The Social Media Quandary

Do you have a love/hate relationship with social media like I do?  The pros of convenience can outweigh the cons of oversaturation of information and access at times.  It is undeniable that the relevancy and value of the effective use of social media in business is immense. The Internet began as a huge BBS (Bulletin Board System), serving as an avenue for the exchange of software, data, messages, and news for its users (Kaplan & Haenlein, 2010). Now social media outlets can serve as one-stop-shop for news, entertainment, and engaging in interpersonal relationships.  It is undeniable that social media has become an integral component of our society.  As Dr. Davenport stated in her Week 1 lecture, businesses utilize social media to “Inform, entertain, persuade, sell and build relationships and communities” (Davenport, 2026). 

From police departments and elected officials, to comedians and professional content creators, the majority of adults use social to some extent in their daily lives.  Social media has the opportunity to reach massive amounts of people at once.  Through the use of social media, one can reach people from different walks of life and different age groups 24/7 at lightning speed.  Brands can be built, strengthened, or possibly destroyed via social media’s global reach.  With that being said, new career opportunities can be created through the reach of the World Wide Web.   For example, when I first started my undergrad studies, my major was journalism. However, after my first year of college, I had to make a choice for practical reasons.  I realized that due to family obligations at the time, traveling to pursue a journalism career was not feasible for me.  However, with online writing offerings and freelance writing becoming more common than print journalism, my dream of writing for a magazine or newspaper is now possible. 

Crowdsourcing and UGC can serve as integral components of social media strategy for obtaining information related to products, services, or relevant news that resonates with users. “Social media communication should not alter fundamental values and ethical principles, but we must be open to differing values, principles, and practices that we encounter…” (Lipschultz, 2023, p.307). 

Effective utilization of social media theories such as Social Identity Theory (how we gain our sense of self through which the groups in which we belong), Social Learning Theory (how we learn from one another), and Social Penetration Theory (developing deeper relationships by being transparent and vulnerable, such as personal branding through authenticity) is also an important component of successful social media strategies (Davenport, 2026).  Understanding the science of the effective use of social media strategies is an important aspect of successfully creating and maintaining a social media presence in business. Ensuring that social media strategies are used responsibly because one’s brand and business success might be at stake!

References:

Davenport, D. (2026).  Dr. D’s Week 1 Video Lecture - Retrieved from: Dr. D.'s Week 1 Video Lecture - Fall 2026 COM 62111-001 DIS

Davenport, D. (2026).  Dr. D’s Week 2 Video Lecture - Retrieved from: Dr. D.'s Week 2 Video Lecture COM 621 - Fall 2026 COM 62111-001 DIS

Kaplan, A. M., & Haenlein, M. (2010). Users of the world, unite! The challenges and opportunities of Social Media. Business Horizons, 53(1), 59-68.

Lipschultz, J.H. (2023). Social Media Communication: Concepts, Practices, Data, Law and Ethics, 4th ed. Routledge. ISBN: 9781032246598