The Endless Opportunities With Social Media

My name is Janie Harris and I am a senior at the University of Kentucky majoring in Integrated Strategic Communications with a minor in Business. I was originally a Business major, but decided to change my major to Integrated Strategic Communications because it is so exciting and relevant in today’s world. Fluency with social media is becoming more important every day, and it is no longer just an advantage to have experience in this area, but it has become a necessity for most companies. It is critical to be able to use social media effectively to reach your current customers and any future consumers.

In particular, social media plays a huge role in my daily life as a college student. We make so many decisions based on what is going on via Facebook, Twitter, and other social media outlets. For example, I have liked the pages and followed some of the restaurants that I like to go to in Lexington. When I check social media and those restaurants have made a post, it reminds me of why I like to go to that restaurant, possibly provides a coupon of some sort, or even gives me some incentive to go to the restaurant that very day. In addition, the same goes for many of the stores where I shop. Since I love to shop, I follow many different companies on Facebook and Twitter and enjoy being updated and reminded about what is new with the brand and how I can get more involved as a consumer.

My family uses social media as well.   My mother saw the huge impact of social media and set up all the sites at the museum where she works.   She has added several of those sites since she began due to the increase of exposure. My mom says that posts on social media allow them to reach an audience they might not have otherwise.   Also, their programming at the museum has an impact on a lot of children and posts on Facebook and other sites allow them to spread the word about the good work they are doing there. I also know that my mother uses Facebook a lot for many things that are happening in her life outside of work-related posts.

Probably the biggest impact I have ever seen on social media is what occurred this summer with ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.   I have never seen such a chain reaction to anything.   But, what a wonderful thing it was!

I believe that social media has made such an impact on my daily life that I will be able to utilize it in some sort of fashion in whatever my future career may be. Whether it is a career that has anything to do with marketing or advertising, I will be able to use social media to my advantage.