Practices for Professionals in Social Media and Public Relations - Essay Example

Social Media and Relationship The growth of social media is amazing, as do the debates on its applications within personal and business environments (Solis & Breakenridge, 2009). Numerous interpretations of social media exists that ranges from web 2.0 technologies to networking that are aimed at enhancing social relationships (Sweeney & Craig, 2010). Social media has numerous implications to businesses and personal life, especially evident in communication and collaboration (Breakenridge, 2012). While social media continues to grow, it is important to understand the contribution of this technology to personal and businesses environment (Golden, 2010). Thus, the aim of this paper is to discuss the implications of social media on relationship, especially personal and business. The aim of social media is to enable many people to connect and be able to exchange views and information. Social media allows people to connect from different occupations and without restrictions of time, geography or any other type of restrictions (Mandiberg, 2012). It allows people to share different and similar tastes and preferences with the aim of improving our understandings on happenings (Solis & Breakenridge, 2009). In the case of business, such relationships are important since it improves on social capital. Social capital is associated to a French sociologist stating that having large networks allowed effectiveness and efficiency of businesses (Breakenridge, 2012). These networking allow individuals to access more resources and ideas, and it is easier to crowd source information to solve specific issues (Sweeney & Craig, 2010). Moreover, social media within business environment is informal in nature meaning that it provides some flexibility towards exchanging views (Briones et al., 2011). In formal communication, certain information may not be exchange and thus the benefit of social media. Generally, it means that social media increases connections, which are good for both personal and business operations. Even though social media is important in increasing connections, utilising social media in creating relationship may result in overestimation of levels of intimacy. It is possible to confuse between intimacies presented by digital media to true intimacy that can be felt through face-to-face type of communication (Solis & Breakenridge, 2009). Social medium such as Facebook may make an individual feel seduced because of easiness of connecting and an illusion of more committed, more intense and more complete intimacy may be created (Newson, Hougton & Patten, 2009). Moreover, such perceptions may make an individual or business entity to pursue such intimacy resulting in alienating actual intimacy (Breakenridge, 2012). It is thus important to balance both offline and online relationships for professional and personal success. In addition, online relationship may result in alienating original friends who were not associated with Facebook. Solis & Breakenridge (2009) states that it is important to gauge friendship associated with online media compared with friendship associated with traditional means of communication. The success of social media is levering it to transform business connections into relationships that are personal (Breakenridge, 2012). Developing relationships that are authentic and interpersonal improves professional performance that contributes towards making a business to be more effective, dynamic and enjoyable. Moreover, Facebook as a social media provides a platform that helps in organising, analysing and contacting business prospects (Sweeney & Craig, 2010). However, at the core of business, what is important is the relationship that is created between target audiences and organisation’s representative (Solis & Breakenridge, 2009). It is attributed to self-organising communities that is created by social media since they share similar interests (Duhe, 2007). For example, if someone is a representative of an organisation that deals with women clothing, it is easier to be a friend or member of the social group, creating a relationship that translates into doing business with the ‘friends’ of the group. Nevertheless, social media can affect negatively the way people feel and associate with each other because of emotions. Social media relationships may make an individual to feel diminished while the failures are amplified (Solis & Breakenridge, 2009). Information is exchanged and it is easy to access a lot of information at the same time, information on how people are living or business accomplishments making individuals to feel they are not at the similar stand. This may make an individual demonstrate certain persona so that he/she can impress certain group or individual (Sweeney & Craig, 2010). This makes people to trade in real-life to a life that is based on online (Breakenridge, 2012). Conversely, such reactions and emotions can be avoided through monitoring and not comparing with other individuals. For example, if an individual feels distressed, angry or aggravated, it is prudent to move away from social media to prevent negative consequence of such information. Utilising such strategies ensures that a balance is created between online and offline life. Facebook also creates numerous problems in adult relationship, especially jealously. One of the problems with Facebook in romantic relationship is the extent of over or under sharing of information between partners (Al-Deen & Hendricks, 2011). For example, it is important to have face-to-face conversation to determine what type and amount of information that should be shared regarding the relationship on Facebook (Solis & Breakenridge, 2009). One of the romantic couple may over share information that is private or personal resulting in hurting the other couple (Bozarth, 2010). Other features associated with Facebook are tagging of pictures and other information regarding previous life, which may greatly affect the other couple (Sweeney & Craig, 2010). To prevent misunderstandings from tagged pictures, it is important to un-tug and also involves the partner in coming into agreement on information that cannot be un-tagged. Moreover, information currently available may result in creation of more problems (Breakenridge, 2012). For example, a friend may become friendlier resulting in more problems within the romantic relationship. Social media can also be used in communication, which may result in positive and negative consequences (Breakenridge, 2012). Communication through Facebook may contribute in creation of new friends and may translate into additional friends. However, such communications may not control or may be misunderstood by other person (Sweeney & Craig, 2010). In relationships, communication may contribute in privacy related issues within Facebook (Al-Deen & Hendricks, 2011). For example, it is easier to access information of another person in the Facebook through personification or hacking, and such approaches may have adverse consequences (Solis & Breakenridge, 2009). Loss of privacy and access of private information by other parties may create new problems that may affect both personal and professional life (Kaplan & Haenlein, 2010). Social media also plays an important factor in how time is managed. Sometimes, time is consumed through been dependent in social media neglecting other duties (Sweeney & Craig, 2010). For example, one couple may concentrate in social media rather than accomplishing certain activity (Al-Deen & Hendricks, 2011). Moreover, within the work place, workers may be involved in personal exchange of information without fulfilling the requirements that allowed them to access the social media (Sweeney & Craig, 2010). For example, an individual may be representative for an organisation and rather than selling the information or products, the individual concentrate on other matters that are not relevant to the task. Thus, it is important for organisations and individuals to formulate and implement measures ensuring that time is utilised optimally. Persons and professionals should understand that social media brings both negative and positive aspects that should be analysed (Sweeney & Craig, 2010). Even though challenges exist, it is paramount to recognise that challenges can be converted to benefit both the organisation and individual (Al-Deen & Hendricks, 2011). For example, shy people may utilise Facebook to communicate with individuals so that by the time they meet, they may have enough information regarding each other. To some people, shyness is a weakness but through social media, the shyness can be prevented and thus ensures social requirements are achieved (Sweeney & Craig, 2010). Generally, social media affects both personal and professional life of people involved. The implications are both negative and positive. Some of the positive factors that may be associated with social media such as Facebook include improvement of connection that will translate in either improvement of personal life or professional life. Moreover, social media may be utilised by business to target new markets and also to maintain current contacts. Nevertheless, it is important to utilise strategies such as control to ensure misunderstanding does not occur between and among involved parties. In addition, in the professional life, it is important to ensure guidelines are in place to prevent employees from putting more concentrations on their personal life activities compared to what they are supposed to accomplish in terms of professional life. References Al-Deen, H., & Hendricks, J. (2011). Social Media: Usage and Impact. London: Lexington Books Bozarth, J. (2010). Social Media for Trainers: Techniques for Enhancing and Extending Learning. London: John Wiley & Sons Breakenridge, D. (2012). Social Media and Public Relations: Eight New Practices for the PR Professional. New York: FT Press Briones, R., Kuch, B., Liu, B., & Jin, Y. (2011). Keeping up with the digital age: How the American Red Cross uses social media to build relationships. Public Relations Review, 37(1), 37-43 Duhe, S. (2007). New Media and Public Relations. London: Peter Lang Golden, M. (2010). Social Media Strategies for Professionals and Their Firms: The Guide to Establishing Credibility and Accelerating Relationships. London: John Wiley & Sons Kaplan, A., & Haenlein, M. (2010). Users of the world, unite! The challenges and opportunities of Social Media. Business Horizons, 53(1), 59-68 Mandiberg, M. (2012). The Social Media Reader. Sydney: NYU Press Newson, A., Hougton, D., & Patten, J. (2009). Blogging and Other Social Media: Exploiting the Technology and Protecting the Enterprise. London: Gower Publishing, Ltd. Smith, M. (2011). The New Relationship Marketing: How to Build a Large, Loyal, Profitable Network Using the Social Web. London: John Wiley & Sons Solis, B., & Breakenridge, D. (2009). Putting the Public Back in Public Relations. New York: FT Press Sweeney, S., & Craig, R. (2010). Social Media for Business: 101 Ways to Grow Your Business Without Wasting Your Time. London: Maximum Press Read More