Sharing the Message, Amplifying the Results

I'm feeling rather geeky today. This is a follow-up entry to my posts on pro bono blogging and social networking. The photo to the right is the face of new media: social sharing icons.

Back then, the pretty icons were not that popular. Conventional media - yes tri-media comprising radio, newspaper and TV - was doing the bulk of the work of sharing a message and amplifying the results.

A look back at traditional journalism shows mass media is so formidable that it continues to be regarded as "the fourth estate" and "the government watch dog."

According to Dr. Crispin Maslog, mass media can empower a population or dumb down the audience. It can shape and change opinions. It can move people to inaction or complacency. 

Today, new media has grown just as powerful, if not more formidable than traditional media... The power to communicate messages is no longer monopolized by media professionals but is now also exercised by average netizens.

Although not every home in the world is connected to the World Wide Web, the shift to new media is becoming a mainstream trend among the young. There is hardly anyone (I know) who doesn't use Facebook or Twitter. Communication becomes farther-reaching and the results are amplified when you share the message using social networking channels. 

Why does social networking work so well? Media theories posit that:

• The average human being tends to be influenced more by the opinion of a trusted friend or acquaintance than by the opinion injected by traditional media. Repetitive advertising may pique your curiosity. However, a testimonial is what moves you to pay deeper attention to the ad and act on it.
  
  
• Social networking is driven by a number of variables that cater to the complex needs and wants of human beings: novelty, useability, entertainment, the need to know. What might not be worth reporting about in news can actually be a "hot" item in social networking sites. Examples include funny pictures and tweet wars.
  
  
• The tools of social media allow people to amplify the message and share the content instantly. Proof of these tools is everywhere. YouTube icons and social sharing buttons now take up valuable space on almost every site on the Web.

Of the 25 social sharing icons featured on this page, how many do you recognize? Which services do you often use to share content with your friends? Will you help me spread the word about Kassandra? I blogged about her yesterday. The child needs hearing aid and she needs your support.*