Social Media: A Case Study

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The media landscape is changing. More and more, traditional means such as newspapers, television, and film are being eschewed for their online counterparts. This paradigm shift brings with it entirely new methods of communication. This case study will analyze the key elements of social media sites and discuss the reasons behind their continued success.

What defines a social media site?

Despite the wide range of format and subject matter, there are a number of key elements that are shared between social media sites.

Participation: Unlike more traditional media, the audience is encouraged to participate in the discussion at hand. Instead of being broadcast to, the reader is being conversed with.

Contribution: Instead of simply having information presented to the audience, users are encouraged to submit content of their own. In fact, a large portion of social media sites (Youtube, Flickr, etc) depend on users for published content.

Discussion: Traditional media is seen as a one-way broadcast of information. In contrast, social media sites embrace discussion and encourage responses and feedback. This allows for an ‘open forum’-style discussion on relevant topics.

Community: The global nature of the internet, coupled with the vast number of topics explored allows users with similar interests to form communities. Like-minded individuals can communicate instantly and effectively through niche social media sites.

Flexibility: This is perhaps the biggest difference between social and traditional media. Traditional media, once published, is instantly obsolete. Social media sites, however, are constantly updated and republished, either by the author or the audience. Social media is dynamic, flexible, and adaptive.

Cost-effective: Traditional media requires considerable capital to publish information. Conversely, social media sites offer inexpensive or free methods for users to publish or access information.

Types of social media

There are a number of different types of social media sites, with new formats being explored every day. The following are the most widely seen forms.

Social Networking Sites: Social networking sites (such as MySpace, Facebook, and Nexopia) focus on building online communities of people who share interests and activities, or who are interested in exploring the activities of others. Users are encouraged to interact through a number of different means, including personal page posts, messaging systems, and instant messaging programs.

Blogs/Microblogs: Blogs are essentially online journals used to present personal interests to a global audience. Blog clients such as Blogger or Wordpress allow users to quickly establish identities online. Microblogging is a relatively new trend where users publish abbreviated pieces of news (usually called ‘updates’). Twitter is the most commonly used microblogging site.

Wikis: Wikis allow users to submit or edit content on topics via an ‘encyclopedia’-style format. These articles then act as a communal database for information. Wikipedia is the most popular wiki, with over 2.5 million English-language articles published at the time of this case study.

Forums: Forums allow for open discussions on specific topics of interest. Many social media sites incorporate forums as a means for communication between users. Gaming sites IGN and Gaia are both home to large, highly populated forums.

Webcasts/Podcasts: Webcasts and podcasts allow users to download video and audio files to their personal computers or portable media players. Individuals can subscribe to these broadcasts and automatically download new content as it becomes available.

Content-Based Sites: Sites such as Flickr (photos), Youtube (videos), Digg (news articles) and DeviantArt (artwork) focus on the collection and organization of similar types of content. Users are then free to browse and comment upon the submissions of others.

Virtual Worlds: Virtual worlds are game sites that allow the user to create an online representation (or ‘avatar’) of themselves. They are then free to explore virtual environments that commonly include real-world elements such as economy and communities. Second Life and World Of Warcraft are two extremely popular virtual world sites.

Why is social media important to companies?

One of the most distinctive features of social media is its all-encompassing, global nature. Before the advent of these new media methods, content was created and distributed by individuals and companies capable of financing media centers. Social media sites, however, are able to be powered by any user online. This introduces a huge shift in the broadcasting process.

Traditional media marketing involved pitching carefully crafted messages to specific target audiences. This is no longer necessary in the realm of social media. Instead, feedback and suggestions can be collected from users with little to no advertising. Advertisers can track the habits and interests of users, and use this information to establish a target demographic.

Also important to companies is the communal nature of social media. Users are able to instantaneously share their thoughts and feedback on companies and their products. Brands can be represented and supported with little to no involvement of the corporation. However, the same can be said for negative feedback and reviews. Online word-of-mouth allows consumers to quickly and effortlessly research popular companies.

Advertising and social media

As social networking sites have become more and more popular, they have attracted the attention of marketing firms worldwide. As such, the vast majority of social networking sites include some form of marketing, usually tailored to the user’s preferences. Facebook and Digg both streamline their advertising, filtering ads through a combination of keyword searches and user-defined preferences. In this manner, users are presented with advertisements that are more relevant to their interests and activities.

Many corporate sites now include blogs, where ideas and products are presented in a low-key, informal style. As well, many companies sponsor advertising on high-traffic niche blogs such as Perez Hilton, TMZ, and Engadget. The defined target audience of these blogs allows for a more receptive consumer base for specific products.

Many marketing firms - especially those promoting films or video games – employ the use of viral-style marketing. This term refers to marketing techniques that use pre-existing social media sites to produce increases in brand awareness. Viral marketing differs from more conventional advertising because it is voluntarily passed along by the user. Viral marketing may take the form of video clips, flash movies, interactive web sites, or images.

Marketing options are available in virtual world games as well. Toyota has launched in-game models of its cars in Second Life in a bid to gain brand awareness. Neopets, the online virtual pet site, has hosted countless brand-promoting games, events, and items.

Advertising is effective on social media sites because of the devoted, passionate nature of the audience. Marketing firms no longer have to bombard users with ads and messages. Instead, they are able to engage interested parties through social media sites, and provide them with more information when requested.

Common features of social networking sites

Many users view networking sites like Facebook, MySpace, and Nexopia as the hub of social media. This is due to the multi-faceted functionality available to social network users. A variety of features are combined to create a truly interactive, social experience.

Profile Pages/Walls: Every social networking site has a ‘home base’, be it a profile page, or in Facebook’s case, a wall. In most cases, other site users can visit your personal page and post comments. MySpace and Nexopia also allow users to post images on other users’ pages.

Facebook has expanded on the basic profile pages featured on other sites, presenting users instead with their own wall. Visiting users can not only leave comments on a wall, they can also send virtual gifts, play games, and pursue a multitude of other activities through Facebook’s unique Applications feature.

Applications are essentially third-party programs designed to bring fun and personality to a Facebook user’s wall. There are a vast variety of Applications, from concert reminder applications to virtual gift-sending programs. Users can even play popular games via Facebook with certain applications. However, as Facebook quickly discovered, the third party nature of these Applications meant that Facebook profiles were soon flooded with invitations to countless (and sometimes repetitive) Applications. Eventually, Facebook designated a separate wall section for Applications so as not to flood user profiles with excess clutter.

Social network contacts are also heavily featured on profile pages/walls. MySpace profiles feature a ‘top friends’ list, as designated by the user. Visitors to a profile page can view and link to any of the top friends listed on a user’s page and view their profile as well. Nexopia displays a ‘friends’ list on each profile page for other users to view. By featuring contacts on individual profile pages, these social networking sites allow users to add friends that they may not have been able to contact otherwise.

Status Updates: This feature is seen on both MySpace and Facebook. Users are able to append a short sentence to their profile, letting visitors know their current activities and moods. This feature in itself is the premise behind micro-blogging sites Twitter and Pownce. MySpace also allows users to display a small emoticon conveying their mood.

News Feed/Mini-feed: Another unique feature offered by Facebook is the news feed. The news feed features updates made by contacts on a user’s friends list. As well, whenever a user updates their status, changes their personal information, posts a comment, or uploads new content, it is posted in their mini-feed (a personal news feed on their wall) for other contacts to read.

Galleries: Virtually every social networking site features a personal gallery. Facebook allows users to upload personal photos into user-created albums. Photos featuring the user’s friends and relatives can be ‘tagged’ with links leading to their respective Facebook profiles. Other users can then comment the on posted photos and add their own tags if needed. Facebook’s system is especially effective because of the communal nature of the galleries. Users viewing their friends’ galleries can discover new contacts through gallery tagging. As well, Facebook publishes tagged photos in the user’s news feed by default. This attracts a good deal of attention from other contacts.

Nexopia’s gallery system is fairly Spartan compared to Facebook’s. Users can create galleries and upload their photos, but Nexopia’s galleries function more as photo storing centers than photo sharing innovations. Users can comment on specific photos, but the overall process lacks the communal nature of Facebook’s set-up.

Blogs/Notes/Posted Items: Most social networking sites have a separate area for users to jot down personal thoughts, make notes, or post general information. MySpace and Nexopia both offer in-site blogs, where users can write entries and publish them for contacts to read. Facebook builds upon this concept, adding both a Notes section for written personal content, and a Posted Items section for images, videos, and other miscellaneous information. As with most of Facebook’s other features, notes and posted items are also featured in the news feed upon publishing.

Groups/Fan Pages: A few social networking sites (most noticeably, Facebook) have implemented ‘groups’ to unite users with similar interests. Whether it’s connecting for a common cause or simply meeting new people and discussing favorite topics, Facebook’s groups give users the chance to communicate with like-minded individuals.

Also available on Facebook are fan pages. Users can become ‘fans’ of their favorite musical groups, celebrities, or individuals. Much like groups, fan pages allow users with common interests to come together.

Music/Video Tools: Most social networking sites allow users to post (or at least link to) video files. MySpace and Facebook have both expanded upon this idea, allowing users to create separate pages for their bands and entertainment groups. Users can then post video and audio tracks promoting their activities.

Overview

The face of media is evolving. The general public is taking a more active role in the transmission of information through innovations made in social media. Social networking sites allow users to connect world-wide through a variety of different features.

Companies can now use the feedback of their clients to form new and effective business solutions. New and innovative advertising campaigns that employ the use of social media sites are becoming favored over the hit-and-miss practices of conventional marketing. Businesses no longer have to send messages out blindly, hoping to hit their target audience. Through social media, they are able to embrace their clients and take their opinions into consideration.

The bottom line is that social media is all about connecting. Users can connect through similar interests, similar networks, and similar friends. Businesses can connect with their customers and gather valuable feedback. This sense of community has popularized social media sites, making them valuable business assets for companies world-wide.