I still remember in 2007 when I first made a Facebook. Go back a few years before that and I was changing my Myspace layout. I'm sure many of you, just like myself, didn't expect social media to make it this far. It's really funny to think about how long it's been since the wave of excessive social media use began, but now I believe that it has hit a whole new level. Social media has changed the way we conduct business and many more things.
Social media has changed the whole music industry. I'm no expert on the logistics and specifics of the music industry but I'm pretty sure musicians weren't being discovered via their SoundCloud link on Twitter or Instagram. The past year or so, we have had quite a bit of talent discovered on social media. Rappers like Playboi Carti, Lil Yachty, and Lil Uzi Vert, all started their rap careers by posting mixtapes and songs to SoundCloud. Many of their song links were circulated via Twitter and Tumblr where a majority of music producers, photographers, celebrities and people in the industry can be found as well. Like I said, the fact that social media has so many users from all walks of life has made it extremely easy for musicians to be discovered, promoted and branded.
People are making a living out of social media by being a brand influencer. Jon Gaffney wrote an article that was published on Advertising Week Hub called, "Brand Responsibility: Notes from an Influencer." The article discusses what it takes to be a brand influencer, which is someone with a larger amount of followers. Followers that may be the target audience of consumers for a business or brand. The article also talks about what brands and companies will be looking for and what they would expect out of you as a brand influencer, such as how they want the advertising to go, the rate of posts, the consistency of the branding, etc. Influencers get paid and the business gets its advertising done in an easier and more hip fashion.
If you're not building a brand, helping to promote a brand or find new music, you're more than likely using social media as an outlet to advocate and awaken the activist inside of you. Movements like #BlackLivesMatter and #SayHerName are just a few social justice movements that launched due to their social media production by fellow users who were tired of hearing about social injustices. These users decided to turn to the No. 1 media outlet and created something that has received attention, criticism and has impacted the lives and perception of our society. These movements were pursued by users such as celebrities, politicians, community activists, etc.
Social media is changing our everyday lives. When it comes to businesses, where and how we receive our news, the way advertising and marketing works now, it's even creating jobs for those that happen to get a big enough following. Social media is more than just a place to share memes, gifs, Vines and other entertainment sources. It has built up the potential to provide us with a new type of media, aside from newspapers, news channels, radio, etc.
