What is Social Media?

What is Social Media? This is a question that I get asked all the time from friends, family, and strangers alike. To truly understand what Social Media is we need to understand the two components that make up the phrase. By getting the definitions for each individual word we can form a definition for the phrase that is accurate and relevant to what we are talking about.

When doing a search on Webster.com for the word “social”, results three and four nail it on the head in the context we are looking for:

3 : of or relating to human society, the interaction of the individual and the group, or the welfare of human beings as members of society
4 a : tending to form cooperative and interdependent relationships with others of one’s kind :

When doing a search on Webster for the word “media”, we are presented with this result:

1 : a medium of cultivation, conveyance, or expression;

Now that we understand what each word means individually we can determine the true meaning behind social media. So let’s ask ourselves what is social media again but this time with the knowledge to answer. Social media is any medium of cultivation, conveyance, or expression that involves the interaction of an individual or group, and it tends to form a cooperative and interdependent relationship with others. This means that any site that allows us to interact and build relationships will fall into the category of social media.

Social Media is not limited to Facebook, Twitter, Myspace. Social Media is all encompassing and allows us the ability to form relationships that are inter-dependent. The new on demand instant information transfer of social media is changing the way that business is done online. Huge companies are having trouble adapting to answer the question what is social media? Small young businesses are thriving off of the targeted leads a social network brings. Businesses have to pay attention to everyone even be it an unknown individual. The way information can go viral is much faster than anything before.

Anyone can now go online and express their opinion about a product, service, or brand. The web 2.0 world is one that is seeing companies scramble to keep up. Being able to smoothly navigate the internet and the interwoven fabric of social media are going to be key elements in the next evolution of business. The next time someone asks you “what is social media” you will have the knowledge. Remember knowledge is power. Please comment below. I really love interaction with my website visitors and appreciate your attention.