The social networking and social marketing landscape has only begun changing the ways we communicate and also what we communicate. Years ago nobody cared what we where doing during every minute of the day. But now it seems important to know what others are during before work, during work and after work with websites like Facebook and Twitter.
People who normally might be timid and quiet all of a sudden want to let the world know they just walked their dog or that they just ate their lunch. Large fortune 500 companies are conducting business and communicating with customers right through sites like Twitter. People would rather find the cable company account on twitter and vent to them than picking up the phone and calling customer service. A customer service call might be between you and that other person but on Twitter the whole world can see your instant complaint. So it is in the best interest of the company representative that is in charge of that Twitter account to resolve that issue as quickly as possible to not tarnish their reputation. Social networks allow news to spread and travel very quickly. Much quicker than prior forms of communication.
Social networking and communication is moving at a speed that is faster than companies can keep up with. People would now rather communicate directly through an online tool than to pick up the phone. We are only seeing the beginning of this cultural phenomenon. A person can fire up a Facebook page and almost instantly be reunited with people they would never even think about communicating with. I had a cousin halfway across the planet send me a message. I haven’t spoken with this person in over fifteen years. The power of social platforms have been immense and are continually changing they way anyone and everyone interact with each other online.
