Social Media! The Potential

Many people advocate for a time-out from social media, and in slightly less enlightened times, spending hours on social media was considered wasteful of hours which could be put into more productive activities. Interestingly, people in tune with the times are also coming to realise that, while it is good to trim the excesses, completely cutting off social media may be the unwise thing to do in this day. Technology, social media being a part of this, is revolutionising the world. It is changing the way we interact with each other, the way we do business.

In today’s world, it is difficult for a business to remain relevant without an active social media presence. Companies, recognizing the goldmine social media is, are hiring digital marketers and influencers to help their businesses reach a wider audience. Publicity via social media often costs less than TVs adverts. The process is also quicker and less taxing. For entrepreneurs, especially SMEs, easy access to social media is particularly invaluable. Business owners can raise awareness about their businesses themselves by posting and engaging with others on various social media platforms. Even people who know nothing about the technicalities of digital marketing have found success through social media.

So many people, harnessing the simple magic of retweets and shares, have been able to put their business in front of thousands of potential customers. People have networked, landed dream jobs and sealed deals with clients. Just recently, Mr Eazi’s empower Africa label reached out to a lady via twitter after seeing a freestyle she posted on the platform.

For those less unable to keep up with the constant hustle and the changing dynamics of the platforms but cannot afford professional digital marketers or social media managers for their brands, social media influencers on Twitter and Instagram, even on Whatsapp TV channels, are a go-to for relatively inexpensive publicity.

Social media outlets are the first source of information for so many people. Traditional media outlets such as television and newspapers are just failing to do it for people, especially young people. Even websites are losing audiences to social media pages. Many household names have leveraged on the reach of social media to deliver news to their audience. BBC and Channels TV, for instance, are very active on social media and use their handles to reach their audience. Through these handles, they are also able to engage with their audience and hear their opinions on relevant matters. Many news outlets have some form of iWitness report program with hashtags which allow regular people to bring attention to pressing issues in their localities. Many reports of this kind have served as fuel for investigative journalism, giving deeper context and coverage to important matters.

Social media, because of how it connects everyone, allows people to quickly disseminate information and do real-time reporting of events and situations even before traditional news stations get wind of the situation. It helps ordinary everyday people draw attention to pressing issues at no cost. Often, in quickly-changing ongoing situations, social media is the place where people go to get updated. In times of crisis, the dissemination of information via social media pages have been pivotal in saving the lives of people, helping them avoid hotspots and safeguard their properties.

Millions of youth in Nigeria rely on Twitter and social media handles such as instablog9ja and tundeednut (on Instagram) for their news and entertainment. Years after Crazeclown’s Instagram skits first became quite popular in Nigeria, so many new social media comedians have entered the scene, found success and have established names for themselves. Social media has created new job roles and redefined old ones. Social media influencers and managers, for instance, were jobs that did not even exist before, and the potentials are far from exhausted. Social media is always expanding to accommodate all types of people, allowing them easily find success if they simply possess the grit required to pursue their goals, have the creativity to invent new roles for themselves or put a spin on old ones.