I think that social media is definitely the biggest shift since the industrial revolution. Although some social media tools may only be a fad, others will be around for many years. New ones are being created all the time and older ones are updated and improved to keep up. People consider social media a necessity, it is everywhere! It can no longer be considered a fad because people rely on it too much in their daily lives. It has become routine. They have adapted to this fast-paced way of obtaining information and communicating and it would be very hard to go back.
Social media tools are easily accessible to anyone to update, post and ask questions. Before buying a product you can get the opinions of peers within minutes whether it is a good purchase or not. You could even ask from your phone while in line to buy the product. “78% of consumers trust peer recommendations” (Social Media Revolution 2 Video). Commercials are less effective than the word of mouth. It is accessible from anywhere there is an available wireless network. You cannot look something up without using a social media tool. You can use it to search the news, weather, look for a job, sell items and shop, etc.
Social media brings people together. It could be a user looking for love on a dating site, or someone who graduated from high school twenty years ago reuniting with old friends using facebook. Teenagers and even elementary school kids use social media tools to contact classmates to gossip or for help with homework assignments instead of making a phone call. It is much more convenient because you can contact an unlimited amount of people at one time. People are even able to contact relatives from across the world without worrying about paying long distant charges. Communicating has never been easier. Social media will continue to expand with new users and new social media tools for many years to come.
