Chapter 1 Critical Analysis

    I really enjoyed reading chapter 1 of the textbook The Essentials of Social Media Marketing by Michelle Charello. I thought this chapter was insightful and provided a great description on how social media has affected both the marketing outlet but also society overall. I don't know a whole lot about social media so I found it interesting to learn about the facts that have made it one of the most popularized forms of communication to ever exist. The article states "66% of the world's population uses the internet with more than 5 billion people online" a quote from We Are Social. This proves that social media has taken the world by storm and it has capitalized the marketing industry in tremendous ways. This chapter also talked about the advantages and disadvantages social media has had on people and the communities and businesses we interact with. It creates more jobs, increases sales and revenue, and can create widespread awareness. 

    However, the chapter makes sure to highlight that an increase of social media has created less face-to-face connection, can cause security breaches, and permanent brand reputation. This got me thinking about how powerful social media has become in the last 15-20 years. I mean it’s only 2025 and we have seen all types of scenarios, both good and bad, regarding social media. This got me thinking about COVID-19, those 2-3 years were practically all online and we as a nation relied heavily on social media as a way to connect with others we couldn’t see face-to-face. It is just crazy to me how fast technology advanced and how the growth of social media has come to affect everything in our life.

    Another thing this chapter did was introduce how AI and AR are making an impact on society due to social media. While I have heard of AI, I didn’t know anything about AR (augmented reality) so I enjoyed learning how they can affect businesses both positively and negatively. Personally I think social media is a great tool if used correctly and frankly I think if we keep updating our outlets every time a new idea comes into reality, I think businesses will eventually see more negative impacts than positive. 

    Overall, I’m all for social media, I think we need it to be successful as a country however, I can see how it can become a problem for the future. I am excited to see how social media grows overtime and I hope that it continues to make a positive impact on the world for many years to come.