Most of us have at least one social media account, with some people having as many as 5 or 6, and what began as a platform for a bunch of US college students to chat has now morphed into a network of global social media platforms that have literally billions of users around the world.

Social media can be many things for many people; it allows you to see what your friends are doing, as they post images and video, and if you ever want to try and reconnect with a long-lost friend, the chances are, they will have a Facebook account.

Social Media Influencers

These are the people with millions of followers, and yes, celebrities and artists do influence trends, with the clothing they wear, the music they listen to, and let’s not forget their opinions on various aspects of life. The mega stars are actually paid a lot of money by sponsors when posting on social media platforms, as they endorse products, plus anyone with a YouTube account that has millions of subscribers makes money from the ads that pop up when their content is played.

Trends and Fashions

Social media offers a chance to show how you have transformed your kitchen, for example, with before and after images that show off those stunning new tiles from Amber Tiles, one of Australia’s leading home improvement materials suppliers. Sharing content can really make something go viral, and who knows? That amazing new kitchen design could really catch on!

Artificial Intelligence

You might be surprised to learn that AI is already at work with your Facebook feed, ensuring that relative content appears on your daily feed, and as it tracks your Internet activity, it knows what you like. Huge players like Google and Facebook store all their data at massive data centres, buildings the size of 3 football pitches that are packed with server banks, and who knows what they do with all this information?

E-Commerce

There are quite a few social media platforms that allow businesses to sell their products and services, with Facebook leading the pack, with tens of thousands of open and closed groups selling various products.

This is especially big with second-hand things, cars, bikes, boats and even houses can be bought and sold through social media platforms, and with the current global pandemic, more and more consumers are turning to online shopping, as it eliminates human contact.

If you know someone who is under the age of 40 that does not have a social media account, this would be surprising, and social media will influence our lives even more in the future, if that is possible.

Of course, there are privacy and freedom of speech issues with social media, as it evolves and develops, and for some people, they could not imagine life without social media, which has become an essential part of their daily life, keeping in touch with family and friends.