Social Media

Social Media is a new phenomenon, people are using internet not only to post whatever they think, do or write. They are going beyond the computer surface and socializing! With web-sites like facebook, myspace, orkut, and other social websites it is really easy to find your friends. Not only can you talk to people you know, people you go to college with, and even people you went to middle school with, but you can also find people you don’t even know, but think like you, like the same things you do, or people you just think are fun or talented. You can catch up with anyone in a minute, write to people whenever you want, and the communication is becoming easier and easier. With instant messaging programs such as AIM and MSN messenger you can talk instantly to your friends no matter how far away they are, for example I always talk to my mom and dad, and all my friends and family on the computer. With a web cam and a microphone, you can have a live conversation. It is amazing.



Now things are going even further away than having a live conversation. You can record whatever you want on your camera and posted for other people to see. From honest talks to the camera to dancing, from singing to the computer to making a professional short film, you can find anything on line, sometimes something to the great mass, sometimes something that was made for a very particular group. Everything has a space on-line. Social Media is something that will become more and more important. We are taking the control away from the big companies, now we can broadcast whatever we desire. We can make a podcast and be a radio host, or have your own news show on YouTube, and write your own articles on blogs.

Here are some of my favorite videos, that other people that I have never met have posted on YouTube:







Talking about creating your own material to publicity directors from Canada, created their own short film based on a video game. Reading my monthly Brazilian movie magazine I came across an article talking about it, saying that “it is a lot better than any video game adaptation that we have seen so far on movies.”



While on-line last night I came across something that made me really interested, it said, “The World Premiere of the YouTube Symphony Orchestra.” I clicked and it was a great surprise. YouTube had a contest, they wanted musicians to upload videos on YouTube playing a new piece created for the occasion, and from all of those they would choose some that would be a part of the YouTube Symphony Orchestra. People from all over the world send in movies showing what they could play. Now the winners will meet in New York and play in Carnegie Hall. This breaks another barrier, auditions on-line. We all know that some musicians, rappers, and dancers have been discovered on YouTube. What if Movie Studios would have their own page where you could upload your auditions? Sometimes there are amazing actors, singers that simply don’t have the time or money to go audition in California or Miami. This is a new away to look at everything.



Now, should the industry be concerned about this “invasion” of regular people into their field of work? I say, no… Companies need to figure out how to use this in their advantage. Instead of being frightened go out there and join in. If you are a movie company post trailers on YouTube, if you are a publisher have a blog to write about what books are coming up, have people e-mail you, find new talent, if you are a celebrity, create your own twitter account. The Social Media is out there, and it is not going away any time soon. We have to adapt, use it to our advantage. Have Fun! The World is out there, and the doors are all open, it is up to you to go in. It might be bigger than you ever expected to be, but then again, you always want to be a part of something big! Social Media is Now!