The Social Media Element

     The new technologies are now being developed around the social media element. We now see more software being developed for smart phone mobile platforms than ever before, and with social media capabilities at the forefront.

This can only mean one thing, social media dominance! Yep! Facebook is about to take over the world and the technology industry! Relax. I was just kidding, but, I would not be surprised if it happened eventually.

But, seriously, businesses are finding the social media element very beneficial and integral to the success of online (and offline) business. Social media is where everyone is at lately. I know, because I’ve looked and I don’t see anyone hanging at the coffee shop anymore! But, I can find everyone online in a matter of seconds! It’s crazy!

Basically, that social element is all around us in our emails, text messaging, online chats, blogs, videoconferencing like Skype and WebEx, and business forums like TED Talks. These are the lifeblood of modern twenty-first century business now.


                               WebEx

  The race is on to make everything social media technologically user friendly for the average user, regardless of technological familiarity or expertise (or lack thereof) to humanly connect with one another, to businesses and every other aspect of our lives.

  I don’t know about you, but I love it when I work somewhere that provides me with a VPN (Virtual Private Network) and I am allowed to work from home, and yes, it IS the new reality… -just as soon as companies realize that laying people off does not save businesses a fraction of what they would save employing remote workers and giving up the corporate real estate they own (Doe, n.d.).

     I personally think it will happen within the next decade, but that’s my own wishful thinking because I’ve never really cared much for working in an office. But, that’s my own wishful thinking.

     Once you work with business technology social media tools, you won’t want to go back to the old ways of doing business. One of the most familiar technology business tools used today that connects us to the office are VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol). It connects your Internet with your desk phone, into your computer. I loved this so much when it first came out. You still have a desk phone, but it no longer is a service with your local telephone provider (Doe, n.d.).

     Another technological social media advancement at the office is the chat or IM (instant messaging) systems like Microsoft Exchange or IBM Sametime, where you can speak with anyone no matter where they are in the world, or sitting right next to you, very stealthily. Sometimes this tool gets a pretty bad rap, though. It’s been known to aid and abet the gossiping offenders, but it sure makes the office nice and quiet. You always know there’s some juicy gossip going on when you hear rapid fire typing without anyone talking. I guess technology just made office gossip mongers more passive aggressive by inventing that tool (Doe, n.d.).

     But, more than anything else, the videoconferencing technology, such as Skype or WebEx has truly made the world a smaller place to connect socially and professionally. It is responsible for many remote employees to be able to work from home and still attend meetings with anyone in the world, and yes, it is part of the VoIP technology, too (Doe, n.d.).

     Social media and the new technology that enables it is awesome on so many levels, but there’s still the fact that we are beginning to avoid face-to-face communication because that same technology allows us to hide behind a technological facade, too.

                                                                 Social Avoidance TED Talk 

        Yes, I love working remotely and not have to go into a cliquey, hostile office environment, especially during layoffs when I feel like the last gazelle on the Savannah getting ready to be a lion’s feast. Avoidance, -or what? Hey! I’m not the only one who does that, where do you think I learned that from?


         But honestly, I have no problem self-isolating myself working remotely. But, the point being that too much human avoidance no matter how convenient social media technology is for both personally and professionally drives us out of true social and very real human relationships (Doe, n.d.).

       I have to admit, after a week or two of talking to no one but my cat and the mailman I’m about ready just to take a trip to the grocery store for some human connection. But, I’m not ready to go back to the office just quite yet!
 
Doe, G. (n.d.). Influence of Technology on Social Media. Retrieved November 6, 2016 from http://yourbusiness.azcentral.com/influence-technology-social-media-15702.html