With social media just a click away, channels can encroach regularly in our lives. While some people have no issues balancing online and offline worlds, for some others it is an every day battle. Whether we like it or not, social media is shaping our lives and we have to succumb to the revolution.
So, being present in social media appears to be inevitable, which raises some interesting questions such as: Where do I begin? Is Social Media just a trend or a sustainable way of communicating for brands?
As the world changes rapidly, communications adjust to new social behaviors. IT education starts at pre-school level nowadays. By the time kids reach high school level, social media is an integral part of life. In other words, we’ll never be disconnected again. A recent study showed that, on average, French Internet users spend four hours a week on social media channels – whether on holidays, at work, or over the weekend with friends.
Although the Y Generation is much talked about as the generation that grew up with Internet, a new Generation – known as the C Generation, or the ‘connected’ generation – has recently emerged. Digital natives and exceptionally tech-savvy youngsters seem to have the ability (or the need?) to send a tweet or text every minute of the day. Meanwhile, some representatives of the X Generation are finding themselves quite challenged by this new flow of digital communication invading their daily lives and their children’s lives too. The digital revolution took place at the speed of a big bang. Too fast. Five years ago, we witnessed the iPhone launch – which contributed to drastically ease the use of social media, through mobile and apps. What’s left of the use of computers now that the smartphone market is booming? A Data Corporation survey shows that by 2015, 3 billion people will have a mobile access to the Internet (sources : study Data Corporation)
As scary as the adoption of these new tools might sound, it is time for all of us, and not just the younger generations, to welcome them in professional and personal lives. Every generation, it could be argued, has something to contribute in building tomorrow’s world.
However, this new way of finding access to quick information can raise tricky issues. Today’s use of language and common syntax errors generated by character limitations for example. Can we affirm having reached a new stage of information sharing?
Figures show that social media recorded 1.6 million new French Internet users over the past 12 months (sources : Journal du net). More than three quarters of them are on social media and two thirds are actively using them every day.
According to Médiamétrie , 99% of French people know about social media. Facebook remains at the top, listing 25 million users in France (1 billion worldwide).
Twitter witnessed 100% growth throughout 2012, maintaining it at the top as the fastest growing microblogging site. The network is well known by two third of web users.
LinkedIn counts 150 million subscribers worldwide (31% from Europe, 3% from France) and more than 2 million company pages listed. The network achieves 60% growth per year and a total of 3 millions of visitors per month. (sources : Agence Web Conseil)
Viadeo accumulates the largest number of subscribers in France – 7 million out of 50 million worldwide – among whom, 40% are using it on a daily basis. (sources : Agence Web Conseil )
Twitter counts 5.2 millions users in France – out of 452 millions worldwide – and 24% of them are tweeting everyday. (sources : Semiocast)
To sum up my advice in one sentence: Give it a try! Get familiar with social media channels – they are easy and intuitive tools. Learn to appreciate the flow of quickly shared information and the online community building process. A good communication strategy must include the use of social media. It’s inescapable. For some, it will just remain another marketing tool. For others, they are a brand new way of sharing knowledge and experiences, meeting new people and reaching new opportunities, both personally and professionally. In both cases, we cannot ignore social media.
This post is translated from the original article written by Marie-Laure published on Le Cercle Les Echos on the on the 30th of January. You can read the original text here.
By Marie-Laure Laville, from: http://blog.lewispr.com/2013/02/social-media-the-french-revolution.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+lewis360blog+%28LEWIS+360%C2%B0%29