The Role of Social Media in Every Aspect of Life - Research Paper Example

The customers are also able to get immediate feedback on the queries that they might raise. The role of social media, therefore, is more significant in the business world. Businesses use social media mainly in marketing their products, creating awareness to both potential and existing customers (Michaelidou, Siamagka, and Christodoulides 1154). They are therefore able to increase sales as a result and therefore increase their profitability. Social media, therefore, has attained a role in shaping the lives of people as well as that of businesses. It has enabled people to interact socially with others and has enabled businesses to attain their profitability goals. It has also shaped the life of businesses by improving communication in organizations between various groups of employees (Atur and Huberman 494).

The commonly used forms of social media are Facebook, Twitter, and Google+. Facebook was initially commonly used by college students and young people to connect socially with their friends. The role of Facebook has however increased as businesses are now using it to carry out their marketing function by creating a Facebook page where Facebook users can follow and get any updates from the company or raise their queries and comments. Twitter also started as a tool for basic social networking but with time, businesses have adopted its use in marketing their products, releasing important information to their customers, and directing attention to new products and special offers in the market (Bosari Para 4). Google+ has also been adopted by many businesses in carrying out their marketing and through it, the businesses have found the ease of increasing their presence in the business social media marketing. It has features that enable businesses to utilize their models in the same way as Twitter and Facebook.

The benefits obtained from social media include that it facilitates open communication, resulting in an enhanced discovery and delivery of information. It also enables employees to ask questions and discuss various ideas. The social network also provides an opportunity for widening business contacts and acts as a tool for recruitment since it is able to target a large audience. It also improves the reputation of businesses and expands the business research of a company. The drawbacks of using social media include the danger of people being affected by online scams resulting in data theft. There is a possibility of attacks by hackers who commit virus attacks and frauds. There also might result in negative comments about the company from employees and other parties which might affect the company’s reputation (SHRM Para 6).