Social media is the collection of websites and mobile applications that people use to communicate. Some of the most popular platforms are Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. These are all free or heavily-paid services that are used to share images, videos, and other content. In addition, they have a variety of business applications. Read on to learn about their functions and history, and how they influence public opinion.
Historical context of social media platforms
Social media platforms have evolved over time and have been developed to serve various purposes. Some of them have become niches within their own category. For example, Foursquare, launched in 2009, is a location-based social network. More social networks emerged in the years after, including Instagram, Pinterest, and Google Buzz.
The history of social media can be traced back to the birth of the Internet. The first social networking website was called GeoCities. Jarkko Oikarinen created IRC in 1988, an instant messaging service that allowed users to text with people all over the world. Later, Tencent began operating its popular QQ instant messaging system, which still operates today. Its user base has grown to 574 million users.
Social media is an important source of information for many people. Moreover, it provides a wide network of potential contacts. People can find jobs or new friends using social media. Furthermore, social media has become an important news source, bringing a real perspective to current events. As human beings, we thrive on social interaction, and social media is one of the ways to do this. With their diverse features, social media applications allow us to meet new people and make friends across national borders.
The rise of social media platforms has had a significant impact on history. The Egyptian revolution in 2011 saw hundreds of thousands of people take to the streets. The popular uprising ultimately forced Mubarak to step down. Earlier in the year, similar protests ousted Tunisian dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. This triggered the Arab Spring, which has brought about positive change for many local populations. Social media played a key role in organizing this social movement.
Social media sites began to emerge in the early 2000s. In fact, LinkedIn, one of the oldest social networks, was launched in 2003. Back then, the purpose of social networking sites was purely business. Users could create company pages, post jobs, and recruit people. Eventually, LinkedIn became the largest social networking site in the world.
In recent years, the popularity of social media sites has increased, but many critics have raised concerns about privacy. In the past, users were largely unaware of the terms of use and recording of their personal data. This has prompted some social media platforms to introduce features such as geotagging and capture time. This helps provide a context for the data they collect.
Functions of social media platforms
Social media platforms have become a vital part of our society, influencing all aspects of daily life. Often based on Web 2.0 principles, social media platforms allow users to share and create information. These platforms are quickly changing the way we communicate and live our lives, especially among the young. The speed at which social media technologies are being developed only increases. By examining the functions of social media platforms and the issues that arise from them, students can better understand the complexities of today’s social and policy issues.
In education, social media platforms can be effective tools for promoting student engagement. By enabling interaction between instructors and students, these platforms enable students to build connections and learn more effectively. In addition, they can foster international collaborations with communities of practice. Furthermore, students are exposed to a variety of perspectives and information through social media platforms, making it possible to apply theoretical knowledge to practice.
As social media platforms continue to be an integral part of our everyday lives, it’s vital to consider how they can enhance literacy. The creation and use of these platforms relies on algorithms to transform information into the desired output. These algorithms can learn about a user’s preferences and provide them with relevant content.
In addition to using these tools for personal and professional networking, social media platforms can also play an important role in shaping the political landscape. Social media platforms also allow people to communicate with those who share similar interests and values. In fact, a study by Z. Chen and Chan (2017) found that social media can promote political participation.
Social media has changed the way news is produced and shared. It has also changed the way news organizations interact with their audiences. For example, they have had to adapt their strategies to meet the needs of their users. The use of social media has changed the way journalists produce and distribute news. By harnessing the power of social media, journalists can reach a wider audience and become more influential.
A study conducted in China examined the role of social media in the lives of young people. The study focuses on the use of social media platforms by Chinese youth over a short period (2015-2019).
Influence of social media on public opinion
The popularity of social media has grown rapidly in recent years. The growth of individual social media platforms has fluctuated over time. For example, MySpace was popular from 2006 to 2008, but was soon replaced by Facebook. Now, sites like Instagram, Snapchat, and Pinterest are gaining popularity. These sites are used to share ideas and engage with others. While they are beneficial to the general public, there are also risks.
One of the main risks of social media is the insularity it fosters. According to a YouGov poll, 24% of Democrats did not have a friend who shared their political views, which makes social media platforms the perfect environment to create echo chambers and promote a partisan, divisive political ideology. This creates “bandwagons,” a phenomenon wherein users amplify messages from mass media without fact-checking or contextualizing them. As a result, misinformation can spread quickly.
There are also new methods for obtaining public opinion data. Researchers are using social media as a supplement to traditional methods of survey research. For example, they can use Facebook and Twitter to identify study participants, use these sites as a way to reach potential respondents, or use the social media as a passive monitoring tool. Social media can also be used to determine the quality of survey data.
There are a number of research studies that have attempted to study the impact of social media on public opinion. For example, a study by Cunningham (2012) analyzed tweets to derive conclusions about drug use, and Murphy and colleagues (2012) found that Facebook and Twitter mentions of drugs were correlated. However, the correlations were weak and the signals reflected different phenomena.
In addition to using social media platforms to research the impact of political campaigns, researchers have also used them to measure the public sentiment surrounding current events. Researchers from the Pew Research Center used Twitter to measure the sentiment surrounding the 2012 presidential election. They found that Twitter users shared more news items and opinions than partisan discussion. They also found that Twitter users used Twitter as a means of presenting an alternative narrative about the protest.
As research on social media continues, more questions will arise. However, the research organization producing the data should ensure that they are transparent and open to research participants.
