Are There Consequences of 15 Minutes Of Fame On Social Media?

In the age of social media, there is more opportunity than ever before to get people to notice you online. Whether that means building up an online presence by creating a personal brand for people to follow and latch onto, attracting more customers for your business company through social media platforms, or doing something as simple as sending out friend requests, literally everyone in the world from all walks of life now have a chance to become noticed on some level through the use of social media alone.

Photo Courtesy of Pexels

But every so often, there’s a video that pops up on something like Instagram for example, that will go viral on the internet for reasons that can be less than flattering. These can range from death-defying stunts, to people committing property damage, acts of violence towards those unfortunate enough to be on the receiving end of it, animal cruelty, racist rants, the list goes on. These kinds of videos occur regularly online to the point of it being considered normal to the public, but do they come with consequences that can actually impact their real-lives? Well, that depends on the content in question.

One example of karma catching up to people who seek 15 minutes of fame online, comes in the form of a viral video that surfaced not too long ago in which a young woman threw a chair from a high rise balcony onto the busy streets of Toronto, resulting in her receiving a lot of attention online because of it. In the aftermath of that particular video though, she got kicked out of her dental school due to her actions, and was given multiple charges by the Toronto Police related to the incident.

If people seek to get famous in the online world, it would probably be advisable not to do it for the wrong reasons, as it can most likely result in a video receiving public backlash, thus potentially ruining the reputation of the up loader or the subject(s) of said videos in more ways than one.

Are there any other recent instances of videos going viral for the sake of gaining attention on social media? Let me know in the comment section

Facebook vs Instagram: Which One Is Better For Small Business Marketing?

When it comes down to choosing which platform is better used for small business marketing, it can be a very tough choice considering that each social media platform has their own advantages and disadvantages. It also depends on which demographic a small business company is targeting to, as Facebook is nowadays known more as a social network for seniors and families than teens and young adults (even if they surely use Facebook as well). Meanwhile, Instagram is more widely used by the younger demographic (mostly high school and college students) due to a much more friendly user interface, and some of the biggest internet celebrities use Instagram a lot more than Facebook, which no doubt allowed them to gain a massive following of a young audience hungry for great content.

Photo Courtesy Of Pexels

With that being said, depending on the target demographic a business brand would want to cater to, it is important to know which of the two platforms should be best used for marketing purposes. If a small business wants to focus on selling a product or service to an older generation, Facebook would be a great platform for that, as consumers on that website have a lot more income and much better spending power than those of Instagram, in which the majority of the user base is of the younger demographic.

Photo Courtesy Of Pexels

However, if a small business wants to focus on selling a product or service to a younger crowd, than Instagram is more likely the better solution, due to the fact that brand engagement is much higher on that platform than that of Facebook. While Facebook only has 32% of users who partake in brand engagement on a regular basis, Instagram actually has 58 times more brand engagement than Facebook, with 68% of Instagram users who engage with their brands.

At the end of the day, it all comes down to which part of the target demographic a small business owner would want to focus on. Even though Facebook has been around for a lot longer than Instagram, I think they are both really good options, as they are both effective at gaining an audience for a particular business brand and a chance to maintain a really solid following.

Which social media platform do you think would be best for small business marketing? Sound off in the comment section

Is Facebook Still The Most Popular Social Media Platform With Teenagers These Days?

Photo courtesy of Pexels

Now, I am a fairly young student in the Social Media online program, and when I use social media for leisure time, my go-to platforms are Instagram and Snapchat. I use Instagram mainly to look at pictures, funny videos, inspirational messages and all sorts of content from all walks of life. Once in a while, I would come across a video or photo on Instagram that I found intriguing, and share the links with my friends and family. Everyday I would also get notifications from Snapchat to see what my friends are up to, and reply to their posts that have been sent to my group chats. Once in a while, I myself would post a picture or silly video just for laughs, and to let my friends know what kind of person I am.

Even though I have a Facebook account with a bunch of friends on my list, I never actually used it all that much. And I know a bunch of friends and family members (most of whom are younger than me) who almost never use Facebook, save for the occasional group chats in Facebook Messenger for major events like birthdays, seeing a concert or going out of town for a weekend getaway.

How Many Teenagers Actually Use Facebook These Days?

Based on a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, only 51% of U.S teens from ages 13-17 actually use Facebook. In that same age-group, 85% of them use YouTube, 72% use Instagram and 69% use Snapchat. Those three platforms listed above are the three most popular among American teenagers, with Facebook in fourth place on that survey. In addition to that, the same survey shows that 32% of U.S teens say they go on YouTube the most often, 15% say they go on Instagram the most and 35% use Snapchat the most frequently, while only 10% of them go on Facebook the most often.

Even though Facebook is lagging behind in popularity with teens (at least in the U.S) compared to more recent social media platforms such as Snapchat and Instagram, this proves that social media itself is constantly evolving, with new features being added on a regular basis, and having a more accessible user interface, which makes them more beneficial and appealing to younger demographics, proving that social media will only get bigger and better with time.