The answer to this question is definitely a multifaceted one. On one hand it has definitely made the internet and consequently technology less intimidating, I have seen people once considered computer illiterate now on Facebook, MySpace, Blogger, and Twitter posting videos, pictures and updates faster than most web professionals like myself. It makes me wonder if Web Designers/ Developers like myself will still be relevant in the future or will our roles grow as well? But thats a question for another time.
Additionally the technologies associated with it have become much more user friendly. Blackberries which were created by Research In Motion and only used by Doctors and I.B.M. Techs, are now as widely used as the iPhone, and both are not just fashion statements anymore but necessities, as Parents buy them for their children so they can keep tabs on them, and many a missing person has been found by police tracking the GPS in their mobile units. Furthermore in the corporate and entertainment world, executives are keeping tabs with their supervisors and employees on the road on Facebook chats and blackberry pings, not to mention many a perspective employee has been reviewed based on their Facebook and blogger posts. Additionally Artists and promoters are staying in touch with their fans via wall posts and twitter.
Another aspect to the answer is it literally unites people around the world. I often find myself in Facebook chats with my friends, colleagues business partners in India, Germany, Japan, South America etc. Chatting, exchanging ideas, links, and laughing it up regardless of timezones. Of course reality sets in when one person in the conversation realizes they have work in 4 hrs and should get some sleep and the other replies, "What?!?, it's Saturday afternoon here."
My final thought on this answer might be the most important, at least in my opinion. Social Media has literally taken advantage of the most powerful part of the internet; it's unlimited ability to remove borders and close distances. And more importantly as Thomas L. Friedman put it with his Book 'The World Is Flat', it levels the playing field.
Today on social networks you might find a popular App on Facebook enjoyed by many here in the U.S. but it was made by some kid in the Philippines and he may join a monetization program (a.k.a Vertical Ad Network) for his App that is run by a start up company in New Delhi and that start up is competing with major Vertical Network Platforms like Adify and Google Adsense. Or you could also find a village in East Africa where a band has just posted their new album on MySpace and are streaming and selling their music to fans in Indonesia, Japan, Canada and Tibet. Or a new clothing label on Okinawa Japan has posted a fan page on Facebook and has shoppers/fans as far as Amsterdam.
The role of Social Media is much more than just empty base entertainment, it has the power to enable the computer illiterate to be computer savvy, it connects those in the so called 3rd world with those in the larger Industrial nations and the same time opens so many opportunities socially and economically. With the open source network as its base it is so much more and has the ability to go beyond that. Social network's role in today's modern world is to open the door to unseen opportunities.
Stay tuned to find out Why WE'RE ALL WINNERS!
Image from itmanagement and the 'Perils of Social Networking'
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