church, same as today still send letters, but many are also fully engulfed and depend
on social media. Churches sometimes ask their members and non-members to follow them on
social media to keep the communication lines open. It also allows them to see a calendar of
things happening in the month. 2 Peter 3:15-16 And count the patience of our Lord as salvation,
just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does
in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. Some things in them are hard to
understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their destruction, as they do the other
Scriptures. Still today on social media, things get twisted into ruin. Many even do not
adequately communicate well on social media. Sometimes it's always best to meet face to face,
the "old fashion way."
Social media is a tool for many to communicate by engaging in support groups or
societies. Blogs and YouTube videos are still a source of communication with the world by one
who is endorsing a product or merely telling their secret regimens. A subscriber on YouTube has
total control of the message they want to convey to millions. Twitter is a short note called tweets
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where people, a business, and an artist can get a piece of news out quickly to followers of their
tweets. Facebook is mainly for building friendships and groups with now lots of advertisement
ads. Snapchat is a social media website that lets the user exchange pictures and videos among
friends with a filter for social engagement.
In the early 1990s, Tim Berners-Lee introduces to the world hypertext markup language
(HTML) which gave many the Web. Since then, America has been introduced to many social
media websites. The one that has become most popular would be Facebook. Facebook was first
introduced to individuals everywhere in 2004, created from a Harvard dorm room by a few
young men. “In the fourth quarter of 2015, Facebook had 1.59 billion monthly active users, and
Twitter aver-aged 305 million monthly active users” (O’Connor, 2016, p.514). Facebook has
since become the fastest growing media platform. It has engaged as a portal for news,
advertising, social groups such as a health care system, entertainment, and social interaction
among peers. “Studies have identified the following five marketing uses of the Facebook
platform for, brand fan pages, advertisement, applications, social plug-ins, and sponsored stories"
(Khan, Dongping, 2017, p.159). Some of the ways that we communicate on social media
websites are through inboxes, expression emojis, comments, status updates, and even liking or
disliking a post. As a wow factor, according to author O'Connor (2016), “Every two days we
create as much information as we did from the dawn of civilization” (p.514).
Communication in different cultures
Culture has been defined as a collective group of people that have been distinguished as
members of one group from those of another. Social media, as of today, has had a significant
influence on the way individuals and groups of people portray themselves to all of the world.
Social media has become so popular that many people have groups that allow you to join a social
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media app. People have used them as a daily part of their lives. Author Amant (2016), states that
“The broad reach and the interactive nature of such media allow us to exchange ideas across vast
distances and engage in conversations with broad audiences in the blink of an eye” (p.10).
Facebook has different groups, such as couponing, religious, job-related societies, and many
more. Children also have been lured into YouTube videos, by making them believe the newest
toys on the market are crucial to happiness.
All over the world, social media has been monitored by the government for many
reasons. Some want to keep social media open to foster pro-democracy movements while others
look at efforts as unwanted intrusions in their internal affairs. The Chinese government has
employed millions of workers to monitor, and sensor topics on Chinese sites visited such as
YouTube. Some countries use social media to track protestors while other governments block
sites with posts that voice opposing views.
Social Media as communication for a Business
The arrival of social media has brought many new opportunities to the way an
organization communicates (Floreddu, Cabiddu, 2016, p.495). Social media has allowed business
and consumer to stay connected in various ways. Value has brought meaning to social media as a
business, as it has received many clients by them learning about a product online before they
make a purchase. Online shopping has many positive selling points. The biggest is you can shop
around for the best price and product before stepping foot in a store if needed. For example,
when members join Facebook, it collects information about them, such as where they live, their
interests, age, sexual orientation, likes versus dislikes, and most of all media preferences. “Social
media provides user-generated content, which more effectively influences the behaviors and
attitudes of other consumers toward a brand than does conventional marketing communication”
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(Khan, Dongping, 2017, p.159). With video ads popping up on social media, this has been the
biggest marketplace to advertise for exposure. According to author Gruner, Vmberg, Homburg
and Lukas (2019), “Investments in social media communication and online advertising are
reflected in terms of financial and human resource commitments since both types of resources
are required for achieving social network presence and online advertising exposure” (p.173).
With the social media craze, almost every business has gone "social." These websites are
inviting for real-time user comments to stimulate viewer engagement. Healthcare systems are
another business that uses social media a lot. It has increased the awareness of prevention, and
treatments from doctor to their patients. Social awareness has stimulated an essential dialogue in
the provider community about the need for early detection of worsening heart failure (O'Connor,
2016, p.514). Social media has presented a self-awareness check for all. Doctors seem to be
triple checking and screening their patients from a previous article or video that was produced on
a social media website from anther facilities findings. Social media has the power to generate
traffic in a big way, whether positive or negative. It can get many likes, dislikes and even video
shares millions of times a day. “Social media provide firms with the opportunity to extract
unfiltered and unchanged opinions and thoughts from many people in real-time and at low cost"
(Floreddu, Cabiddu, 2016, p.495). According to author Floreddu & Cabiddu (2016), “Corporate
reputation allows for the creation of fiduciary links between consumers and firms and can be
considered a "substitute for information" and an essential mechanism for reducing uncertainty in
virtual spaces” (p.495).
Positive communication on social media
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Facebook, with many other social media websites, can contribute to positive social
interaction. It has been said that it can cheer people up that are homebound and even in the
hospitals. It’s a way to get out, communicate, and socialize with the world. It makes many people
feel good about themselves that could be lonely or depressed. “A 2009 study found an increase
in positive perception towards social media and public relations with more two-way
communication opening up direct channels between organizations and the public” (Jayashree,
2018, p.1840). Some YouTube Video can be informational, while others may be full of lies.
Anyone over the age of eighteen can post a YouTube video, and it usually can be about anything
they desire as long as it stays within YouTube lawful content. Children can learn a lot from
educational videos, but this still must be monitored by a parent. It has been known for
presidential candidates to run an ad for their campaign straight from YouTube. The video would
be allowed to be viewed by many, with the possibility to like it. If they like what they see, then
they can share it with other media sites such as Facebook. Then Facebook allows the video to be
reposted over and over again on different walls, communicated with millions of people all over
the world. “Microblogging websites become valuable sources for people’s opinions and
sentiments, providing data for marketing or social studies” (Jayashree, 2018, p.1840).
Negative and privacy issues through Social media
While social media is on the upside, it also has its pitfalls. Many people are engaged on
these sites twenty-four hours a day. With that much involvement, people are dragged into many
interactions of online chatter of hate about a business or person, personal writing of a post and
distractions with videos. According to author Yen (2016), “The possible reason for this behavior
is that consumers who have been dissatisfied with services may have the option to complain to
personnel or to a firm in either a direct or indirect manner” (p.2463). Social media has and will
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eventually replace a personal handshake along with face-to-face meetings. 1 Corinthians 15:33
Do not be deceived: Bad Company ruins good morals. As the Bible has explained, we should not
lose our good morals of personal interaction. “With social media, communication companies
remain, to a certain extent, in control of their communication intensity and may succumb to the
temptation of promoting a given product too strongly” (Gruner, Vomberg, Homburg, Lukas,
2019, p.173). Social media sites provide the world with the opportunity to leave negative
comments. These comments result from failures and or dissatisfaction. This could ruin a
business or a person’s reputation. Most people share their thoughts and opinions with a business
if they become dissatisfied, but if the outcome is not in their favor, they have the choice to post
about it or share a video. After a friend reads the post, they feel empathy and what if it could
have happened to them. So then they share it with friends. Everyone has a different set of friends,
so within a short span, depending on how viral this may go, it could reach millions of people
within an hour.
Facebook has become a portal where many internet villains or trolls come daily, to watch
and sell your identity. There are people that communicate through a messenger as one person, but
in reality, they are not who they say they are. Many people have been faced with fraudulent
activity on their account and have forced them to closed a social media account or re-open
another. While communicating with family and friends, there may be someone lurking on the
other end waiting for their big chance. It has been said that these intruders communicate with
you by asking for your address, phone number, and even money. In 2018, Facebook was faced
with its first data breach over a fourteen-year history. The hackers may have had access to over
fifty million accounts with the potential to overtake them. Not only did this create an enormous
risk for all users of Facebook, but it was also a violation of privacy. Romans 12:2 Do not
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conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you
will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing, and perfect will.
Conclusion
Communication has come a long way, with social media being the root. Since the
evolution of social media, it has been a means of communication for all group and cultures
throughout the world. People have seen their small in-home businesses rise from nothing to
replace it with a shop of its own. Advertisement on social media is on the uprise with companies
promoting their product. Individuals can now communicate, buy, and sell through social media,
all the way from Virginia to Africa without ever meeting in person. The amazement continues to
grow as many can search recipes for cooking to how to change a motor out of a car. Children are
now more engaged in YouTube videos now more than ever; they can watch toy videos for hours.
Social Media has also made a boost in the healthcare sector. Healthcare systems are allowing
insight into their future treatment facility and the specialties they offer. While social media can
have a positive impact on individuals, it is also full of lies and bullying. Celebrities and non-
celebrities all over the world have committed suicide because of the effects it has had on their
lives. We must not forget that God placed us here to prosper and spread the good news about
Him; it is He that supplies all of our needs. Deuteronomy 8:18 You shall remember
the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his
covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day.
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References
Amant, K. (2016). Online Networks, Social media, and communication design. Communication
Design Quarterly Review. 4(2). 10-11
Floreddu, P., Cabiddu, F. (2016). Social Media communication strategies. Journal of Services
Marketing. 30(5).490-503
Gruner, R., Vomberg, A., Homburg, C., Lukas, B. (2019). Supporting New Product launches with
social media communication and online advertising: Sales volume and profit
implications. Product Innovation Management. 36(2). 172-195
Jayashree, B. (2018). Social Media and communication by Scientist: M.S. Swaminathan on
Twitter. Current Science. 114(9).1840-1845
Khan, I., Dongping, H. (2017). Variations in the diffusion of social media content across
different cultures: A communicative ecology perspective. Journal of Global Information
technology Management. 20(3). 156-170
O'Connor, C. (2016). Social Media, Can it Reduce Heat Failure Events? JACC: Heart Failure.
4(6). 514-516
Yen, Y. (2016), "Factors enhancing the posting of negative behavior in social media and its
impact on venting negative emotions," Management Decision, Vol. 54 No. 10, pp. 2462-
2484. https://doi-org.ezproxy.liberty.edu/10.1108/MD-11-2015-0526
