How can social media strengthen your network?

Posted on by Dana Wakeley

Modern social media are impacting both my personal and professional relationships.

To name a few, I frequently use Facebook, Whatsapp, Snapchat, Phhhoto and Instagram to interact with friends and family. These social media platforms most often strengthen my in real life (IRL) connections because I regularly share content with close friends and family. However, social media does play a major role in maintaining connections with past classmates and distant relatives. It allows me to share “updates” on my life with my entire network of friends at once.

Modern social media allows me to access content that I otherwise would not be exposed to. However, it is very easy to favor media that reinforces one’s view and avoid contradictory content (Johanna Keller, COM 344, 01/28/16). This can be further understood in Ethan Zuckerman’s book, Rewire: 

It is important to be open to connecting with a range of people. Social media, most notably LinkedIn and Twitter, have allowed me to connect with professionals located all over the country and sometimes the world. Through these platforms I create my personal brand with content I share and curate. Modern social media can be a tool to initially start a relationship or follow-up on an IRL connection.

For example: I discovered an emerging social networking platform, Officehours, from a Twitter account I follow. In turn, I connected with a like-minded professional for 1-on-1 advice through Officehours, followed by email. It was a domino effect all thanks to some saavy usage of modern social media! See below for a related tweet:

Speaking of networking, Uber is now offering a new way to network. Receive 15 minutes of free mentorship from top professional with UberMENTOR.

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