"Social Media for Strategic Communication" Ch. 1

We've started a new book in my social media class, and I have to say I enjoy it more than our first book. Our first book's content was a bit out of date and the tone of the book seemed childish to me. The book we are reading now has more helpful information, and doesn't have that common sense feel to it. Reading over chapter 1 gave me a sense that the book was going to be more insightful about social media than our previous book.

In chapter 1 the author asks "Why do we share what we share online for the world to see?" I thought about the last thing I posted and decided it was because I wanted to make people laugh with the funny picture I had just taken of my dog. Most of the time we share things so we can connect with others. I found an interesting article online that gave more insights as to why people post what they post. In the article, it narrows it down to five key motivations:

• To bring valuable and entertaining content to others.
• To define ourselves to others.
• To grow and nourish our relationships with others.
• Self-fulfillment.
• To get the word out about causes or brands.

At one point or another I have used all of these types of motivations when I've posted online. The different motivations usually go with the particular platform I'm posting on. When posting on Twitter I'm usually trying to define myself to others, and on Facebook I usually post entertaining content to others. It's funny how your tone and way of thinking changes with the different platforms of social media.