Effects of Social Media on Real-life Communications

Introduction

Social media can be defined as the online platform used by people to build social relationships and networks with others who have the same personal interests, backgrounds, activities, or real-life connections (Moreno et al. p 242). Social media has significantly impacted on real-life communication among different people, a clear indication that it's part of people’s life. The advancement in technology has pressured people to accept the different types of lifestyles.

Social Media and Global Communication

Social media platforms enable users to communicate, share ideas, and create web content. With technological innovations on the development of smartphones and computers that can be used to access the internet easily, many people are now using social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to communicate regardless of their location (Turcotte et al. p 520). It has dramatically facilitated globalization and interconnection between individuals in the society where they even form groups where they communicate sharing their ideas. Social media comes with several positive impacts on communication in the society, businesses, education, and health sectors.

Impact on Businesses

Social media has positively impacted on communication in businesses as they can easily make promotions of their products and create a good relationship with their customers through the business groups (Moreno et al. p 245). Most companies use web-based social networks in upgrading an association's performance in various ways like achieving the business targets and to expand annual sales of the association, and all is communicated on social media. It also gives the business owners an advantage as the correspondence stage, which encourages two-way communication between stockholders and the organization (Turcotte et al. p 528).

Most of the organization advance their businesses by promoting their products on online platforms with a particular end goal to draw in more significant customers, and they also communicate to them through the same platforms on social media. The customers can also associate with the company on a more individual level by making better use of online networking where they communicate about the products offered by the company or even recommending their taste of the products (Moreno et al. p 250). The use of social media allows the business owners to better understand the requirements by their customers and their taste and preference as customers comment about the products offered on social media platforms. It is also easy for the business to advertise themselves all over the world through the promotion of their products (Turcotte et al. p 529). Communication on Social media also helps in creating awareness among the customers to make them better understand the organization's products.

Impact on the Health Sector

Social media also impacts positively on real-life communication in the health sector. It provides the healthcare professionals with the tools of sharing the information, promoting healthy behaviors, engaging with the public, and interacting with patients and other colleagues (Turcotte et al. p 531). The healthcare professionals communicate on social media in trying to improve the health outcomes, develop a professional network, creating awareness of the news and discoveries in the health sector, motivating the patients and providing information about health to the community (Moreno et al. p 252).

In most cases, physicians communicate with their colleagues on social media to discuss their patients’ issues and share ideas on how to manage those issues. They also use social media to communicate with their patients in enhancing clinical care. Patients can consult the doctors through communication on social media anywhere anytime, share their suggestions about various symptoms of diseases to get assistance (Turcotte et al. p 534). Therefore, social media is playing an essential role in improving and providing healthcare services to the society.

Work Cited

1. Moreno, Angeles, et al. "Does social media usage matter? An analysis of online practices and digital media perceptions of communication practitioners in Europe." Public Relations Review 41.2 (2015): 242-253.
2. Turcotte, Jason, et al. "News recommendations from social media opinion leaders: Effects on media trust and information seeking." Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication 20.5 (2015): 520-535.