How social media changed the world

Now a major part of our lives, it’s hard to imagine a world without social media.

To think this was only just over a decade ago really is crazy! So much of our lives incorporate social media in some way or another. Whether this using social platforms to communicate with friends or family, to promote our businesses, to engage with work colleagues from across the globe, or to literally earn money, it would be hard to find somebody that hasn’t been influenced or affected by the use of social media in some way. GMR, creating their very social platform, have been reflecting on this.

Supporting businesses

The entire world of marketing has completely changed since social media created a platform for companies to advertise to and communicate with their audience so directly. Now more than ever consumers are influenced by the ads they see across social platforms like Instagram and Facebook. Not only can large, multi-million-dollar corporations utilise social media as part of their marketing strategies, small start-ups too can create a name for themselves with social media.

With influencers and digital creators added to the mix, it is a necessary tool in any organisation’s digital marketing tool belt.

Connecting people across the globe

It’s safe to say the world has never been more connected than it is today. The transformation digital technology has had on our ability to communicate has allowed humans from across the world to form connections virtually! Look across the web and you will find communities of people, people who would have once never met, come together for the love of a shared interest. People in cites 1000s of km apart would now consider each other “internet friends”. Social platforms of all kinds have created spaces for this to be possible, in a world where this was near impossible before. People are now exposed to such an array of cultures and different lifestyles, leading lives with a much more open-minded outlook.

News

Ask most people where their main source of information is, and they will likely list off several social media platforms. Not only is social media a fun way to connect with friends, family and to engage with digital content, it has now become a key source of information for millions of people. Major newspapers and digital magazines keep social users in the know with regular day-to-day, hour-to-hour, and minute-to-minute news bulletins. All available to access and read with the click of a button or a swipe of a finger! Not only are we now able to access live news updates which are relevant to our own lives, but social media also helps to spread information across the globe. Providing users, a much wider scope of knowledge, including news from around the world.

Trends

Trends are in and out faster than you can say “trending”. Social media is now the go-to for finding what is hot and what is not. Whether that’s influencing our decisions in fashion, gaming, music, TV, film, fitness and more. Social media users are more likely to make offline decisions based on what they have seen and interacted with online. This could be as simple as what clothes they buy or where they choose to eat and drink.