Chapter 6 of Social Media Communication: Concepts, Practices, Data, Law and Ethics dove into the details of social media metrics and analytics. It discussed how marketers utilize social media for their business goals and the overall development of social media as a tool. Though I was aware of the general ideas shared by the chapter, I never really pondered the nitty-gritty details of social media’s behind-the-scenes. After taking the time to learn how much really goes into social media– the exponential growth in users, the numerous analytics measurement platforms, the various tactics, the countless metrics to be observed, and more– I was honestly mind-blown.
Everyone has a general idea of what social media measures. Location, hobbies, interests, and demographics are just a few examples of traditional data that is constantly measured by analytics tools. However, recorded and measured data has become so much more than we can even imagine. Social media technologies have gotten so advanced in what types of data they can measure. Lipschultz quotes Savage on how “researchers are finding that they can measure public sentiment, follow political activity, even spot earthquakes and flu outbreaks, just by running the chatter through algorithms that search for particular words and pinpoint message origins” (2001). The possibilities for what data social media can measure and utilize are truly endless.
Another interesting, though obvious, point made is that advanced as all of this is, it is all still relatively new. Businesses using social media as a major part of their marketing efforts only became popularized in approximately the last 20 years. New platforms, tactics, integrations, and more are developing every day, and “this will push marketers to develop more complex social media measurement tools and techniques” (Lipschultz 2020). Social media is a powerful tool with endless possibilities, and reading this chapter has peaked my interest in what social media’s future holds.
I enjoyed learning more about what metrics Facebook, Google, Twitter, and Instagram measure and the intricacies behind their analytics platforms– it definitely gave me insights into my own social media usage. It is strange that the majority of us are fully aware that social media and big companies take our data, use it for themselves, and essentially violate our privacy (even though it may be legal) and that we are all okay with it. We still use the platforms, we still scroll through social media, and we still agree to the terms & conditions without a second thought. Because I was aware of most of what was discussed, I don’t think my usage of the platforms will change.
Commented on: Brittney Sposito, Julia Wisk, Mia Eifrid, Emmanuel Amula
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