A little bit about myself…
I’m a social media expert.
How am I a social media expert?
This blog is just one facet of my social media expertise. My last semester of college I had the fortune of taking a course in Social Media that was offered through George Washington University’s School of Media and Public Affairs. The course was taught by Professor Nikki Usher – a Harvard grad that is now regarded as a preeminent expert in the field of media. She knows all about how the digital media scene is rapidly evolving.
- I have an insatiable interest in the media and social media industries. I frequently tweet about trends and general news that’s happening in the industry. Check out my Twitter for more.
- I’m experienced in business social media marketing. In my last internship at the renowned management-consulting firm McKinsey & Company, I helped manage the LinkedIn and Twitter accounts for their Capital Projects & Infrastructure practice. I had to learn an entire industry that was previously unknown to me – infrastructure – and package our research into easily digestible social media tidbits. I’m a pro at turning complicated concepts into 140 characters or less.
Why am I an expert in my subject-area?
Why did I start a blog about dog ownership? When I first got Cuevo back in September I was new to the concept of owning a puppy on my own, as a busy college student no less. Through this blog, I’ve been able to chronicle my own experiences while also providing advice for other aspiring college-aged dog owners.
Beyond just knowing about dogs, through this blog you’re able to see a couple of my digital media-savvy skills on display.
- I’m good at infographics
- See this blog post. And this one too.
- I know how to use social media analytics. I do some basic analysis of my blog’s metrics in this blog post. But I’m also able to do much more complex analysis, at my McKinsey internship I became an expert in using Simply Measured’s detailed reports to optimize our digital outreach.
Here what you need to know about social media:
It seems like everyday there’s some new social media app feature or game-changing business deal by the social media titans. Below, I’ve curated a list of the need-to-know issues and trends that will impact the future of social media.
My Own Tweets:
Why should you quit (or at least reduce) #socialmedia? Focus may be the new IQ in the modern workplace. https://t.co/NIHu1dEvQ6 #SMPAsocial
— Kyle Chin (@KyleChinner) April 9, 2017
Watch this TedTalk for something eye opening. Is focus at the workplace the new form of IQ? If you’re spending too much time on social media at work then it may be time to do something about it.
As the digital media market becomes saturated, what consumption and marketing trends can we expect? https://t.co/CxbDIpL4EJ #SMPAsocial pic.twitter.com/ba7VEBp1xJ
— Kyle Chin (@KyleChinner) April 23, 2017
The digital media market is reaching a saturation point, meaning there’s less room for social media newcomers and people may be giving up some medium in lieu for others. All the players in the social media market need to work that much harder to beat their competition.
Not only is #Bitmoji the fatest growing #socialmedia app, but also the fastest growing app period. https://t.co/QuOGRWxieu #smpasocial
— Kyle Chin (@KyleChinner) March 26, 2017
Crazy stat here, Bitmoji is not only the fastest growing social media app but also the fastest growing app period at a growth rate of 5,210%. It is followed by Tinder (166% growth rate) and GroupMe (101% growth rate). What do all these apps have in common? They’re all about social connectivity – facilitating gatherings and social interactions.
My Classmates’ Tweets:
new study finds kids who spend more time on social less happy overall … thoughts? https://t.co/3kUTv6xxoe #SMPAsocial
— Elizabeth Lepore (@lizlepore3) April 9, 2017
As we begin to grapple with the possibility that we are all addicted to social media, what does this mean for the younger generation that is growing up with it? A recent study found that the more time kids used social media, the more unhappy they were with school, their appearance, and life overall. The positive side? Kids may be more satisfied with their friendships.
Unsurprised that #Facebook is least-trusted, #Linkedin most-trusted. Concerning to me = 44% of people ’somewhat’ trust Reddit. #smpasocial https://t.co/4sSoMdZVrO
— Sophie Ota (@SophieOta) March 21, 2017
People are becoming increasingly dependent on social media as their sources for news. Although 62% of adults get news through social media, 68% of people don’t actually trust that news. Follow the story’s link for a ranking of social media sites by trust.
Can’t tell if this is only directed to high school students but still might submit a comment…https://t.co/BOTxrnJZvf #smpasocial
— Madeline Stoltz (@madstoltz) February 24, 2017
Cue the rise of the “Finsta” (fake instagram acccount) and changing you’re your last name on Facebook. Can what we put online, such as funny yet inappropriate comment or embarrassing photo, possibly damage our future career goals?
The two most important issues going forward.
As you’ve already seen in some of the trends that I’ve highlighted, there’s A LOT going on with social media that have significant future implications. Here’s what I see as the two most significant issues to a future where social media will dominate human interaction…
Addiction
I’m fascinated by how addicted we’ve become to social media as a society. Try to think of the last time you stood in line, ate a meal, or sat down for an hour straight without looking at your phone. Pretty hard right? Today, we are so inundated by phone alerts, texts, Snapchats, and so forth that our brain has literally become rewired.
However, there is debate over how much social media has really changed out social connections. As this article that I read for my Social Media class discusses, the absence of real-world conversation is nothing new.
I’ll leave you with one last thought. While everyone may think that they can do work and be on their phone at the same time, multitasking is a myth.
Fake News
The rise of fake news has been meteoric. Did it have an impact of the outcome of the 2016 presidential election?
No doubt, the threat of fake news will stay around for a while. This analysis gives a really good in-depth look at how powerful fake news can be. Here are some crazy numbers via Buzzfeed:
“During these critical months of the campaign, 20 top-performing false election stories from hoax sites and hyperpartisan blogs generated 8,711,000 shares, reactions, and comments on Facebook.
Within the same time period, the 20 best-performing election stories from 19 major news websites generated a total of 7,367,000 shares, reactions, and comments on Facebook.”
But the good news? Social media sites are making efforts to combat fake news.
Financial Times: Facebook to pay fact-checkers to combat fake news
Fortune: Google Is Changing Its Search Algorithm to Combat Fake News
Thank you for taking the time to read my blog! I hope to see you again soon.