No one can deny that social media is prevalent in
today’s society. People of all ages are making profiles on sites like Facebook
to connect with friends and family. Other sites like Twitter and Instagram are
becoming increasingly popular which allow people to share their thoughts in 140
character blurbs or post pictures with fancy effects. Some people doubt the
lasting power of such a “fad,” but the administration at Newberry College
believe that social media is here to stay and is playing an increasingly more
important role in the world.
In the fall of 2013, Newberry College introduced to
its students the opportunity to major in Social Media. Some parents may be hesitant
to pay for their child’s further education in an activity they believe probably
takes up too much of a young adult’s time already. However, Tania Sosiak, the
founder of Newberry’s social media program, assures the Huffington Post that students
will receive a diverse education in topics such as graphic design, statistics,
communication, marketing, business, and psychology. In fact, the curriculum
only contains a total of four classes devoted solely to social media: Social
Media Publishing Platforms and Introduction to Social Media, to name a few.
The students pursuing this new major will not be studying the art of taking a "selfie" or condensing the feelings on the sandwich they had for lunch in 140 characters or less. Rather the focus of the program is to educate students on how to incorporate their other classes (video production, digital photography, and market branding) into the social media platform. Regardless of the longevity of the social media websites that are currently popular, the skills these students learn will be invaluable to future employers. As more and more of the business model moves to the World Wide Web, any student hoping to snag a job after graduation will have to be technologically literate. This new major will prepare students to communicate with people all over the world with the click of a mouse.
Article Used: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/16/social-media-major-newberry-college_n_2312699.html
If I can look past my own initial disbelief that this exists as a college major, I actually think this is a great idea. While I would never want to tell my parents (or even an employer) that I majored in Social Media, I'd love to have taken a few classes on how to utilize social media successfully. The information age requires much more of individuals, scholars, and even PD practitioners. Not only do we have to be consuming more information at a rate faster than ever, in order to be heard in the sea of voices, we have to be experts at message framing - in 140 characters or less.
ReplyDeleteIt's actually daunting.
PD is certainly evolving as we speak. As discussed in class two weeks ago, the jury is out on whether states can successfully use social media to change attitudes and behaviors in foreign publics. However, to stay relevant, we all need to be engaged online.
While a Social Media major does seem practical in this age of technology, I am skeptical of how much a student can learn and how deep that knowledge will run. Offering classes in graphic design, communications, statistics, marketing, and business seems to set someone up to become a jack-of-all-trades but a master of none. Sure, students can apply what they know of social media to their classes, but not thoroughly learning about one topic could disadvantage a student when they look for employment, especially in the PD/Foreign Service sphere.
ReplyDeleteIt would be better if Social Media was offered as an attached/mandatory minor if a student's major is Public Diplomacy, International Relations, or Communications. This way, a student gets the sampling of classes while applying it to what they learn for their major requirements. Social media is an important factor in the movement of information flows, but it is also easy to get caught up in one's reliance on social media to deliver messages. The State Department and other international organizations should remember that social media is not the only medium to spread information, though it is the easiest and fastest-moving form.
I completely agree with your point on mastering in one area, Stephanie. However, I also agree with who I'm assuming is Marykathryn. It is vital for the United States to maintain a presence on social media whether we like it or not, if we wish to remain relevant. One reason for this is that if the United States does not play the social media game, then other nations certainly will. Forgoing participation would risk the United States losing its voice in a medium where other states are gaining notoriety. In addition, American social media websites are not the only forum in which the United States should be participating.
DeleteOn April 10, 2014, Israeli President Shimon Peres held his first live chat on the Chinese social media website Weibo. Weibo can be compared to the American Twitter. Roughly 12 million people tuned in to watch President Peres discuss topics of the Middle East and Sino-Isreali ties for about half an hour. However, President Peres is not alone in this endeavor. According to the Beijing Times, no less than 200 world leaders are signed up for Weibo accounts. If the United States does not actively participate in the discussion on social media websites such as the Chinese Weibo, then the American narrative will be washed out by those who do participate.
Article Used: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-26984633