Six years ago myspace was the big kid on campus, today twitter and facebook run rampant. What is the appeal of social media that rages within our society? What is it that makes these media outlets so essential to our culture and the everyday practices?

Communication without communicating:

Many people in today’s society are anxious to communicate face to face. Many of today’s sites allow messaging from “friend” to “friend”, which means no personal interaction. The appeal of typing your messages without having to see the bodies’ reaction to these words allows individuals to be bolder and there are no immediate consequences. Whither it’s the fear of a negative interaction, or the simplicity of just a short message left with no response, communicating without human interaction is one of the main appeals to some with social media.

Ease of sharing:

Sharing is an important part of the Internet. Sharing information, and ideals were some of the founding principals of the Internet. Social media has taken this idea and made it more accessible to the every man. Instead of government employees sharing classified documents, social media sites allow individuals to share updates on their day and images of their lives with each other. It is not only the ease of sharing but also management. Now there are social media management systems that help users organize their social media tools over every vertical. Today instead of having to take a picture, getting it developed and mailing it to a friend across the country, you can just post it from your phone and that friend can see it instantly.

Options of interaction:

Another benefit to social media is the various options any individual can utilize the sites for. Be it for personal use, finding lost friends and relatives, playing games, or just to use a filing transfer service, social media is what you make it. It’s this diversity that adds to its popularity. Any person with any interest can find a purpose for social media in their lives.

Social media has become a part of our everyday lives and is addicting because it appeals to so many ideas. You can communicate without communicating if you choose, share as little or as much as you want to specified individuals and choose how you want to interact. The amount of people using social media is astounding, but it’s not hard to see its appeal. Social media is what you make it and can be very addicting.