“The “social” in social media implies a conversation. The

difference between social media and the TV is that with the

latter, viewers seldom engage with the programme-makers of

the show that they are watching. Only in very recent times

have programme makers expanded into the world of social

media. Think X-Factor.

What is social media?

Social media is a term used to refer to online technologies

and practices that are used to share opinions and

information, promote discussion and build relationships.

Social media services and tools involve a combination of

technology, telecommunications and some kind of social

interaction. They can use a variety of different formats, for

example text, pictures, video and audio.

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Social media is different to traditional forms of communication such as through newspapers, television, and film.

Cheap – anyone with access to the internet (for example through public libraries)

Accessible – the tools are easy to use

Enabling – allows almost anyone to do things that previously were only the preserve of well-resourced organisations

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Megatrends 1 – the death of control

The age of

influence

Big organisations and

companies had a monopoly on

mass communication and got

used to controlling the message

Anyone literate with an internet

connection can self-publish for

free

Hard to control, can only

influence

The age of

control

The old era The new reality

Megatrends 2 – Fewer gatekeepers

Many to

many

Manage the gatekeepers

One-way, broadcast model.

Managing reputation =

managing the media.

Less reliance on media: people

get information direct from the

source, and from each other.

New-style comms must reach

beyond media to a complex

interactive model.

One to many

The old era The new reality

Megatrends 3 – Fragmentation

A huge

cloud of

interaction

People got most information

from a handful of news media.

Organisations could efficiently

manage (or at least monitor).

Conversations are distributed

wherever people form opinions:

blogs, social networks, YouTube

Separate provider for the

content, and the platform for the

content

A few

centralised

channels

The old era The new reality

Megatrends 4 – New web landscape

Pull communications

The Web was a channel for

pushing out information.

Sites were static e-brochures.

The Web was utilitarian. People

felt neutral about it.

Now, people spend most time

on interactive social media.

The social web is informal,

immersive and emotive.

Web as distribution channel Web as community

Push communications

Old (web) era The new reality

Megatrends 5 – New journalism

Messy and

opinionated

The world of press releases,

news conferences and interviews

was well ordered.

Journalists knew the rules of the

game and were predictable.

Balance, professionalism,

accountability

Huge and distributed.

Everyone can report.

Each sets his/her own rules.

No obligation to be balanced.

Complicated recourse for

inaccuracy.

Opinion dominates content.

Ordered

and

predictable

The old era The new reality

How big is social media in the India?

92 million+ accounts

50 million accounts

> newspaper sales

5% of users write 75%

of tweets

After setting up an account on a given platform – e.g. Facebook or Twitter, I then used the search tools to find people with similar interests to me. For example:

- Career

- Sport

- Academia

- Campaigns

For each interest, I was able to build up a small “virtual” network that looks something like the diagram below

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Everyone within this network of interest is connected to each other

•

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Responsibly

‘I trust my officers with the powers of arrest and the ability to deprive you of your liberty. Therefore I am going to trust them to use social media’

A senior police officer on Twitter.

-That is not to say they are given access to social media without any training. Social media carries risks. So does life. What matters is how we manage those risks.

-Part of that training involves you seeking out further knowledge –enough for you to ensure that you are comfortable using social media.

•

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Social media is value neutral; people are not. Bad people

use social media as well as good people. You need to

protect yourself from the latter.

In the UK, the Information Commissioner is the public

body primarily responsible for how people and

organisations use social media, in particular with regards

to data protection.

Please ensure that both you and any young people that

you know read through guidance from the Information

Commissioner at http://www.ico.gov.uk/youth.aspx

This excellent short digital video guide was produced by the the State of Victoria’s Department for Justice in Australia.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iQLkt5CG8I

This gives you an idea of some of the issues organisations to consider in this new social media world

Later on we will be looking at how you can create your own social media policy.