How Social Media Began and why it Became Popular so Quickly
Whereas the beginnings of social media can be traced back to as early as 1844, most contemporary accounts of social media origins point to 1969 with the introduction of the Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPANET). ARPANET, which is an early digital network, was created by the US Department of Defense to allow scientists at four interconnected institutions of higher education to share software, hardware, and other data. The direct precursor of the modern internet came into existence in 1987 when the National Science Foundation introduced a more robust, nationwide digital network known as the National Science Foundation Network (NSFNET). About a decade later, in 1997, the world saw the launching of the first true social media platform known as SixDegrees.com (Hjorth & Hinton, 2019). Over the years, the world has seen the launching of numerous advanced social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, Tik Tok, Reddit, and WeChat, just to name a few.
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Social media has become popular so quickly due to the advancement in technology especially the launching of smartphones. Another factor that has fueled the popularity of social media is its ability to connect people from all over the globe hence rendering the world a global village. Thus, the popularity of social media has been fueled by advances in digital technology and the human impulse to communicate.
A Comparison of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube
Facebook is a social media platform that allows users, who sign-up for free, to create profiles, and connect with other users who may be friends, work colleagues, or other people they do not know, online. The platform allows users to share their thoughts, articles, pictures, music, and videos with as many people as they like. Twitter is very similar to Facebook. However, unlike Facebook, Twitter has a limit on the number of characters one can type and the length of videos a user can share. LinkedIn is employment and business-oriented online platform. Similar to Facebook and Twitter it operates via website and mobile applications. Unlike Twitter and Facebook, which are more oriented toward socializing, LinkedIn is primarily used for career development and professional networking. YouTube is a social media platform that allows users to upload videos that other users can watch for free. YouTube remunerates users who have monetized their YouTube channels.
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Use of Hashtag in in social media Platforms and why People use Hashtag
A hashtag refers to a word or phrase preceded by the pound symbol (#). On social media, hashtags serve as an indication that a piece of content belongs to a certain category or relates to a specific topic. People use hashtags to make their content discoverable in searches and effectively reach the target audience (Zain & Selamat, 2019).
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How Businesses can Leverage Hashtag to advance Consumer Awareness of Products and Services
Businesses leverage hashtags to advance consumer awareness of products and services by making their ads more discoverable. Businesses pay social media influencers to make their hashtags trend hence making their content more discoverable by the target audience (Zain & Selamat, 2019). Thus, hashtagging help businesses reach more people on social media hence improving the effectiveness of their social media adverts.
Measuring the Effectiveness of Social Media Advertising Efforts
Businesses measure the effectiveness of their social media advertising efforts using social media return on investment (ROI). According to Pourkhani et al. (2019), ROI stands out as one of the most important key performance indicators in social media marketing. ROI is expressed as a percentage. It also allows businesses to compare the effectiveness of different social media platforms.
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Social Media and Gossip
Social media is becoming a form of gossiping today. Some people have opened social media pages and channels dedicated to spreading gossip. Christians should use social media as a business tool while stopping short of gossiping by ensuring that they follow channels, pages, and people that are focused on positivity and sharing accurate and insightful information. Social media platforms allow users to block and mute people and certain topics, respectively.
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