Besides the features interactivity and networked , social media offers people a virtual space. They can create a whole new ‘virtual’ life. This virtual life can offer a different world from their ‘real’ lives. It gives disabled people the possibility to make a virtual walk trough the park with friends at Habbo Hotel and people can create their own, new life at Second Life. Companies and brands can create their own lifestyle. By using narrowcasting they can contact fragmented audiences in a certain way which is adjusted to the target group. They can present themselves as young and exiting to young people, and sophisticated and trustworthy to adults.
In a virtual space people and companies can be anything they want; a super hero, beautiful and attractive, rich and sophisticated, etc. Unlike in the real world, appearance is like content. It is adjustable, and people can be almost anything they want. Why does this seem so easy online? It has to do with presentation.
There are two types of online presentation: presentation of the individual who is using social media, and presentation of a brand or company who wants to reach their target group. They both should pay close attention on how they use social media.
Information posted online is often encoded with a preferred meaning; a message that the sender wants to communicate to the receiver. This message is being decoded by the receivers (Croteau & Hoynes, 2003). Whether it’s a brand or an individual; they want to present themselves.
Posts
