Tanner Hobin

The University of Missouri School of Journalism recently hosted an in-depth panel on the future of new media.

компютриI thoroughly enjoyed the Search Insider Summit recently held in Captiva Island, FL. Not just because of the lavish venue and relaxed conference schedule. I found it to be a conference focused on the intricate details of the industry, a place for elite industry professionals to share and expand there knowledge base.

One specific discussion over dinner one night really stuck with me. A couple social media critics positioned themselves at my table for no other reason than to engage in a debate regarding the value of social media in the overall picture of internet marketing. Their main point of debate was that marketers have no place in social media and that social advertising is inherently biased. I whole heartedly agree that social advertising is biased, but I disagree that marketers should avoid the space. My primary concern with their argument was that advertising is a matter perspective. This is extremely true in the realm of social media. Take for example the signs on the highway for food and gas. Travelers typically ignore them as advertising until they need food or gas. Then the signs transform into a welcomed visual pointing people in the direction of what they seek most at that time. Social media, in my opinion, is like the highway sign analogy on crack. It’s a space for sharing, identifying with a brand identity and networking with like minded individuals.

This is a very in-depth study on the impact of Social Media across the globe. The statistics are amazing. It seems as though video and personal blogging is leading the way, and the Asia-Pacific region is showing the most growth.

The study is segmented by Waves in which each segment signifies a number of survey submissions within a single month a year. Wave 1 included 15 countries, 7,500 users and was completed in September 2005. Wave 2 included 21 countries, 10,000 users and was completed in June 2007. Wave 3 included 29 countries, 17,000 users and was completed in March 2008. Though in my opinion the sample sizes seem small the validity of the data appears legit.
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