My Impressions of "Generation Like" - Emily Schnipke

I would define social media as the ability to interact with others across a media platform and being able to transform that platform into what you need. Anyone and everyone can become a consumer of social media. If you are involved with any sort of Internet site, you are prey to marketing techniques, even if you don’t realize it. The social media marketer is the company trying to spread their brand to the consumers. Everyone participates in social media to serve a purpose. Every tweet and post is made to make them shine in a positive light. I would trust the messages on social media of people more than brands, but only because it has a picture of their face. I would much rather try out the brands for myself than trust a brand or the celebrity endorsement.

All media is geared towards some sort of message (nothing is unbiased). People are consuming media without thinking of who or what is endorsing. Companies and brands place their products in videos and pictures and pay those people with millions of followers to promote those products. The more clicks you get, the more willing brands are to sponsor you and/or pay you in merchandise or actual money. Currency in social media is the amount of followers and friends you have on those sites. The more you have, the more your message can be spread. Sometimes, the consumer and the marketer are the same person. Social media marketing relies on the transfer of information through the consumer. Brand integration is the endorsement of a product, whether directly or indirectly, by a social media enthusiast/brand. Consumers see the brand used or discussed on social media and purchase it to become more similar to their idol. Serendipity by design is a real thing and is done to create the illusion of real serendipity.