Social Media Research

It is therefore prudent to have policies that can govern the use of social media in offices so as to harness the positive effects of the platform at all times. With policies suggested for organizations, it is also necessary to have persons that form, update and assist in implementation of the policies in order to count on social media platforms. Finally, governments have since implemented technology to assist in service delivery to their constituents. However, the wake of technology in these service delivery avenues have led to massive lay off of staff who initially served in those dockets before the dawn of technology. Introduction From a lay person’s view point, technology can be seen in terms of bigger machines and / or faster computers.

However, soon after the agrarian revolution, came the industrial revolution, which has got man focused on industrialization ever since. Moving forward, man has made even more advancements in what many now term as technology, with introduction of machinery. Technology, in the current set up can therefore be used to mean the advanced computers that assist with work to enhance production without hiring more people to perform the work. Further advancements in technology has given rise to lifestyles that have allowed man to perform his duties with maximum ease, yet still achieve their goals in production, even better, surpass the production goals at some point (Tapscott, 1993). Just like the invention of the wheel brought a revolution in transport and industrialization back in the days, the invention of social media in the current technological advanced era has brought a revolution in communication.

At individual level of communication, social media assists in communicate with family members, interact for career openings, find people around the globe who share a conjoint concern or simply share content. For businesses and organizations, though, social media is indispensably a tool that provides platforms for engaging customers. The levels of engagement can vary, from sales, advertisements, promotions, gauging market trends or simply offering customer care services. In other sectors like the government and politics, social media is used to engage constituents and solicit votes. Incorporation of social media in organizational structure can be beneficial to the firm. Indulging in social media for employees assists in creating social and professional networks for employees. Employees may strengthen their connections with other employees from other firms.

This is usually encouraging as it helps employees to blend their work ethics with those from other organizations to find the best work ethics that can enable growth in their firms. This acts majorly as an informal bench marking exercise to improve the work ethics in associating organizations. Connections can also be between employees within the same organization (Fotis, 2011). By building strong bonds among employees, giving employees some time to relax between tasks and allowing bench marking with other organizations, social media generally changes organizational performance for the better. Cons of social media in work places Everything that is beneficial in its conservative use, often becomes hazardous in its overuse. Overuse of social media platforms in work environment can prove detrimental for an organization.

Introduction of social media in work places can often lead to time wastage by the employees. Being an addictive venture, over-indulgence in it will automatically influence en employee to shift their priorities. Building of the brands usually rely on the fast sharing and wide coverage of brand information. The same, done using detrimental information can cause havoc in an organization, leading to its closure at worst. Word spreads like wild fire, especially if the contents are controversial or if they are entirely rumors (Laroche, 2012). Organizations may invest in social media in order to woo a large following and define a fan base. However, if any rumored content about the organization emerges in such forums, it will do more damage that it has taken the organization to sustain the platform.

Knowing this, the bully might start demanding favors at work from their victims. Failure from the victims may be met with threats to leak the humiliating post or picture to the public. This can create discomfort among victims, thus making them develop poor attitude towards their jobs. Sooner or later, their performances may deteriorate to below average. Their supervisors, unaware of the situation, may end up relieving them from duty, claiming that they have lost interest working with the organization. It should occur to them that it is more likely to resolve conflicts by talking to co-workers or supervisors than to post complains in social media platforms. However, they should also know that, in situations that they decide to post complains via the social media, they should cease using content that is discriminating or intimidating such as those posted to intentionally harm another individuals reputation or posting that are protected by law or organizational policies.

Another policy to guide use of social media users at work places is to ensure honesty and accuracy while posting information via such platforms. Employees should also know that whenever they make mistakes, they should be prompt to correct them. They should avoid at all costs, posting rumors. The employees involved should be open that they are employees and that their opinions are not representative of the organization’s opinions. Public safety manager For proper implementation of the above discussed social media policies into the organization, there needs to be an office of the public safety manager. A public safety manager’s task involves planning, analyzing and coordinating services in the safety department (Lee, 2011). The safety manager assists general administration with policy creation, program preparation and coordination, evaluation and implementation of policy and changes in the organization and in new programs (Lee, 2011).

The safety manager also reviews and revises laws to ensure that they conform to laws, regulation, policies and procedures. However, without policy guidelines and proper implementation of those policies, technology can work immensely against us. But with proper implementation, it is possible to exploit technological benefits greatly and advance in economic growth, hence improving living standards. References Tapscott, D. , & Caston, A. Paradigm Shift: The New Promise of Information Technology. Lederer, K. Pros and cons of social media in the classroom. Campus Technology, 25(5), 1-2. Hrdinová, J. , Helbig, N. Group value and intention to use—A study of multi-agency disaster management information systems for public safety. Decision Support Systems, 50(2), 404-414 Joseph, M. , McClure, C. , & Joseph, B. Service quality in the banking sector: the impact of technology on service delivery.