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• 1 2016-10-17T10:33:07-07:00 Introduction 14 Defining Social Media plain 2016-10-24T09:30:35-07:00 What is Social Media and what led to its development? This is a question that has been pondered about for years. Social Media is defined by Merriam-Webster as “forms of electronic communication through which users create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages, and other content,” but what does that encompass? When most people think about social media they mainly think of the most popular Social Media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat, however, by this definition, social media also would include the vast majority of other websites. For example, the gaming community is another example of social media, users communicate and compete with each other through online medias such as Xbox Live or the Playstation Network. By this definition, even a comment section on an article posted on a website could be classified as social media. In a world where the internet is king, social media is its queen, and we are the loyal constituents that have no option but to follow the law of the land.
   

  Having an understanding of what social media is and how it works is becoming more and more important in today’s society. Currently, the world's population is roughly 7.4 billion people. Of these 7.4 billion people roughly 2.3 billion people are characterized as “active social media users.” 31% of the world’s population uses social media and those numbers are much higher in the United States. According to Statista, the percentage of United States American citizens that have social media profiles has grown from 24% in 2008 to 78% in 2016. With the majority of people in the United States actively using some form of social media, it is important to have a working understanding of social media.

  • World Population Statistics
  • United States Statistics
   

  Since the invention of the computer, people have been enamored with electronic communication. Electronic mail was one of the most influential inventions of recent history and it was only the first step to shrinking our world. Media and the Internet have made our world smaller, in the past if you wanted to send a letter to someone you would have to wait extended periods of time before it was delivered. Then, if the letter warranted a response, you would have to wait days for the response to travel from them to you. Now, thanks to technology, the internet, and social media, we can connect and interact with people instantly. This instant communication has been made easier and easier throughout time, from E-mail, to instant messaging, to MySpace, to Facebook, to Twitter, and at this point almost everyone has a mobile phone, or computer, or tablet. Due to this development, our world is driven by the internet and social media, and in order to stay current, you must remain social media literate.
  
  Social Media literacy is essential to success in today's day and age. Regardless of your personal involvement in social media, it is going to have an impact on you. This book outlines some specifics of social media that are important to know in order to capitalize on what social media has to offer, as well as limit the damage that social media can do to you.
   

  
  Brief outline of the book:

  
  Chapter two discusses the different types of social media as well as the history of social media. We go in depth on video based, post based, and image-based social media. The different types of social media consist of Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Myspace, Vine, and Snapchat. Also, we provide a history of social media from 1979-2016. 
  
  Chapter three is divided into three different sections. The first covers how social media is used depending on piracy settings and includes examples of how Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram are used by people for different purposes. The second section talks about the professional benefits of social media, and how it can be used to benefit both the individual and the business. The benefits arise from networking, communication, and more visibility. The third section talks about how social media brings friends and families together and the way social media makes it happen as well as the things social media includes to make communication easier through distance relatives.
  
  Chapter four will be going over the potential risks that one can encounter when searching blindly through the worldwide web like Hackers, Scammers, and Online Viruses. The internet is an amazing place where anyone can go to finish and improve their work but also not being careful can get the user into a mess of problems.
  
  Chapter five will show you how Technology, Social Media, Apps, Sports, Travel, and News trend (that is, be shared by many people). Anything can become viral if it is interesting to the public and the author has to be able to allow it to spread. Remember, just because something is viral/trending currently does not mean it will always be popular. Most trends don't last very long because people get bored quickly.
  
  Chapter six talks about the Social Movements and the Politics around it. This chapter will take a look at the components of how a movement is built and the way social media is used to create communication and organization among activists.
  
  Chapter seven mentions money and social media. In the business world, the motivation is to make money. The social media world and the business world are very interconnected because even though social media may seem free to the public, there is still an underlying cost for the social media platform to be up and running. All social media platforms use promotions and different types of ads to make a profit off of the user's viewing experience.
  
  Chapter eight is about the Laws that pertain to the use of Social Media. You will learn about the Terms of Service agreement that all websites have. As well as the Civil Laws in social media. Lastly, the chapter will be covering Criminal Laws that can be applied in social media use.
   

  Works Cited

  •  "Global Social Media Statistics Summary 2016 - Smart Insights." Smart Insights. Smart Insights, n.d. Web. 24 Oct. 2016. http://www.smartinsights.com/social-media-marketing/social-media-strategy/new-global-social-media-research/
   
  •  "U.S. Population with a Social Media Profile 2016 | Statistic." Statista. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Oct. 2016.  https://www.statista.com/statistics/273476/percentage-of-us-population-with-a-social-network-profile/