Unstructure

In the era of Non-Digital Communication, individual’s had limited choices to showcase & impress their persona to others, be it personal or professional.

The communication was primarily done through word of mouth & networking & was limited to one to one interaction. Not every one had the liberty to interact with a larger audience in a single interaction. Neither could an individual get an opportunity easily to interact with thought leaders.

Therefore non-digital era was an era of strong networking with great communication that was the privilege of select few.

The emergence of Digital Communication & Social Media has changed it all.

What is Social Media?

Social Media= Communication+Technology

Social Media follows the age old principals of communication. These are

• The purpose of communication is to facilitate understanding
• Communication involves shared meaning
• You need to know your audience
• Present information in several ways
• Use multiple communication techniques
• Communication can be one-to-one or one-to-many.

When you add technology to these principals of communication, the end resultant is Social Media.

What has Social Media changed for an Individual?

Social Media has affected the way an Individual communicates.

Social Media has given individual’s a platform to share their thoughts, their knowledge, their identity not only with people you know but with a larger audience across geographical boundaries.  It has integrated your personal persona across various streams. It has given you an opportunity to showcase yourself in a single window. Social Media has become an individual’s life stream.  From what the individual does to likes or dislikes, to his or her interests, your thought process, Social Media allows you to share this with the world.

Social Media has given you a platform to contribute to the process of collective thinking. Users with diverse backgrounds and facets to their personality are contributing to the process of collecting thinking on the social media. The process of collective thinking is allowing each of us to leverage each other’s knowledge & strength.

Social Media has given you the platform to be informed real time about what is happening where. Yes Social Media has made it real time. You are able to access information real time even before it is broadcasted or printed in the next day’s newspaper. You are able to know about a social announcement from your friend as and when it happens.

There are supporters to both side, the ones who believe that Social Media has for ever changed the way we communicate and then there are the others who see this as another marketing & communication trend. Each set of supporters has its own set of data to support. But one thing is for sure. For the time being Social Media is impacting the way we communicate.