By: Elton Silva  

When I told my mom that I landed a Buzz Builder position with Likeable Media, she was overcome with elation about my latest endeavor. However, I quickly hit a road block when she then asked what I’d be doing. It’s easy enough to explain, right? No, wrong! My mother is Portuguese. Not the kind of Portuguese that pretend that their Portuguese just because of the last name or because they know how to say a few words. Portuguese in the sense that she lived there and then moved to the United States in 1979 in hopes of finding the “American Dream” (which she subsequently found and is one of the main reasons I’m here today). Oh, and not to mention that if I don’t eat 12 courses with every meal, I was looked at as if I had some sort of eating disorder (well it was more like 9 courses). Anyways, back to the initial point I was trying to make. If you thought learning a different language was a difficult undertaking, try teaching the powers of social media in a language that an individual who is computer illiterate can understand. In this case, that person is my mother; the language, Portuguese.

Not impossible, but definitely an arduous task. After some loud Portuguese exchanges a few laughs, tears, diagrams, statistics, trips to the moon on a flying tricycle, and muscle strains, I finally semi-successfully explained it to my mother. 

All joking aside, social media is a quickly developing technology and can be difficult to understand for individuals who don’t know anything about it. Social media is a foreign language consisting of several dialects; the dialects being the different platforms.

Social media and its numerous dialects cannot be learned overnight. It is something that must be practiced thoroughly and correctly in order to ensure that it is done correctly. If an individual is taught a certain lesson about a foreign language incorrectly, and goes about their life saying certain words or phrases wrong, then she may get awkward looks from native speakers. The same goes for social media. 

One example that can be frequently noticed and is something that many people have fell victims to, is the hash tag that can be found on Twitter. Upon first view, it seems like a simple concept to grasp, however, people still use them incorrectly. While it’s more permissible for individuals to use hash tags incorrectly on their personal accounts, companies can find great benefits while monitoring the brand and products itself. In addition, it is useful during live events that need to be followed. The hash tag, when used correctly, is an advantageous tool in the midst of all of the action in the Twitter realm. 

Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, Google+, Pinterest, the list continues; each of these platforms are unique but all share one thing in common, when taught, learned, and used properly, any company can meet success as a result. With the world changing each day causing individuals to be more connected as ever, the use of social media is becoming more and more of an obligatory part of the marketing plan of all businesses regarding of their product. Oftentimes, the individual with knowledge of several languages finds himself more marketable and at an advantage when applying for a position for any job. Social media is a language that must be learned; it will equip any company with the proper tools in order to reach all of their target market. Social media is a must.

How much do you think social media influences customers? Do you feel that this is just a trend that will just pass with time? Share your thoughts in the comments below!