Page 52 - AC/E Digital Culture Annual Report

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Introduction
Social Media are interactive platforms where individuals and communities can discuss, create, modify and share different types of information and digital content. Social Media platforms facilitate the creation and sharing of information and ideas via virtual communities taking advan- tage of modern network and communications infrastructures. The most popular Social Media platforms are Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Viber, WhatsApp, Snapchat, WeChat, YouTube and a number of related services appli- cations provided by Google, among others.
According to Hubspot Marketing Statistics, “Nearly one-third of the world uses social net- works regularly”. From Facebook and Instagram to Snapchat and Twitter, millions of people use Social Media platforms every day.
During the last decade Social Media platforms introduced significant changes to the way peo- ple, companies and entire communities interact and communicate. Media and entertainment sectors, as well as many other spheres of profes- sional activities and life, show that social media is becoming a part of different services offered to customers through a variety of communica- tion and consumer devices, such as computers, tablets, smartphones and smartwatches. Further- more, so-called classical media services, such as broadcasting and even traditional “paper” based media, are increasingly introducing various links to Social Media platforms in order to improve the overall user experience and further extend
their offering and businesses. To cite just one example, broadcasters are already accustomed to using Social Media platforms to interact with their audiences, providing additional information and features and receiving feedbacks, comments via Social Media platforms. When organizing a live audience event (concert, etc.) using Social Media platforms is a must: to inform, to sell tickets, to guide spectators to the event venue, to provide background information, to interact with the audience, to receive feedback and comments, etc.
Social Media are interactive platforms where individuals and communities can discuss, create, modify and share different types of information and digital content.
Moreover, Social Media platforms are currently used to infer social behavior, needs, tendencies and acceptance of a new product or service, but also to influence particular social behavior, acts and events. A practical example is the still open question of whether or not Social Media plat- forms influence political elections world-wide.
Social Media platforms have recently been used as an efficient environment for the creation and distribution of fake news. Fake news and infor- mation are usually part of well-prepared propa- ganda activities, which are known from history and are not specific to today’s society and media. Manipulating information, disinformation, and propaganda date back to the beginning of media ever since media showed the scope and power of their influence.
Social Media platforms are not creating fake news as such, but they are used as an effective means of distributing fake news across the world in the most targeted way. Fake information can influence various democratic processes – out- comes of elections, referendums, and further political decisions – but also other areas of the social and personal spheres such as medicine and science, all with a potentially large negative impact. The intermediation of Social Media
THE FUTURE OF SOCIAL MEDIA · JOVANKA ADZIC
Digital Trends in Culture