The Power of Social Media

I received a link on my Facebook wall this morning to a video that talks about social media, which caused me to think about the influence that social media has on my life as well as the rest of the world.

The influence that social media has over our lives is astounding, especially considering that a few short years ago this media form did not exist. It is almost impossible to communicate with people these days without using some form of social media, because many no longer use conventional ways of communicating such as standard mail or even email. We are truly in a rapidly advancing world of technological change, which can be seen as a good or bad thing. Many members of the older generations see this shift as a bad thing due to the lack of intimacy that it appears to create. While this concern may be valid, it is important to notice how much easier it has become to keep in touch with people all over the world, and how easy it is to spread information.

The 2008 presidential election is evidence of how much power social media can have in the world of politics, and the recent campaigns to raise money for the earthquake victims in Haiti is evidence of the value of social media in humanitarian efforts. The video below looks into the effects that social media has on our lives, and how much the media form has evolved in the past few years.