Social media are computer-mediated technologies that allow individuals, companies, NGOs,

governments, and other organizations to view, create and share information, ideas, career interests,
and other forms of expression via virtual communities and networks. The variety of stand-alone and
built-in social media services currently available introduces challenges of definition; however, there
are some common features:[1]
1. social media are interactive Web 2.0 Internet-based applications,[1][2]
content such as text ,videos and pictures uploaded by online users is the lifeblood of social
media
2. users create service-specific profiles for the website or app, that are designed and
maintained by the social media organization,[1][3]and
3. social media facilitate the development of online social networks by connecting a user's
profile with those of other individuals and/or groups.[1][3]
Social media use web-based and mobile technologies on smartphones and tablet computers to
create highly interactive platforms through which individuals, communities and organizations can
share, co-create, discuss, and modify content online.
Some of the most popular social media websites are Facebook (and its associated Facebook
Messenger), WhatsApp, Tumblr, Instagram, Twitter, Baidu
Tieba, Pinterest, LinkedIn,Gab, Google+, YouTube, Viber and Snapchat. These social media
websites have more than 100,000,000 registered users.
Observers have noted a range of positive and negative impacts from social media use. Social media
can help to improve individuals' sense of connectedness with real and/or online communities and
social media can be an effective communications (or marketing) tool for corporations, entrepreneurs,
nonprofit organizations, including advocacy groups and political parties and government
At the same time, concerns have been raised about possible links between heavy social media use
and depression and even the issues ofcyberbullying, online harassment and "trolling"

Social media technologies take many different forms including blogs, business networks, enterprise
social networks, forums,microblogs, photo sharing, products/services review, social
bookmarking, social gaming, social networks, video sharing, andvirtual worlds

Although traditional social media offer a variety of opportunities for companies in a wide range
of business sectors, economic-sector mobile social-media makes use of the location- and timesensitive aspects of social media in order to engage in marketing research, communication, sales
promotions/discounts, and relationship development/loyalty programs.[16]

Marketing research: Mobile social media applications offer data about offline consumer
movements at a level of detail heretofore limited to online companies. Any firm can know the
exact time at which a customer entered one of its outlets, as well as comments made during the
visit.[16]

Communication: Mobile social media communication takes two forms: company-to-consumer

(in which a company may establish a connection to a consumer based on its location and
provide reviews about locations nearby) and user-generated content

Relationship development and loyalty programs: In order to increase long-term relationships

with customers, companies can construct loyalty programs that allow customers who check-in
regularly at a location to earn discounts or perks
Criticism
Criticism of social media platform range from disparity of information available , issues regarding
trustworthiness and reliability of information ,interoperability among different social media
platforms
Negative Effects
There are several negative effects to social media which receive criticism, for example regarding
privacy issues,[126] information overload[127] and Internet fraud. Social media can also have
negative social effects on users. Angry or emotional conversations can lead to real-world
interactions outside of the Internet, which can get users into dangerous situations. Some users
have experienced threats of violence online and have feared these threats manifesting
themselves offline. Studies also show that social media have negative effects on peoples' selfesteem and self-worth
Postive Effects
social media are used to document memories, learn about and explore things, advertise oneself
and form friendships. For instance, the communication through Internet based services can be
done more privately than in real life. Content creation provides networked individuals
opportunities to reach wider audiences it can positively affect their social standing and gain
political support. This can lead to influence on issues that are important for someone

political effects
People are increasingly getting political news and information from social media platforms. A
2014 study showed that 62% of web users turn to Facebook to find political news. [158] This social
phenomenon allows for political information, true or not, to spread quickly and easily among
peer networks. Furthermore, social media sites are now encouraging political involvement by
uniting like-minded people, reminding users to vote in elections, and analyzing users' political
affiliation data to find cultural similarities and differences.[159] Social media can help taint the
reputation of political figures fairly quickly with information that may or may not be true.
Information spreads like wildfire and before a politician can even get an opportunity to address
the information, either to confirm, deny, or explain, the public has already formed an opinion
about the politician based on that information

In early 2013, Steve Joordens, a professor at the University of Toronto, encouraged the 1,900
students enrolled in his introductory psychology course to add content to Wikipedia pages

featuring content that related to the course. Like other educators,[180] Joordens argued that the
assignment would not only strengthen the site's psychology-related content, but also provide an
opportunity for students to engage in critical reflection about the negotiations involved in
collaborative knowledge production.
witter can be used to enhance communication building and critical thinking. Domizi (2013)
utilized Twitter in a graduate seminar requiring students to post weekly tweets to extend
classroom discussions. Students reportedly used Twitter to connect with content and other
students. Additionally, students found it "to be useful professionally and personally". [190] Junco,
Heibergert, and Loken (2011) completed a study of 132 students to examine the link between
social media and student engagement and social media and grades.

LinkedIn is a professional social network that enables employers and workers to connect. It was
created by Reid Hoffman in 2002 and was launched on May 5, 2003. LinkedIn is now the world's
largest professional social network with over 300 million members in over 200 countries. The
mission of LinkedIn is to, "connect the world's professionals to make them more productive and
successful."