The author is a student at Skidmore College who is interning at Spotlight Newspapers.
Social media is popular right now. How could it not be? It connects people all around the world and has the ability to make any person become somewhat well known, since anyone can post one picture or video that could potentially be shared with millions.
When social media websites were on the rise, their ability to make someone more noticeable to strangers attracted outside businesses. Even though I can’t give an example of someone who has become famous strictly through Facebook (well, except maybe Mark Zuckerberg) it has definitely become a method of enhancing someone’s popularity, whether it be a band, celebrity or even a business. A good indicator of a successful social media site is the fact that businesses find it to be a good method of advertising themselves.
It’s essential for businesses now to have a Facebook and Twitter presence if they want to reach a wide audience since so many people are on them and can access them, even without an account. Additionally, consumers can communicate with the business and voice an opinion in a casual manner. These sites started out as popular among people looking to mainly socialize, but after businesses saw success by using them, they became a phenomenon and important marketing strategy.
There were many who did not join until late in the movement’s popularity. Some didn’t even hear of Twitter before news reports started using the site as a resource for real time information on breaking news. It shows that the growth of these services is unpredictable. So with all the already popular social media sites, which one will become as important Facebook or Twitter?
Just a few years ago, it seemed numerous sites on the rise were becoming incredibly popular. One site, Digg, was popular a few years ago, yet now seems rather obscure compared to other social news sites. This site allowed users to see news stories that were posted by others and either give the stories a positive or negative vote, thereby “digging” or “burying” it, and determining what others will see first when they visit the site throughout the day. This was one of the first news websites used expressly to link with articles, allowing users to share the article directly, which gave it a boost in popularity.
However, I’ve noticed it has disappeared and faded to MySpace status. Why did this not blow up like Twitter? Well, when you break it down, it was a simple news sharing site. The interaction between users and readers was merely showing overall popularity, not individual details. With little in the way of customization and individual interaction, it seems that a site cannot gain widespread popularity. People love to be unique and to be noticed. It helps them stand out and be themselves.
That being said, I feel there are a number of up-and-comers still out there. A blogging website, Tumblr, has really risen in popularity over the past few years. Although blogging is not new the Internet, this website is winning those over I’ve spoken to.
With over 50 million blogs on Tumblr, it clearly has a strong and growing population. What this site does to differentiate itself from the other blog sites is that it allows customization of style, pictures, information and allows “reblogging” of others’ posts. While it may not sound groundbreaking, in 2011, Tumblr sharing rates increased by over 1,000 percent. The site is mainly used by people in their 20s and even teens, but websites such as Twitter and Facebook were also chiefly used by that demographic before becoming such an important tool to others.
Another site that makes sharing a centerpiece is Pinterest. When surfing other sites, I am sometimes asked if I would like to “pin” the pictures, along with the other basic sharing options. Pinterest allows users to post pictures and connect others with the interesting photos they put up. Users can organize their Pinterest profile and “re-pin” content. The website is young, but hopefully it can achieve a greater popularity instead of becoming “pinactive.”
While sites like Pinterest and Tumblr do not appear at first glance, they can be useful for a business, just look at Twitter or Facebook. A site that allowed users to post pictures and give a one or two sentence updates about their life turned into an important business staple overnight and created a whole new marketing field. That alone shows that no matter how casual these websites seem, they can easily expand and become useful to everyone, whether they be in business, government or even journalism.
