Social Media Mayhem

    In the last 20 years the term “social media” has changed many times. From its humble beginnings in a Harvard dorm room to its widely known and controversial development, social media has seen its fair share of changes over the years. 

    Growing up in the generation of the iPhone I’ve never not known technology. In elementary school, they taught us how to type on computers before teaching us cursive. I had my first phone by 5th grade and laptop by 6th grade. While social media was originally used for communication, it has quickly grown into many different networks, branching out into marketing and selling as well. A whole new career has been made out of this idea of social media; what it is, how to use it, and why people should use it. 

    And while this newfound success in the world of social media has been great for lots of people, it is creating a-- mainly generational-- gap within the workforce. Older generations tend to lack the skills that social media requires, making them less successful in social and technological fields of work. While younger generations such as Generation Z and some Millennials are thriving in this area of work because they’ve been using technology like this for as long as they’ve known. Younger generations have grown and adapted alongside social media and other technological advances making them the perfect candidates to use and teach with them. 

    While many believe that a career in social media is stupid or likely to be unsuccessful, it’s actually a very useful trade. According to LinkedIn’s 2022 posting volume data, many social media positions were ranked amongst the highest in-demand titles such as social media managers who rank third (Charello, 2023). Whether or not the world is ready for it, social media is taking over and will continue to be a crucial part of the workforce.