Are the benefits of technology and social media beginning to out-weight the risk of using them?
The use of social media brings brands and customers closer than ever before. Since the birth of technology, there has been many breakthroughs. Whether it be through science with medical advances or it be socially, helping you find your soulmate, technology has been a source of helping humanity in almost every aspect of life. In addition, technology and social media plays a crucial role in modern communication, as well as helping us maintain a sustainable economy by providing jobs and the effects on which it has on saving the environment, like the recycled cellphones used to save the rain forest. Throughout the revolution of technology one can see the benefits that these technological innovations have brought to the world but along many great benefits there are just as many risks. With the advancement of technology, more and more people should be aware of the effect and understand how the tool we utilize daily is slowly shaping our world environmentally and socially. Throughout this blog, we will explore paradox of social media and technologies and some of the issues that it presents in impression management and behaviors as well as the heavy influence it truly has on the Fashion Industry. We will explore whether social media is changing the norms of how we interact with one another, whether social media has an effect on how we present ourselves to the public and if social media and technology plays a crucial roll in first impression.
What are some of the benefits of social media presence? They are numerous and very effective:
- increased brand awareness and exposure
- better Search Engine Optimization (marketing tool)
- higher conversion rates
- gain marketplace insights
- better idea on customer experience
- improved brand loyalty
- improved brand authority
- increased traffic on website and measuring reach
- gain an advantage over your competition and reach new audiences
As discussed above, social media as evident faults in altering how we communicate and how we present ourselves, but another major risk is how social media is changing our attention span. Our attention tend to switch to our device when we feel that there are not gratification to be received in real life. There are two ways in which technologies can interrupt us. One way being that when our own attention switch to our device without the influence of anything but to receive immediate gratification. For instance, if you’re sitting with a group of friends and you turn to your phone for excitement then this is an endogenous form of interruption. The second way in which technologies interrupt our attention span is through external forces. The way that these devices and technologies are unconsciously interrupting our mind is so profound that people are not even aware that simply hearing a notification can distract them from accomplishing a task, even when they don’t view the message.
The impact in which technologies play functioning daily tasks is so great, that even merely seeing a device can impact cognitive performance towards performing these tasks. Technology allows us to maintain a just the right level of connection but also assist in deterring our social interactions and how we communicate. With the internet emerging as a robust platform for sharing models to grow and thrive, consumers are increasingly engaging with the concept of access over ownership in fashion, especially in premium/luxury apparel.
Though technologies have been very useful in the advancements towards many subjects, the importance in understand some of the negative impact in which these technologies have is crucial in today’s lives. More people should be aware that social networking sites play a subconscious role in how we portray ourselves, and in hindsight, who we are. People should also be aware of how technologies and social media can change the norms of how to interact IRL. In addition, the importance in understanding the how technologies play a factor in our disruption attention span, one can start to re evaluate how one spend one’s time online, in order to promote and achieve cognitive, psychological and social balance. By always referring to our phones to form relationships, to express who you are and to remember simple tasks, we are making technologies the most important component of our lives and we are slowly further disconnecting from another. How ironic that the technologies and networks that are meant to keep you connected, would be one of the biggest cause of social isolation and the devices that are meant to aid us in daily tasks, is robbing us of our attention span and ability to interact IRL with others.
MEDIA N FASHION 