Get Onboard the Social Media Bandwagon

by Jillian LaCoppola, guest author

Social media is an extremely important aspect of the business world and the social world in general. Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn have become primary ways to share information. Many businesses have jumped on the social media bandwagon and are hiring younger people to come in and teach them how to utilize social media outlets.

For example, on my last interview for an internship, the interviewer asked me if I could use social media. She informed me that this was an extremely important aspect of the internship, as they would be using social media to promote their brand identity and to obtain feedback from their fans.

Author Michael Fauscette

Social media allows businesses to communicate with partners all over the world. Michael Fauscette, in "Communication and Collaboration in a Social Business World," clearly explained this phenomenon. According to Fauscette, many companies used to have difficulty communicating with business partners around the world. Today, business managers only need to turn on their cell phones and type.

Learning about social media is vital. Most companies want to hear that you have knowledge in social media, so that you are able to publicize and communicate through these outlets. Any college student who does not know how to utilize social media is at a huge disadvantage as these outlets will only become more popular in the years to come. More communication teachers should realize how important social media is and encourage their students to utilize them in ways that are productive and useful.



Fauscette also stated,

"Internet connectivity offers multiple channels for tying people together. It provides businesses and individuals with billboards (relatively static information sharing one to many), multiple multi-media broadcast channels (infinitely changeable in real or near real time, one to many), and multiple peer to peer communication channels all in real time, all the time and accessible from a device you can carry in your pocket.”

Social network map showing
connections between Facebook users

Thanks to the power of social media, people all over the world can now exchange information at rates that were never before possible. I completely agree with Fauscette, social media is changing the way in which people communicate, making it more immediate and convenient.

Social media knowledge and skill are vital traits in the business world today. Most employers want to hear from students like me that we can use our social media experience to help communicate with key audiences. Recently, I was interviewed for an internship. One of the very first questions asked of me was, "Do you have any knowledge in social media?" This was an eye-opening experience for me.

If you, as a college student, don't know how to utilize social media you will be at a serious disadvantage compared to job applicants who have developed social media skills. More communication teachers should realize how important social media is and encourage their students to utilize them in ways that are productive and useful.

Social media tools on Walmart's website

The office supply retailer Staples is an example of a business that uses social media effectively. Staples was one of the first retailers to use Facebook as a social media to leak black Friday sales. (See "Staples using social media.) Other retailers like Ann Taylor, Levi Jeans, and Walmart have all jumped on the social media bandwagon and used social media to promote advertising and upcoming sales.

I have always been intrigued by social media; however, I am only now learning the formal aspects of social media in my spring public relations class (COM370 in the School of Communication and the Arts at my college, Marist). Many teachers have stated the importance of social media, but my public relations class actually incorporates these concepts in our curriculum and class activities.

Prior to this spring, I knew little about social media platforms, other than Facebook. In COM370, I have learned from Professor Van Dyke how to use Twitter, form communities around lists and groups of tweets, and use hash tags in tweets to organize group discussions. I have also learned how to use LinkedIn to expand my professional network and find various internship and career opportunities.

Yes, I have learned that uses of social media extend far beyond informal conversations with friends. I understand that I must also be prepared to discuss in an interview how I use social media to manage valuable relationships between organizations and their audiences. I encourage other graduating college students to join me in educating others about social media -- the need to develop knowledge and skills, and the importance of following the explosion of social media in the communication field.

Get excited about the new opportunities provided by social media, as social media is truly changing the world and the way we communicate!

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Jillian LaCoppolla is a junior communication major at Marist College, with an academic concentration in public relations and a minor in fashion merchandising.