Social Media: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Excerpt

The ubiquity of social media has had a profound effect on the way we communicate and is of significant importance to society and business. Social media tools have helped break down geographical barriers that once restricted communication and have led to an explosion of e-participation, virtual presence, and online communities. Professional benefits of social media include sharing of information, publicity, and giving and receiving support and advice (AlAlwan et al. 2017; Dwivedi et al. 2015, 2017a; Kapoor and Dwivedi, 2015; Kapoor et al. 2016; Mills et al. 2009; Plume et al. 2016). Consumers have become increasingly empowered to exert an influence on brands through online communities, while businesses are able to acquire rapid feedback and garner insight into individual preferences without observer effects (AlAlwan et al. 2017; Ismagilova et al. 2017; Kapoor et al. 2016; Plume et al. 2016) and use such data for new product development (Rathore et al. 2016). Social media tools also enable citizens to share advice and information with their local community (Oh et al., 2013), from promoting events to searching for lost pets, and aids government engagement with citizens (Alryalat et al. 2017). …