BUS 188: Chapter 8 Outline

Matthew Mercado

08/01/16

BUS 188 (11:00am-3:00pm)

Chapter 8 Outline (2 page minimum)

Aggarwal

Chapter 8 Outline: Social Media Information Systems

            With social media being the norm of the day, it’s not unusual for it to progress or advance every year because of technology. Everything is electronic nowadays and is accessible via the Internet. Platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and SnapChat have made trends possible and have made rapid changes in the way we communicate and perceive information whether its relevant or not. Accessibility is both a privilege and a danger because with so much information at the touch of our fingertips, there’s an issue of whether privacy has become the issue or it’s the openness of the web. The amount of users on social media has become so limitless to the point where it’s bringing it a lot of popularity across all platforms. The sharing of content ha allowed everyone around the world to communicate via interest, hobbies, and or similarities. For example, I can find people on Facebook who happen to have the same interest in TV shows, music, and videogames. There are even communities online dedicated to these interests that it’s accumulating a large number of members to communicate amongst another despite not having met. Even though it’s a community online, the communication of interest is a topic of discussion because we enjoy talking about that particular interest. This brings us to SMIS.

            Social Media Information systems (or SMIS) are the information system that supports the sharing of content amongst a network of users. As said above, Facebook, SnapChat, and Instagram are prime examples of social media platforms that a lot of users use to support the sharing of content via the Internet/application. SMIS has 3 objective units: Social media providers, users and communities. The Providers/Platforms include the ones I stated have created so much community that social relationships are growing and even the number of users exceeds that of a population of people. Users are the people – the ones behind the sharing of the content. About 73% of people using the Internet use Social Media and about 40% access Social Media (or SM for short) via mobile phones. Social media day to day is attracting more and more users, creating even larger communities, and building even more social relationships. To put into perspective the magnitude of Social Media, there are about 1,415 active users on Facebook and, to this day, continues to grow. Through Facebook, as said before, communities are created so as to communicate with others around the world. Mutual interests and familial/organizational ties are the ones that makeup a community.

            Much like Information Systems (or IS for short), SMIS is made up of the same components: hardware, software, data, procedures, and people (you). For all 5, there are social media providers (Facebook, Instagram, SnapChat, etc.) and Users and communities (You and your interests). Hardware for SM includes desktops, laptops, and mobile devices. Software includes the browsers to access the applications such as IOS, Android, and Windows. Most of the SM vendors use a database management system called NoSQI to process their data through traditional DBMS products as well. SM fits into two categories: Content and connections. Content data is data contributed by the users while Connection data is data about relationships. For example, Content Data includes content that Facebook users write on their walls, making comments, and just about anything you publish on the site. For Connection Data, the friends and family you have are included in your list of connection. If you think about really, all SM is about is the sharing of content and the creating of connections.

            Procedures in SM are often considered informal, constantly evolving, and oriented socially. The software of SM is often designed to be easy to use and learn. The concern of SM is privacy, which I said above, is a pretty big issue depending on how people use the information. The creation of content isn’t scare by any means and in fact, through its accessibility, there has to be some level of organization to ensure that the data gathered is maintained and accurate. If its not knowledge, its just facts and figures with no context. Lastly, the people have a profound influence on SM because without people, there’s nothing going for that platform. The amount of people is so high on all platforms that its very similar to filling up a stadium at a sports game...they need to be able to fill the room and more in order to profit. The people are important and to this day, nothing can be done without human intervention.

            Content is something we’ve always shared online. There are blogs, websites, and community pages that are solely dedicated to specific interests, fields, and hobbies. These are always up for discussion because that community is enthralled with the idea of giving their opinion and output on that interest. The usage of SM has created B2C relationships to market products and even now, manufacturers have begun to use SM to become leaders of specific industries, promote brand awareness, and generate new B2B lead to retailers. This only comes to show how far SM’s profound influence has had on businesses and organizations. Content sharing has become the norm and as such, connections are made on a daily basis amongst users.