Social media. Everyone’s talking about it. The thing is, it changes so fast that no one is an expert. It’s virtually impossible! Even so, there is a lot of information floating around out there just waiting for those who search for it. Whether you are a searcher or not, it is clear that social media is not going away – in fact, it is just beginning to blossom.
I have had a personal interest in social media’s impact on the marketing/advertising/pr industries, which has only grown with my daily projects at work. When I heard about MATC’s new Social Media Certificate, I jumped at the chance to learn more about this ever-changing media. I looked over the program and signed up immediately – here is a breakdown of the courses:
- Interactive Design Strategies
- Social Media Campaigns
- Writing for New Media
- Adapting Social Media Tools OR Digital Storytelling
At this point I have completed the first class, Interactive Design Strategies. The teacher was great – energetic, passionate and backed up by personal experience. Most of the classes covered website design – this is something that was good for me to learn about, but not my main interest in the class. The part I most enjoyed was our individual projects on social media.
Topics for these presentations ranged from ‘advertising in video games’ to ‘Facebook for seniors’. Each could have been a day or half-day seminar on their own with the amount of information available. I especially felt this way with my subject, ‘Social Media in Politics’.
I chose this subject because it was something I had observed but not really paid attention to. I knew social media was gaining importance in this sphere, but had no idea to what extent, because I am not involved like I am with the news industry or business, for example. This proved to be a wise decision, because I learned a lot.
Did you know that users under 35 represent 72% of users who use social media for political involvement? Neither did I – until I did the research. That’s just the tip of the iceberg. Social media is shifting involvement, engagement, connectivity and influence in the political sphere – it is the biggest change since the Kennedy ushered in the television era in politics. It is democratizing information, yielding transparency and trust with constituents. And it’s not just locally – it is happening on a national and international level.
Like I said – this could be a half or full day seminar, and an interesting one at that. To see more results and sources of information, check out the link to my class presentation. If you have questions, call me at The Creative Company – I’d love to chat about it.
Want to know what I’m learning in my next class? Well, you’ll have to come back and read my next blog post!
Liesel