In reading about yet another use for social media research, I came across a statement that a college student said in reaction to learning that more and more colleges are looking at applicants’ social media content during the application process. He said:
“It’s social media — it should be used between people who are social,” “I don’t think admissions officers should look at that because it might not be a good representation of their [an applicant’s] life, what they do and their accomplishments.”
But here’s the thing……while it may not be a complete representation of a person, it is an accurate representation of who that person is socially, in an informal, social setting. That’s just as important as knowing what grades you’ve gotten, what jobs you’ve held, and how well you can write an essay.
Social media conversations are becoming more and more relevant in many uses, from the college application process to the hiring process to litigation. While it’s “just” social media, it’s also another definition of who you are – think of it as your social side.
Why do people care so much about social media conversations? As more and more conversations happen online, there is the realization that this public facing data can be used in a myriad of ways. As mentioned above, monitoring for college applicants and their social content can give the admissions officers another glimpse into who the applicant is outside of the “paper version” of that person. There are also many other industries and companies that are finding a wealth of data in social sites:
1. Litigation: some states allow for potential juror information to be disclosed prior to jury selection. Using a social media monitoring platform to learn more about potential jurors makes the process more efficient. The brevity of time taken to employ social monitoring is well worth it in the long run. Expand that capability to learning more about witnesses and others who may testify at a trial and the benefit is multiplied. With real time, location based monitoring, lawyers can monitor for juror misconduct in an efficient, streamlined manner.
2. Legal/law enforcement: much like litigation, location based monitoring can be extremely useful in identifying witnesses to a crime, accident, or public incident, and can help determine facts in preparation for a trial.
3. Employment Application Process: much like college admissions officers, human resources staff are also using social monitoring to assist with the hiring process. By monitoring social activity of potential candidates, employers can get a better sense of who a person is and how well of a fit they will be if hired. With this aspect, there are federal regulations to adhere to, but this can be easily done with the right monitoring tools.
4. Marketing & Customer Service: as more and more customers talk about brands online, companies have taken note and worked to monitoring all conversations, not just those happening on their social sites. They are quickly learning that many customers talkabout them, not to them, and finding this additional conversation allows for deeper consumer insight and opportunities for positive customer service.
There are many businesses and industries that are realizing that a person’s social activities online are yet another representation of who they are; it’s time that more people realize this. Try telling a teenager this, and it will likely fall on deaf ears. However, this concept needs to be shared over and over again so people realize it’s not “just” social media – it is an extension of you and what you represent. When applying for a job, you want to present the best “you” possible – be sure your social side is also the best “social you” possible.