social media

Social media is a phrase being tossed around a lot these days, but it can sometimes be difficult to answer the question of what is social media. The best way to define social media is to break it down. Media is an instrument on communication, like a newspaper or a radio, so social media would be a social instrument of communication.

Social media is fast becoming a new type of therapy. Even if you have never been in therapy or counseling, we have all seen it played out in television, movies and books and know what therapists will ask.

Here are just a few phrases that will be familiar:

“Share your feeling”- Well then welcome to Facebook. Here is a place where you can share your personal thoughts, relationship status, list your friends and tell all your likes and dislikes. This is sharing for the masses.

“Tell me the first thing that comes to your mind”- The idea of free association is to get you in touch with yourself and is a perfect fit for Twitter. This site allows you to quickly toss out 140 character thoughts and share them with your audience 24/7.

Rorschach Test- “Look at this picture and tell me what you think”- This one can play out on a few sites. YouTube is the first that comes to mind where people post their videos and wait to see what everyone has to say when they add a comment. It’s also found on sites like Flickr and on your Facebook page where your friends and even the general public can share comments on your photos.

When people wonder why some are fascinated with social media it could be that they are intrigued by the new technology and others have found a new outlet that lets them save money on conventional therapy.