Social Media: Trend or Fad

Who would have thought twenty years ago, we Americans would be so connected to computers and  the world wide web that it would become a daily routine in our lives just as showering and brushing our teeth.  This is the common denominator between most millennials, but to add proof to my case, let me use my seventeen year old son as an example.  He may not be so happy about this post, but let's all keep it a secret. 

Chris Jr's Daily Routine

Jr. wakes up at 5AM every morning for football workouts, but during his preparation for the day he fits in a 20 minute shower, 30 minutes on Facebook, 5 minutes throwing some clothes on and a 15 minute ride to school while he is on his Facebook.  He has even admitted to being on the toilet while surfing his Facebook.  Sounds a little far fetched, but be honest with yourselves, we've all done it.

The kid is on his Facebook intermittently through school when he knows he can hide his phone, and on the ride home and after his homework he's back on his social media.  Chores take less time to complete than it does for him to update and post on his twitter feed.  Then comes dinner, where I will admit that this is an opportunity for the whole family to check on our social media feeds.  If I had estimate, between YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, he spends about 4-6 hours on his social media.  Jr. is a super athletic kid and has the opportunity to play college football if he concentrates on what matters most.  As a challenge, coaches approached Chris to voluntarily give up his phone through Spring football workouts.  Are all of us so addicted to social media that it has become a significant part of our lives?

Social media has evolved so much  to our daily lives that media moguls have adapted the art of tailoring advertising to each person's interest.  We are on our social media so much that companies have been able to track what our interests are and draw advertising impressions to whatever each individual  person has shown a possibility of consumer ability.  Those ads on the sidebar of your Facebook are no longer coincidence.  So, are they cash or clutter?  The question depends on who you are asking.  One thing is  for sure though.  These advertisements all do increase brand or product awareness, because you either have to click off of them or ignore them on the side of the screen.  Either way they are seen and very difficult to avoid.

So, the question stands, is social media a trend or fad?  Our digital culture has evolved so much that it has taken on a life of its own.  Consumers such as Chris Jr. that spend 4-6 hours surfing their social media, expand product awareness.  I used Chris Jr. as an example, but when we consider that South Korea, China, and Japan offers the majority of the world's internet users and members of social media sites, we cannot ignore the potential of social media advertising. According to Mary C. Long  in an article she wrote, "Global social network advertising revenues are projected to double 2012 figures by 2014 – climbing from seven to 14 BILLION. This makes sense as 70% of advertisers are currently devoting at least a small portion of their budget to social networks now.