Technology's Role in Social Media

Hello!
 I would like to discuss a primary factor that is needed for a company to succeed at a sufficient level; and that is technology. Many companies that have been around for decades and are not following the new media trends, are ultimately loosing profit. A company in 2014 must have at least one social media platform or website to connect their company wither their consumers.

It is recognized that companies with a social media platform do have a higher customer percentage because they are able to interact with their customers at a level that a flyer or even company website is incapable of allowing. The two points I would like to draw attention to are synchronous interactions and asynchronous interactions, which are key players in the role of technology. Synchronous interactions refers to interactions that a company may have with a consumer that occurs in real/present time. Asynchronous interactions are the types of interactions that do not require all participants to immediately respond.

 A primary example of a synchronous interaction may be Facebook messenger. I have a personal experience with a dress shop called INfusions Dress Boutique that is located in Rhode Island. Since I live a great distance from the shop, but am a loyal customer, the owner of the boutique allows me to message her through Facebook to contact her about any new dresses that are in stock. She will also take time out of her day to message and respond immediately with items I may be interested in purchasing that could potentially sell fast. A primary example of an asynchronous interaction may be a forum or discussion, and this can very well be a blog! Other examples may include a discussion for an online class that students can post to and wait for a response to eventually appear, but their is no "real time" status when interacting in this manner.



When analyzing both interactions, an example of a platform that uses both comes to mind and that is Twitter! Who doesn't have a Twitter account in 2014? It seems that even my grandmother is logged in now! Twitter is great for personal use on the consumer end, and professional use on the business end. It demonstrates being in the present time when users post tweets that are sent out automatically to their followers, as well as offers direct messaging and mentions that can be responded to whenever the receiver feels like doing so. We must keep in mind that responding to whichever notification you receive on a personal level and even more so in the professional world, must be responded to in a timely manner to show respect for the other individuals time to reach out to you or your company.

I had a personal experience with the famous Greek yogurt brand called Chobani. I am an active tweeter and often times enjoy expressing my love for certain brands that deserve recognition for their products. I happened to tweet about a new flavor that Chobani distributed, Key Lime Pie! I loved the quality and taste of the product so I tweeted and actually forgot to tag them! It just so happened that Chobani located my tweet that stated their brand name and replied to my tweet! I also had another experience with DSW Shoe Warehouse when purchasing a pair of shoes at their annual sale, this time mentioning them and they responded as well!

DSW Shoe Warehouse ‏@DSWShoeLovers Sep 20

@natasciasimone Thanks for spreading the word! #dsw

Being a consumer of many products and brands, the ones that do stand out to me are the companies that take their time to respond to you through a synchronous or asynchronous way! Every company or organization large or small should have individuals in charge of their customer relations!

See you next time to talk more about social media in the real world!
-Natascia :)