Publicity

I find the amount of publicity social media offers individuals fascinating. Any name has the ability to become a well-known name if the right (or wrong) posts are made to a social media site. People become internet sensations through social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook. These sites also help promote events, up and coming stars, businesses, and more. Recently, New York Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin went from being a no-name bench player to the next big thing. He had a breakout game against the New Jersey Nets and "Linsanity" began to sweep the world. Social media has played a huge role in this because of the amount of people posting and Tweeting about Jeremy Lin and the New York Knicks. Pictures of Lin have been all over Facebook, so more and more people know what he looks like, what team he plays for, and what he has been doing to opposing team. On the other hand, social media sites have the ability to wreck an individual’s image. During the Penn State scandal, social media escalated the events taking place when people voiced their opinions. Some of these posts were harsh and not true. All the negative publicity about Penn State gave it a bad image, causing them to lose recruits, money, and fans.

Social media has taken over as a main form of communication, and finding out what's happening in the world. I am a daily user of Facebook, but don't feel the need to make a Twitter unless I become famous. I don't understand how some people can post the same thing on several different forms of social media. One site is enough to post on. Social media is being used for everything these days. I find people use Facebook to express their feelings and be heard. Some have turned their Facebook and Twitter pages into a diary. I find myself unfriending people who post things at least three times an hour because it's just too much stuff about nothing. Some things such as "I'm bored" and "Going to sleep" are posted by people every night. I don't need to when someone is going to sleep every night. It also annoys me when people post about how much they hate their lives. They should try fixing their problems instead of complaining about them. I like when people post interesting quotes, pictures, and comments. It helps me keep up with people without actually starting a conversation. I'm okay with liking a post so the other person knows I appreciate it.