Things have changed, and yes, sometimes I think we need to unplug from our machines, put down our phones and connect with friends and family on a personal level. On the flip side though, I also believe that Social Media has brought on a change for small businesses, friends & family, and our society as a whole, and this change has been a positive one.
Small Business
Before the significant rise of the internet and social media, small businesses had to rely on mail, phone and grass-roots marketing campaigns to advertise their goods and services directly to the consumers that were looking for that certain product or service. You would have to pay for the addresses and phone numbers of the individuals who were interested, or do the leg work yourself, then pay for the supplies to get the word out. Now with social media, small businesses can market their products and services for free, often with better results. It also allows those who are looking for a certain product to find you, instead of you looking for them! It brings the consumer and business owners together, without the cost of paper or having to buy the leads. The leads come to you!
Friends & Family
Yes, I have stated in a previous blog post that I believe we should put down the devices and spend some one-on-one time with each other. That is great when the people you want to connect with are around the corner. But what about the friends and family you want to connect with that live thousands of miles away? Before social media, you would call them on the phone and the long distance charges would limit your time to connect with that loved one. Now with social media, you can turn on a web cam or connect with your friends and family on Twitter or Facebook and keep yourself up to date with all of their activities and milestones. It brings friends & families together that are miles apart from each other.
Society as a Whole
Growing up, I only worried about what was going on in my small town. Before the start of social media, I feel that this was the case with everyone. We only relied on what we heard in the coffee shop, the local gossip, or what we saw on the news. We only mingled with the people who were in our community and didn’t really connect with different social circles. Social Media has changed that. We now connect with people, across the globe, and find out information in real-time. We are connecting with different societies and learning about different cultures. We are no longer seeing our personal little bubbles as the world as we know it. We are now looking at the whole world as what it should be…as one collective race of human beings who live on one big rock called the Earth.
I Am a Social Media Warrior. I am going to take the positive energy that social media has created throughout the world, for small businesses, friends & family, and society as a whole, and run with it. I am going to help more businesses connect with their consumers. I am going to try to stay connected with my friends and family through social media. I am going to champion for the saving of our collective consciousness we call the human race. I am a Social Media Warrior. I was Born this Way.