If you haven't been on any sort of social media all day — which I seriously doubt — then you might not have heard that today, June 30, is Social Media Day. It's been trending on Twitter, but has also been making appearances on Instagram and Facebook. While major influencers are talking up a storm about this, most people are simply asking "what is social media day?"
You might ask, social media is so integral to our society nowadays that isn't everyday social media day?
Perhaps, but there's actually a bit more to it on this particular day.
The day was coined by Mashable, a global media and entertainment platform covering tech, digital culture, as well as entertainment. It was launched 7 years ago, and on their website Mashable says:
Mashable launched Social Media Day as a way to recognize and celebrate social media's impact on global communication. Today, social media is the heart of global communication; and since its inception, Mashable's been using social media to connect between cultures, movements, and super-fandom.
Essentially, it's a day for media companies and friends alike to get their party on to celebrate the aspect of the internet that controls our lives.
Okay, okay, I'm really not that cynical about it. It's really cool that Mashable hosts global meetups each year for people to meet and celebrate Social Media Day. That's what social media was supposed to be about from the most optimistic viewpoint. It's a way to easily connect all of us, to keep up with each other even when we haven't seen each other in months. It's a way to brand, market, and create a business for ourselves. It's a way to connect people who never would have spoken due to distance, which in turn makes us more aware of the things happening in the world. People can yell 'fake news' all they want but social media has helped us get more of a perspective from people actually living through the things we're seeing in the news.
If you want to find out where you can find these meetups, you can go to Mashable's Social Media Day page which will give you information about upcoming events, the closest events to you, and the most popular events. Most of these are by city.
Media sites like Buffer have also been celebrating through Facebook live and Twitter, featuring stories from all over the world by using a specific hashtag asking everyone how social media has positively influenced their lives. Other people have simply been sounding off on how they feel about Social Media Day.
We spoke to our resident Social Media Expert here at Gadget Hacks, Bettina Mangiaracina, about how she thinks social media has changed our world for the better:
Social media gives us the tools to refine and define who we are. If you use an app like Instagram, you start to realize that you can't just throw out a bunch of images and expect people to like them. No. What people prefer is someone who knows who they are and owns it. I would say that's true for all social accounts. Even on Twitter, you may have a bunch of random musings, but why do we really care? That's what social media does, it makes others care about you.
That's what today is supposed to celebrate. Social Media, and the positive impact it's had on our society. Everyone on Twitter and Instagram are currently talking about their social media experience with the hashtag #SMDAY or #SocialMediaDay. So chime in!
Tell the world your social media story. Were you able to make a friend from across the world? Maybe you watched Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump brawl a few times on Twitter? Or maybe you were just able to talk to a friend you hadn't spoken to in a while. Whatever the case may be, social media has likely positively influenced you in some way.
Check out our social media links below and tweet or comment how you believe social media has changed your life for the better, even if in a small way.
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