Week 2 Part 1: Social Media - Business vs Personal use

Social Media can be identified as the use of information technology (hardware, software, data) to support the sharing of content among networks of users. Social media providers such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, Pinterest, and LinkedIn provide platforms for users to form communities of people with similar interests and create social networks. These social media providers each provide a unique product, in the form of software, for users to download or visit. The differences in each social media results in users (individuals and organizations) using that particular social media for certain purposes. 

For instance, if I were to send a quick picture to a friend or two, the social media I would use is Snapchat. If I wanted to share something with many people but I didn’t have an image to go along with it, I would use Twitter. Lastly, If I took a high resolution photo with a DSLR or mirrorless camera, and proceeded to edit it, I would post it on Instagram. 

The differences in how a certain social media platform is used results in the platform being well suited for user business functions or not.

Platforms such as Snapchat have historically not been well suited for large businesses, instead Snapchat favors personal use with a slightly more intimate group of friends than Instagram or Facebook. Snapchat is a social media where communities of a similar interest are not created through the app. Instead, generally, users add friends that they are already friends with, have their phone number, or have met in person and added through a snapcode. Since communities of interest cannot be made a business’s product or service cannot easily circulate.

Other social media platforms, however, are closely connected with business, LinkedIn being the most popular. LinkedIn has made a name for itself as a SM for professional networking which allows employers and job seekers to connect with each other. 

Other social media providers run the middle ground between personal and business use, this includes Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Unlike Snapchat, large businesses can benefit from the communities of interest formed on these platforms; and unlike LinkedIn, they can be used for more than building a professional network and finding employment.  As a result, nearly every major business will have a strong presence on all three. These three social media platforms allow businesses to easily and effectively advertise to and form relationships with their customers.