12/27/2011 10:36
Have you ever thought about how our world would look if we did not have facebook? Twitter? Blogger? LinkedIn?
How many acquaintances would turn to be just that, an acquaintance? How many of your family members would not even know you existed? How many birthday wishes would have been forgotten?
Do you even remember what the world was like when there was no social Media? The truth is, you probably didn’t have to have a phone or computer nearby 24/7 to see how your friends and family are doing.
Its amazing to think how facebook and LinkedIn were not even available online prior to 2004, Twitter did not become popular until 2007 and now 7 years later, the majority of us could not even begin to imagine our world without it.
Both our social and professional lives on and off line now revolve around social media. Social events are now shared thru facebook events or an Evite and can easily be kept private or made public, Job recommendations are now shared with the world by simply clicking a link and recommending your employee for future opportunities.
But stop for a minute and think.... How would our world look today without social media?
In my opinion, most of the recent events would have never happened. The way we learn, interact, socialize, go on about our day would be completely different.
1. The election of the now president, would have never made history. I personally never heard of Obama up until I saw him on Facebook...President Obama had what is called today, the best social marketing strategy ever used in a presidential election. With his 13 Million subscribers to his email list, who received over 1 billion emails in different variations, to his 5 million followers on social media, of which 3 million were on facebook alone.
2. The revolution in Egypt would have taken A LOT longer to happen, and it all occurred thanks to the dedication of the people of Egypt with the great help of Twitter, Facebook and youtube, just to mention a few. "People who shared interest in democracy built extensive social networks and organized political action. Social media became a critical part of the toolkit for greater freedom." And videos featuring protest and political commentary went viral, with the top 23 receiving nearly five and a half million views. The amount of content produced online by opposition groups, in Facebook and political blogs, increased dramatically"
3. The anti-bullying legislation would have been a lot harder to pass. Before it became a law, the amount of videos of bullied kids increased dramatically. Celebrities also joined the cause, admitting they were bullied when they were young, making it relatable for the rest of us. All these documentaries from actual victims drowning all the social media networks created such pressure in Washington that it became just wrong to not pass it into a law.
From a non historical standpoint, the way we interact with our friends and family would have been decreased close to none. For me personally if it wasn’t for facebook, I would have never known a cousin of mine in Spain married, or ever met my dad's side of the family who lived in other countries, or even watched my nephew growing if it wasn’t for pictures and videos on facebook. The point is, social media has simplified our lives, and changed completely the way we think, act and the way we interact.
Resource;
