Is a picture worth 140 characters?
Do you ever wonder about the true power of electronics? I do, and when I do, it always comes back to synergy: How multiple things work together to create a desired result.
In that sense, especially when it comes to the devices that maximize the use of social media, synergy among the electronic components is vital in order for people to experience a similar interaction among themselves in real time.
Let’s start with the projections that the number of smartphones shipments is expected to be almost one billion in 2015, according to an IHS iSuppli Mobile Handset Tracker report released in 2011.
That idea alone is staggering simply for the vast reach that it provides.
Furthermore, according to a report on www.thesocialskinny.com, 66% of online adults are connected to one or more social media platforms, and 38% of people who use social media on mobile devices cite general browsing as their main activity.
To get a better picture where this is going it was announced that the Mars landing of Curiosity saw – according to stats shared by a Ustream spokesman – more than 3.2 million people tune in to watch the event through its live streaming platform. By contrast, Nielsen's ratings for the event show that the combined audiences of CNN, MSNBC and Fox did not match that of Ustream.
Pretty impressive, huh?
That said, I wonder what is the most seminal social networking moment, and how engineers can play a role?
So, let’s see, in March 2011 a cobra escaped from New York City’s Bronx Zoo and turned to Twitter, tweeting about its exploits while on the run (or slide as the case may be) with such one-liners as “Anyone know of a good vegan restaurant near Union Square? #snakeonthetown” or “A lot of people are asking how I can tweet with no access to a computer or fingers. Ever heard of an iPhone?“
There is certainly a seemingly endless stream of cat, dog and zombie memes (as well as an always condescending Gene Wilder) that parade around the Internet providing endless LMAO moments (in fact the snake still Tweets to this day).
Seriously, social media has proven to provide powerful communication and education tools, such as during the Egyptian protests that caused the downfall of President Hosni Mubarak's regime, or the mobilization of the Occupy movements around the world to protest corporate greed, or the organization of disaster relief after the Japanese earthquake of 2011. Or, how about the images that were circulated through social media from the Hudson River plane rescue in 2009?
At the end of the day, millions may read a Tweet, see a YouTube video, or see an image taken with an iPhone about a tragedy that has occurred around the world and have an instant “command post” set up on Facebook organizing support for victims, and it is engineers that allow that to happen. You have the great opportunity to inspire others through technology – to make what we did, rather than where we were, as memorable as what happened.
And maybe only social media – forged by the ingenuity of engineers – can provide that opportunity.
John Filippelli
Advertisement
Learn more about Electronic Products Magazine
