The impact that social media can have is far greater than what we expect. Many people who have an opinion on an issue do not express it. The one person who actually does speak up represents many more who share the same opinion. What is surprising is the number of views each Facebook ‘Share’, ‘Tweet’, follower and other forms of expression through social media is equivalent to. A comment on Forbes is equivalent to around 500 views of the article, a ‘Share’ on Facebook is worth 31 views, and a ‘Tweet’ is worth 32 views. The more effort it takes a person to express their opinion through social media, the more views it represents. For instance, writing a letter takes much longer to complete and to send than a ‘Share’ on Facebook.
The important idea to note here is the often underestimated power of these forms of expression. For businesses, they can utilize this information to track what consumers think of their company and what issues are the most significant. For example, if 50 customers write letters criticizing the customer service in a store, it would represent many more that share the same opinion. This would help companies meet the desires of their customers.
Works Cited
Facebook and Twitter Image. Digital image. Kiewa Socialising. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Sept. 2012. <http://www.kiewa1913.com/kiewa-socialising/>.
Krogue, Ken. “The Currency Of Digital Media: Views, Shares, And Comments – Forbes.” Information for the World’s Business Leaders – Forbes.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Sept. 2012. <http://www.forbes.com/sites/kenkrogue/2012/08/29/views-shares-comments-and-follows-the-new-currency-of-digital-media/3/>.
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