The New Water Cooler

            

                      Gone are the days of fighting over the phone with your sibling to chat with a friend on the phone. With modern social media platforms, there are numerous ways to connect with those around you. The image below shows the broad range of social media and the different categories in which they fit. 

source: http://forhiremedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/SocialMediaLandscape.jpg

                   With all of these options to connect digitally, it is amazing that people are still communicating verbally. The reality is that social media provides a way for it's users to connect without having to be in the same location at the same time. This connectivity is a major factor in how modern communications is performed. 

source: http://www.thecultureist.com/2012/04/27/a-social-culture-staggering-social-media-statistics/ 

               Looking at the figure above shows the extent that people are using social media. From the figures, it is shown that a great majority of users say that social media is a great way to stay in touch with friends and family. This is a great benefit of social media and for me is the real draw of these platforms. No matter where one is located or where their families and friends are, they are just a tweet, message or text away. This part of new media has made it much easier to communicate with those that are not easily accessible otherwise.