This picture is a perfect example of the different social media platforms. I find it interesting how the users are attracted to a certain platform, when in fact, they basically operate in the same manner. One main difference in the users between these platforms is age. The younger generations tend to use the more trendy platforms such as Tik-Tok and SnapChat. While the older generations stick to Facebook or Reddit.
Each of these platforms allows users to post pictures while expressing emotions, struggles, success, etc. This can be an effective way for people to connect with each other and build support groups. This freedom also has a dark side. A lot of times the users are shown advertisements and only a hand full of their friend’s content. The content normally shown is completely different than what the users would like to see this can create a problem.
Another issue with social media and the younger generations is on Instagram, especially towards women. The feeds of their social media accounts are flooded with pictures of the perfect body and perfect lifestyle. To me this is dangerous; it can cause young women to be insecure and hate their bodies. Studies have shown that young women are more likely to cause self-harm due to social media.
Now I would like to get into the positives of social media from a business perspective. I think social media platforms are a great way for small businesses to build community relationships: by engaging in organic content, targeting a particular group of consumers, and posting content that will show up on the user feed in a certain location. One example could be a restaurant in the Radford area. By posting content tagged with Radford University, the students may have the content pop up on their feed. This allows the restaurant to engage with the college group of consumers.
A good platform a restaurant could use to target the college students at Radford is Tik-Tok. Using content that shows the finished food product, preparation of the food, and photos of the college students at the restaurant would help these businesses engage with the students. Once the business engages with the students, they create more value for the community. The students will want to share the content online and advertise the business with word of mouth. This is just one example of a social media platform that can be used to target a certain group of consumers.
Overall, social media has become a big part of our daily lives and will continue to.
