Essay on investigating social media communication/comparing and contrasting

LinkedIn is a networking social media website with a professional touch. Compared to other social media sites that bring together people mainly for informal relationships, LinkedIn mainly brings together people of talent and skills as it develops the professional value of members. Membership to LinkedIn is free and a person only needs to create a profile highlighting his or her professional inclination. The profile created is then open for other members to view. Once a person is a member, he or she can invite other people to their connections where they get to share their professional lives. LinkedIn is also open to corporate and companies who not only set up their profiles but also announce business and job opportunities for members to view. Members get access to all forms of professional opportunities where they can apply and share their ideas.
Orkut is also another social media site that was introduced solely for the purpose of helping members find girlfriends. However, as it grew, people realised that they can share more than just their romantic intentions. The membership of orkut is free and one gets to view profiles of other members. Compared to other social media websites where only members affiliated to the person can view their profile, orkut allows anybody on the site to view their profiles. This is a website managed by Google and has its largest audience in Brazil and India. Apart from bringing people together, the website has introduced commercial adverts to boost its sponsorship. Orkut also comes with various themes that allow its users to have a preferred outlook of profile pages in terms of colour and design.
I sought to find out the experience of a LinkedIn user as well as orkut. It was interesting to know that despite the fact that some people simply join the sites for the sake of it; some people have derived a lot of benefit from it as they are able to increase their social networking platform.
LinkedIn has helped Osman to develop his resume which has enabled him apply jobs in various companies. He was introduced to the site through a friend and after going through various profiles, he realized how much he could benefit from it. Contrary to what he though, he has realised that he can work in various companies that do not necessarily deal in his areas of academic specialization. He finds the site also a good ground where he can share ideas and unwind amidst tough challenges. Since he is connected to people with similar profession, he is able to share with them the challenges at the work place as well as learn few tips from them. Osman is also exposed to various job openings through the adverts that appear. He is also able to share interesting postings with his friends whether they are in his connections or not.
Neha is an active orkut user and gains a lot of pleasure in meeting new people and sharing her experiences. Since she joined the website a year ago, Neha has learned a lot about people and how they live. Neha who has not had an opportunity to travel outside her country has been able to learn more about other people’s culture and way of life. Neha who confessed that he has issues with trust has been able to share her experiences with total strangers who have encouraged her. She says that this is the best way of sharing as she is not worried about them talking about her to other people around. She prefers having virtual friends compared to physical ones who seem not to understand her. Concerning the risks that are associated with social media sites, Neha responded that he only shares information that is less sensitive and hence has no reasons to worry. She does not intent to establish long lasting physical relationships on orkut and only does it for fun.
Social media has gained a lot of popularity in the modern world. Globalization and the need for individuals and companies to expand their networking platform has made sites such as LinkedIn and orkut to launch into such opportunities. In most cases, people join social; media websites mainly for interaction and networking, however, as years roll by, the sites are gaining more importance as it serves more than just linking up people. LinkedIn has enabled individuals connect with old and new friends who are in similar profession and hence sharing their experiences and ideas. Companies have also been able to launch and market their products internationally as they get exposed to a variety of consumers. Individual business have also been able to grow through adverts posted in social media sites as business people directly get in touch with their customers and sell their merchandize.
Despite the positive impact that social sites such as orkut and LinkedIn has on individuals and corporate, they are faced with various challenges. The biggest is security threats related to hacking of accounts and even websites. People take advantage of the popularity of some companies and individuals to either impersonate or hack the accounts. They them use them for their own benefit or just for the downfall of the concerned. Another major challenge that is mainly experienced with social sites is that people do not necessarily provide true information about themselves. This hence makes them to be less trusted especially when one thinks of establishing meaningful relationship.