Reading Chapter 6 has given me more in-depth knowledge on topics I had previously known about. I found it very interesting how much goes on behind the scenes for companies that are trying to grow on social media. While companies "want visitors to respond to each post" they "also seek higher levels of engagement through liking comments of others and making comments" of their own (Lipschultz 2021). Reading page 165 specifically made me think of interactions I see happening online everyday. Companies use "trendy" words and try to speak like they are human, and not a corporation. Social media has made these companies decide to speak informally and like they are our friend (probably to make us feel they are more "relatable"). I always found it to be cringe-worthy and very strange. It also highlights how social media has changed the landscape for things in the real world.
Another interesting part to this reading was the statistics on social media influencers. "86% of young Americans aspire to be a social media influencer" and "one in five social media users claim to know an influencer, and this is about twice the estimate of those considering themselves one" (Lipschultz 2021). I knew being an influencer was a coveted and popular job, but I had not realized the magnitude. As the chapter touches on, there are whole businesses, research studies, and analytical tools all created just to understand this phenomenon.
I thought that the chapter's interest in Twitter was unexpected. I hadn't thought of Twitter on the same level as Instagram and Tiktok when it comes to growth and expression. I always thought of Twitter people were on casually, while people put more thought into their Instagram and Tiktok posts. But, companies seem to be very interested in Twitter analytics, especially because they're more accepting of third-party applications.
Since I use social media for professional reasons (as well as for entertainment), knowing the information in this chapter does not affect my use of social media at all. I have used the insight tools this chapter speaks on, and I think they are great for people trying to grow. However, knowing more in-depth information on analytics will definitely continue to help me in a professional capacity.
Reference:
Lipschultz, J. H. (2021). Social Media Communication: Concepts, practices, data, Law and Ethics. Routledge.
Hi Nayla,
ReplyDeleteI found your post to be a very informative read. The aspects of Social Media and data that you highlighted made a lot of sense. Having used social media for professional reasons and entertainment, I agree that it is important to understand how data can be interpreted. It is especially useful when understanding the audience and ways that you might expand your audience.