Chapter 7: Introduction to Social Media Communication and Professional Environments
Chapter Learning Outcomes
In this chapter you will:
- Trace the evolution of online and digital media.
- Discuss how digital and online media are more personal and social than traditional media.
- Identify social media engagement behaviour types.
- Explore ways to use digital communication as a business professional.
- Discuss emerging netiquette standards in social media used for professional purposes.
In the last 20 years, online and digital media have grown to become fixtures in the daily life of most people in Canada. Prior to the turn of the century, traditional media, which consisted of mainly print, radio, and television/movies, was limited to a few places and had a somewhat limited presence in lives and societies. For example, in the 20th century, radio and television grew to become features in the home. Movies were primarily enjoyed in theaters until VCRs and DVD players brought them into homes. The closest thing to a portable mass medium in the 20th century was reading a book or paper on a commute to and from work.
Digital media in the 21st century are both more personal and more social than traditional media. Electronic devices (some small enough to fit into a pocket) have changed the way we communicate, including the way we approach communication in business. In this chapter, you will learn more about the evolution of digital media, as well as consider how people engage with digital media and how you can begin to use digital media as a business professional.
To open this chapter, watch the following 16 minute video from Helen Morris-Brown on The Psychology of Communicating Effectively in a Digital World.
Video: “The psychology of communicating effectively in a digital world | Helen Morris-Brown | TEDxSquareMile” by TEDx Talks [16:04] is licensed under the Standard YouTube License.Transcript and closed captions available on YouTube.
Chapter Sections
Chapter Acknowledgements
This chapter has been adapted from the following texts:
- Communication for Business Professionals by eCampusOntario and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.
- Communication at Work by Jordan Smith is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.
- Communication in the Real World by University of Minnesota and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.
- Additional content was added from Understanding Media and Culture: An Introduction to Mass Communication by a publisher who has requested that they and the original author not receive attribution, which was originally released and is used under CC BY-NC-SA. This work, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
