How do you think social media will change in the future? What other trends would you add to the mix? Are they any specific technologies that you think will gain popularity or emerge?

Without a doubt I truly believe that social media will change in the future. It’s only a matter of time before some company or someone comes up with a new and better way to use these social media tools. Even today, the enhanced technology we have developed has allowed us to use these tools basically in the palm of our hands. People with phones like the Iphones, blackberry’s and android already have a majority of what they need in these devices. Before, you wouldn’t have internet on a cell phone, now not only do you have internet, you have various applications such as games, video, camera, voice recording and music all at your disposal. The internet on your phone allows you to go on sites such as Facebook, twitter and YouTube which a lot of today’s society use to interact with one another.  Another example of social media changing in the future is the msn app people used to use. Teenagers would go on msn to interact with their friends on a daily basis and would even say they could see themselves using msn forever. Now, Facebook is the new msn and I don’t know anyone that still uses msn. Facebook has better features than msn because technology developed as the years went along and better ideas came up. After Facebook, twitter has really developed quickly and is almost as successful as Facebook if not better. These sites are clear indications that social media is developing better tools/web sites and won’t stop. People who create these tools or sites for us to use will always try to find a flaw and make a better project than the one before.

I personally don’t know what other trends I would add to the mix. I would probably say faster updates or easier access to these tools would be my addition to the mix.

I don’t really think any specific technologies that will gain popularity; there will always be debate no matter what it’s about because people have their own opinion or preferences. I for one like Facebook more than twitter, one of my friends like twitter more and we have had debate about it for a while when twitter first came out. So it really depends what other people like and dislike.

As technology continues to develop so will social media, it’s only a matter of time before something new and better comes out and people start to embrace it.

Do you think that social media has the potential to bring about real social change?

Do you think that social media has the potential to bring about real social change?

I believe that social media has the potential to bring about real social change and has already started today.

Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and fan pages are examples of how social media has really changed the way people associate with one another. I personally am constantly using my blackberry to go on Facebook, YouTube or websites to communicate with the people I communicate with on a regular basis. Whenever I’m with my friends someone will bring something up they saw on a website or a Facebook/twitter page they saw. Whether its good news like a Toronto team making a blockbuster trade that will bring us to the next level or bad news where they made a bad trade, people will find out about it because of these social media tools we have now. I remember recently when UFC was legalized here in Toronto, I didn’t find out through the daily news or newspaper, I found out through my Facebook page because so many of my friends are UFC fans and were posting Facebook statuses about it. Of course there were people against the UFC being legalized and it just so happened they used social media tools to voice their opinion. I saw twitter accounts that were being negative towards it and even tweeting to other fans they shouldn’t watch the sport because it promotes violence to younger teens and that they were foolish or stupid to actually enjoy this sport. Celebs are using these tools as well. Some have used their own YouTube accounts to post videos about events they would like their fans and other people to support. An example would be when Haiti was it with the earthquake. Many were saying all they have to do to help support or donate to the charity was to click the link below their video and that’s all. Many people did and it was a success. One video made thousands of donations to the charity.

For sure social media is bringing out real social change and already has begun. It will only get stronger as we continue to develop our technology and people continue to use these tools as a way to communicate with everyone.

What is your perception of social media, do you think it is a fad or the biggest shift since the Industrial Revolution?

Social media is constantly changing and growing every year, it consistently invites people to interact with one another without actually having a face to face conversation. Most common social media tools such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are used on a daily day basis to communicate with friends and family differently and even interact with celebrities around the world. I personally use facebook as another way to interact with my friends and family. With facebook, it allows me to see and comment on my friends pictures, videos, notes and their personal statuses etc. Some of my family members are twitter users because it not only allows them to interact with friends but their favourite celebrities and athletes. Social media has rapidly become a popular way to interact with others that even business companies use it as a tool to get their brands products or services known to the public. They have ads and pictures being put onto the facebook site that people are constantly on and can now reach out to billions of people in the world advertising their brands products or services which could lead to potential clients. Social media has also been used as a way to raise awareness of local events or tragedies going on in the world. When tragedy’s such as the tsunami that hit Japan earlier this year, most people were being aware of this terrible event through twitter, facebook or youtube. Students who don’t watch the news see tons of facebook/twitter updates ,pictures and videos posted  about it and look it up on youtube to see what is going on. My perception is that social media has become the biggest shift today and isn’t a fad. It will continue to grow and develop because even today, facebook is always being upgraded to make it better then it was before. Eventually something new and better will come up for future generations to enjoy just like people today enjoy the many ways of interacting with others across the globe.