Social Media-A Change To Life

A trading technology that facilitate composition and sharing of information is referred as Social Media. Variety of social media services like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter, YouTube, WeChat are available where users can get engaged with.

An individual sense of connectedness has improved via social media. It has become an active communication tool for corporate marketing, entrepreneurs, NGOs, advocacy groups and political parties. Government offices and organisations also use these social media websites for their campaigning and other official chores.

New emerging trends in social media are stepping stones for technical studies. Social media is different from other media sources like tv, radio, magazines in many ways. At one hand, where social media has improved the sense of connectedness with real communities, on the other hand it has some negative impacts as well on individual and society. With the origin and improvement of technologies, social media has come up with six primary categories:

1. Social Networking Sites: Any social networking site such as Facebook, Instagram is a social media source. People with similar interests and background get connected with each other through these websites. Business owners and entrepreneurs choose the most suitable website for their business and for marketing too.
2. Bookmarking Sites: These sites allow users to upload bookmarks and links. Users organize these social bookmark services and tag them. These users also save links to webpages that they like and want to share and use social bookmarking sites to store these links. Twitter, Pinterest, Dribble, Reddit, Slashdot are all social bookmarking sites.
3. Social News: The website which authorize users to post links about news and other journal articles are social news sites. Reddit is an example of social news site.
4. Media Sharing: Through media sharing websites, users are permitted to share different type of media in the form of pictures and video. These sites also has features where users can create profile. YouTube is the most popular media sharing site.
5. Microblogging: Websites that allow users to publish short written articles with a link to any product are blogging sites. Twitter is the most common microblogging website.
6. Blog's Comments & Forums: On these websites, users get engage in conversation through posts and comments, sometimes by responding to any message in community group. Blogger is the most famous blogging site of google.

All social media websites and tools are easily accessible. It allows a real time 2 way conversation. Social media is cost effective, reaching out to all age groups. Social media authorize you to share a lot about your business. Social media marketing helps the user to validate their brand, if used correctly and effectively. It has a power to increase customer loyalty. Major news agencies and corporations use social media to convey recent trends and information to their masses.

Advantages
There are many advantages of social media:

• Law & Administration: Social media websites like Facebook and Twitter help people to be aware of laws & regulations. People who are involved in an antisocial activity get easily caught by these websites as information spreads rapidly.
• Medium Of Social Connections: Social media is a strong and trustworthy medium of social connections. One can easily connect to communities and groups of his interest.
• Sharing Of Information: Sharing of information has become quite easy through social media websites. With the privilege of creating groups, many social media websites share mass information and spread it.
• Livelihood: Social media is an earning resource. People who run their business by creating their brand & business pages on Facebook and Instagram and who are running their videos on YouTube earn their living from these social media sites.
• Business Promotion: Promotion of any business can be done via social media in a cost effective way.
• Source Of Education: Social media sites are a great source of education. Education institutions organize online programs and coaching through websites. Social websites like Quora, are a powerful source of knowledge across the globe. With sharing of knowledge and information, you can also write your own blogs.
• Entertainment: Social media sites like Facebook and Instagram are a great source of entertainment. One can easily enlighten his mood by login to such websites.
• Exposure: Shy people get a medium to connect with people, speak their mind. It provides exposure to different point of views, fresh ideas and innovate the power of research about those facts along with group discussion.
• Fund Charities: Social media websites help people for collecting funds and do charity. An individual with a quick need of blood, can post on social media and reach out to hundreds of donators. Social websites like GoFundMe have collected million dollars for people in need.
• Online Games: Social media has made playing games pretty easy. One can get engaged with games available online.

To connect with the world is just a friend request away. With so many dating networks online, one can easily find a person of his interest. Social websites make people aware about political issues and organize demonstrations. Social media is the most speedy and efficient way of 2 way communication and sharing information. People who does not get time to read newspaper can get the information by login to any social news site.

Drawbacks
With all above advantages, social media has some serious adverse effects too

• Incorrect Information: Fake information can easily get viral through these social media sites. People easily trust on an information available on social media. The false information can easily become a headline.
• Addiction: Many users, specifically youngsters, just pass their time on social media. This usage has now become an addiction. People become addict to social media. It waste the valuable time.
• Lack Of Focus: If a student is accessing social media, one keep on switching from one task to another. The focus and ability of concentration get effected. Brain get tired very quick. Excessive access to social media use leads to stress and fatigue.
• Adverse Psychological Effects: Sometimes the updates and uploads on social media increase the feelings of sadness & jealousy. One may feel disheartened by looking on own photos and updates and then comparing to others. Lack of confidence, depression, guilt, psychological disorders caused due to social media.
• Data Theft & Cyber Crime: People usually update their address, cell phone number and work location on social media. Sometimes people also share information of their family. Some antisocial elements may keep record of one's personal information and use it incorrectly. This can also harm family and friends and one's reputation on social media.

Inference

Almost a quarter of world's population is dependent on social media for interaction. Social media put a profound impact on education. It is playing an essential role in people's life. As we all know, the excess of everything is bad. Social media usage should be done in an appropriate way as it put a strong influence on children and youth. Some educational institutions banned social media during their study hours so that an individual can completely focus. We cannot deny the fruitfulness of social media when it comes to education and it delivered quality results however excessive use makes one start living in virtual world without real time interaction with family and friends.