When I was in high school, we didn't have social media. I know, I know. I'm 34 and from one of the last generations to go through my formative years free of the ways social media wrecks self-esteem. But when I got to college, suddenly there was MySpace, then Facebook, and then overnight everyone had phones and computers and there were too many social platforms to keep up with. I must admit, for an introvert like myself, it was kind of nice to be able to feel connected to the outside world without having to actually go out in it. But this new socialization brought it's own pressures, like the desire to look good online, and to come across as funny and interesting — struggles people have in real face-to-face interactions, but applied to a non-stop, global network of people. When I worked with couples and individuals as a Domestic Violence Victim Advocate and Planned Parenthood Responsible Sexuality Educator, I saw some shocking ways social media wrecked self esteem and strained relationships.
Newspaper Articles On Social Media
Today the struggles are tenfold, as not only do you have to look good and be interesting, but you have to be good at things and appear successful and you have to also seem to have an interesting life. And there are more and more watchers, and more and more brands and advertisers, in the mix. All this, put together, can make a cocktail for reduced self-esteem and feelings of low self-worth, in even the most popular social media users. If you can relate to these ways social media affects our self-worth, it might be time to unplug a little every once in awhile. Advertising has a clear and proven impact on our self-esteem, according to a University of Chicago study published in the Journal of Consumer Research. While we may be making a conscious effort to avoid advertising in magazines and on TV, we might be taking for granted that the Internet is rife with advertising.
Even some of the posts you see that you think are just the daily lives of some of your favorite Internet personalities are really very targeted advertising, designed to make you think or feel a certain way. Everything from Kylie Jenner's latest selfie in a perfect bathing suit to a blogger in her running shoes is likely sponsored in the hopes of getting you to buy something. French researchers from Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien, in an 2013 article published in PLoS ONE, found that the more time we spend on social media sites, like Facebook, comparing ourselves to others, the more depressed we get. We forget to take into account that a lot of what we are seeing, especially from brands and celebrities, is carefully orchestrated. It's not real life. Even our friends and family (and ourselves) tend to only post the best versions of ourselves and our lives. We see those smiling selfies with perfect makeup and we forget that there were probably 50 shots before that one that looked like Mr. Potato Head or something equally unflattering.
We can equate that attention with approval or self worth.
Our social media profiles are an extension of our identity, according to Ray Williams in an Article for Psychology Today. That makes our posts, pictures, and activities like virtual possessions or pieces of ourselves. That alone makes us fodder for marketers who want to sell us products to make perfect photos, increase our popularity, have the nicest profile, and get the most views and likes. It's kind of like the old "keeping up with the Jones'" trope that has neighbors out-buying each other for appearances. It keeps us in a place where we equate self worth with stuff, even if the "stuff" in this case, is our social media profiles. Since we use social media, in part, to get attention, it can be hurtful when we don't get that attention. We can equate that attention with approval or self worth. Social media is a hotbed for information on how to do things.
Brands and individuals post tutorials on everything from how to get the perfect eyebrows to how to make a cake. Those tutorials, created by experts, carefully edited, and perfectly lit, make baking a three-tiered cake with delicate floral decorations seem as easy as kindergarten-level cut and paste. When you try to re-enact these tutorials, you're likely to fail, because you're a beginner, not an expert. The good, healthy things about life, like hanging out with friends and family, learning something new in school, watching your kids in a play, or seeing something beautiful in nature, are often interrupted by our social media lives. We are not fully engaged in the healthy activities of life because we want to document them to make us look interesting on social media. It's a voyeuristic approach to life that opens you up to all kinds of negative consequences, such as eating disorders, depression, and interruption of your sleep cycle, according to Jodie Gummow in an article for AlterNet. I know it seems like crazy talk, but unplugging once in awhile is a great way to get back in touch with what you think makes you great, instead of what others think. Because seriously, you're great.
Follow up on anything unexpected. Even if a post seems legitimate, it’s worth digging into if it strays from your content plan. It may be simple human error. Or, it may be a sign that someone has gained access to your accounts and is testing the water before posting something more malicious. You also need to watch for imposter accounts, inappropriate mentions of your brand by employees (or anyone else associated with the company), and negative conversations about your brand. You can learn how to monitor all the conversations and accounts relevant to your brand in our complete guide to social media listening. No matter how close an eye you keep on your social channels, you can’t monitor them 24 hours a days—but software can. Solutions like ZeroFOX will automatically alert you of security risks. When you integrate ZeroFOX with your Hootsuite dashboard, it will alert you to dangerous, threatening, or offensive content targeting your brand; malicious links posted on your social accounts; scams targeting your business and customers; and fraudulent accounts impersonating your brand.
It also helps protect against hacking and phishing attacks. Social media security threats are constantly changing. Hackers are always coming up with new strategies, How to Master Social Media During Your Event and new scams and viruses can emerge at any time. Scheduling regular audits of your social media security measures will help keep you ahead of the bad actors. Social network privacy settings. Social media companies routinely update their privacy settings, which can have an impact on your account. For example, a social network might update its privacy settings to give you more precise control over how your data is used. Access and publishing privileges. Perform a scan of who has access to and publishing rights on your social media management platform and social accounts and update as needed. Make sure all former employees have had their access revoked, and check for anyone who’s changed roles and no longer needs the same level of access. Recent social media security threats. Maintain a good relationship with your company’s IT team so they can keep you informed of any new social media security risks they become aware of. And keep an eye on the news—big hacks and major new threats will be reported in mainstream news outlets. Your social media policy. This policy should evolve over time as new networks gain popularity, security best practices change, and new threats emerge. A quarterly review will make sure this document remains useful and helps to keep your social accounts safe. Use Hootsuite to manage all your social media accounts safely and securely in one place. Mitigate risks and stay compliant with our best-in-class security features, apps, and integrations.
Social media can be a useful tool for businesses, bringing advantages such as engaging with your audience and boosting website traffic. However there can also be disadvantages, including the resources required and negative feedback. Considering these pros and cons can help you decide the best approach to social media for your business. Brand awareness - Compelling and relevant content will grab the attention of potential customers and increase brand visibility. See branding: the basics. Brand reputation - You can respond instantly to industry developments and be seen as ‘thought leader’ or expert in your field. This can improve how your business is seen by your audience. See public relations (PR). Cost effective - It can be much cheaper than traditional advertising and promotional activities. The costs of maintaining a social media presence are minimal. If you choose to invest in paid advertising, you can spend as much or as little as your budget allows.
Website traffic - Social content can boost traffic to your website. This can lead to increased online conversions such as sales and leads. Evaluation - It is easy to measure how much website traffic you receive from social media. You can set up tracking to determine how many sales are generated by paid social advertising. Customer interaction - You can deliver improved customer service and respond effectively to feedback. Positive feedback is public and can be persuasive to other potential customers. Negative feedback highlights areas where you can improve. Target audience - Customers can find you through the social media platforms they use most. You can choose to maintain a presence on particular platforms that are in line with your target audience. For example, if you are targeting young people you could reach them through Snapchat. If you are seeking business customers, LinkedIn may be the best channel. See social media platforms. Brand loyalty - You can build relationships with your customers through social media. This can help increase loyalty and advocacy. Resources - You will need to commit resources to managing your social media presence, responding to feedback and producing new content. This can include hiring and training staff, investing in paid advertising and paying for the costs of creating video or image content. Evaluation - While it is easy to quantify the return-on-investment in terms of online sales generated by social media advertising - there are some less tangible benefits. It can be hard to measure and place a monetary value on the brand awareness and reputation that social media can bring. It’s difficult to know how social media effects sales in-store. Ineffective use - Social media can be used ineffectively. For example, using social media to push for sales without engaging with customers, or failing to respond to negative feedback - may damage your reputation.
I have chosen the social networking sites issue to describe in the three sociological perspectives, which are functionalist, conflict, and interactionism. Social networking sites allow us to connect with different people from all over the world. Analyzing this issue in the different perspectives can show us the role and importance in modern society. The first perspective is functionalist. The functionalist perspective “…emphasizes the way in which the parts of a society are structured to maintain its stability.” (Schaefer, 2015, Chapter 1). Social networking sites help bring different people together for different reasons from anywhere in the world. You can find old friends, make new friends, find relatives, or join groups to discuss certain subjects in different perspectives. This allows people to see how different cultures view things in ways that they hadn’t known about. There are also dysfunctions of these sites. Bullying, privacy issues, and the stealing or misuse of people’s personal information are just a few of the dysfunctions related to social networking sites.
New Social Media Outlets
The next perspective is conflict. Last, but not least, we have the interactionism perspective. After looking at social networking sites in the three sociological perspectives, it’s very clear that they are all different in their own ways. If the culture we learn influences our beliefs and behaviors, then culture is a key concept to the sociological perspective. Someone who grows up in the United States differs in many ways, some of them obvious and some of them not so obvious, from someone growing up in China, Sweden, South Korea, Peru, or Nigeria. The profound impact of culture becomes most evident when we examine behaviors or conditions that, like kissing, are normally considered biological in nature. Consider morning sickness and labor pains, both very familiar to pregnant women before and during childbirth, respectively. These two types of discomfort have known biological causes, and we are not surprised that so many pregnant women experience them. But we would be surprised if the husbands of pregnant women woke up sick in the morning during their wives’ pregnancies or experienced severe abdominal pains while their wives gave birth. Schaefer, R. T. (2015). Sociology: A Brief Introduction.
Let's begin by understanding the ingredients of the 5 point plan.
Have you been hoping for a social marketing strategy that works? Have you been overwhelmed with all the crowd noise that is shouting "come to me, and I will show you how to become a millionaire in a short period of time"? The clutter is annoying, now isn't it? In this article, I am going to explain a 5 point plan that will provide you with a successful long term social marketing plan. Let's begin by understanding the ingredients of the 5 point plan. Pay for click: A performance based activity that will provide fast results and big traffic. 1 strategy. As a beginner, be aware of the competitive nature of obtaining top rankings. Also, it is easy to lose money quickly. Social Media: Provides free set up, Lead generation activities and personal branding. Lots of traffic potential for doing business on a very small advertising budget. Perfect for establishing your personal brand. Content Production: Provides free set up, allows for ranking on Google front page and allows for lead generation activities. Essential for personal branding. A perfect opportunity to make a video and place it on You Tube and others. You may want to only use written material to participate. Ezines & Email Marketing: An easy start for beginners. Also friendly on the advertising budget by providing low cost leads. Beginners sometimes are reluctant to write articles and blogs with the feeling they can't write. No worry, there are lessons that teach you copywriting as well as email marketing techniques and practices. Relationship List Building: This is a key skill of all top producers. Essential for developing leads, applications, new members and sales conversions. Personal branding positions you as the authority/expert. This process may be automated using the likes of Aweber. By understanding each of the five points, you can become hugely successful in social marketing. Above all, you need a well balanced marketing system.
It Social Network
We cover how to improve your social media plan for 2019, from finding the right metrics to identifying your target audience and more. By now, your 2019 social media marketing plan should be in full swing. But if it’s not, or if your performance numbers already underwhelm, it is never too late to revisit your social media strategy planning. So what makes a successful social media strategic plan? Aside from being clear, concise, and measurable, it also needs to outline your goals for the year and how you’ll achieve them. In this guide to effective social media strategy planning, we will look at five actionable steps that you should take to ensure your brand produces an ambitious yet attainable social media marketing strategy. If you want to learn more about how to measure your social media performance, take a look at these 7 underrated social media metrics you should be tracking. And if you’re interested in content marketing, check out our interview with the founder of the Content Marketing Institute on how to build a successful content strategy.
Before you can start considering your social media marketing strategy, it is crucial that you gain an in-depth understanding of your brand’s social performance in the previous year, half-year or quarter. We’ll speak in term of “years” for the purposes of this guide. Look carefully at the metrics from each social channel so you can see where and how you have generated leads, driven traffic to your website, pushed social follows, and increased conversions. Make sure you align these results with the goals you set for the previous year. Although a high number of likes and shares of a particular campaign you ran may look encouraging, ultimately you need to ensure every campaign is achieving its specific pre-defined objectives. Tracking social metrics in relation to your brand’s social goals will allow you to monitor whether your social media performance has been successful in terms of ROI (return on investment). After you have fully audited your year’s social performance, you will have a clear understanding of your 2018 successes and failures. Social media marketing goals should always be closely aligned with your company’s wider goals.
Marketing goals can vary greatly depending on your industry, the size of your company, your audience, your competition, and many other factors. Your social media audit should also feed into goal setting, as it will give you a clear picture of what needs to be achieved in the coming year. When setting your social marketing strategy goals for 2019, use S.M.A.R.T criteria determine what success will look like for each of these goals, and how to track what is contributing to this success. Break each goal down, documenting what you want to achieve, so you have measurable and attainable objectives to work towards. Then identify which key metrics should be used to measure your progress toward your targets. For example, if you have a goal of generating leads, what metrics should you track and what are the measures of success? Number of leads - Specify how many leads are you aiming to collect, and how this number breaks down across the different social media platforms.
Content metrics - Track metrics based on content type, designs, images, ad campaigns, etc., to understand what content is performing the best. In-depth data - Dig down to determine the long-term impact your social goals are having on your business. Analyze which social channels, campaigns, content, and other elements are driving leads that then convert into paying and returning customers. This data can then be used to prove ROI. By defining your goals, and what metrics to track to measure their success, your social media marketing strategy immediately becomes a useful and workable document. It is inevitable that you will have numerous assumptions about your audience. But to truly understand your fans and followers on social media, you need to analyze your data. Topics discussed, comments written, hashtags used, and posts liked and shared. Overall numbers across networks. Once you have a better insight into your audience, and how they are behaving on social media, the next step is to create Audience Personas. Whatever your business, your audience will be made up of different audience ‘groups’.
Topic title: 7 Ways Social Media Can Affect Your Self-Esteem
Topic covered: la media social, list of popular social media sites 2016, social media links, social web, what is social networking sites
