Social Media: fad or the next best thing?

Social media as we have learned plays a big part of how we carry on our daily lives.  Statistics show that facebook could be the third largest country if it were a country, and youtube is the second largest search engine.  What does this say about the generation now....younger people are choosing to communicate via blogs and texting rather than face to face communication.
 
So, is social media a fad or the biggest shift since the industrial revolution?  My opinion....it's the biggest shift.  But then again, is it social media that's the biggest shift or is it the tools that allow us to use social networking sites the next best thing? 
Many critiques would criticise that the internet was the foundation and gateway to social networking.  Without the internet one could not access social networking sites, and this blog being a form of social media would not exist.

In the past people communicated via telephone, writing letters, or simply sitting down in the living room and catching up.  Now, social networking has infringed on people's communication skills as people do not have to call or see an individual.  Social media sites allow for people to see what goes on in others personal life by viewing their pictures, reading their blogs, and seeing "what’s on their mind."  E-mail was once a way for people to communicate and share photo's, but as we have seen people are no longer choosing that route, as the experts say "generation y and x consider it a passe."  Now people of all ages are choosing social media networks such as facebook, flickr, twitter, and podcast to communicate.

In a nutshell social media is the biggest shift that won't last.  People will see the drawbacks of using these social sites as many employers do use this as a point of reference to determine your personality and professionalism.  As the stats show 80% of companies use social media for recruitment.  Many people tend to post pictures of the stag they went to the night before, or a bachelor party that went out of control.  People are not being cautious enough when uploading or blogging things that are not privacy protected and can be viewed by just about anyone....hence criminals can never hide for long.

All About Me =D

My name is Amanda, and I am in my third year of the Legal Administration program.  I work part-time as a hairstylist, and will be starting hairdressing school in May.  I enjoy shopping, going to car shows, and travelling.