The moment you think about internet, a number of social networking sites come to your mind. This is the extent that social media has imprinted itself in our lives. Few people were aware of the term Social Media until it stimulated certain political, social and economic issues and developed itself as a strong tool of modern day communication. Since past two three years the world has realized the importance of this powerful and effective tool. It has helped in propagating the political, economic and social revolution in different parts of the world.
The recent middle east crisis were known to be provoked by the use of several social networking sites which enlightened the thinking of people and provided them a platform to opine their views and raise their voices against all the injustices happening around them. It was the social media when all the communication channels were terminated in Egypt and people used face book and twitter to update the world about their situation and the circumstances prevailing. The youngsters used all the possible networks to spread their voice across the globe and thus their voices were being heard.
The impact of social media is also strong in Pakistan. People specially youngsters in Pakistan also are well aware of social media. It was evident when Pakistan Tehreek -e- Insaaf Chairman Imran Khan started his social media campaign to attract and influence youngsters. It was the first time in the history of Pakistan that some political party used such creative marketing strategy by employing social media as a platform to propagate its political point of view. This was a great strategy as it was targeted at the right audience and at the right place. Hence it was a great success. The party gained tremendous popularity on face book and twitter. It used every possible technique to attract large number of people to its party through these social networks. Thus the party currently holds a strong support from youngsters specifically as it targeted them effectively. The social networks proved great help in the success of its political gatherings.
Apart from that social media has also played a vital role in highlighting the good and the bad aspects of journalism. Where good news and events were reported immediately on social networks, bad events also took the whole youth by storm. Remember the recent case of Maya Khan controversy. The lady along with her gang was alleged to portray the worst picture of unprofessional journalism and was severely criticized by youngsters as well as journalists on social networks, online news websites and blogs. The criticism was so harsh and effective that the news channel fired her along with her whole team and the CEO personally issued an apology on behalf of the channel.
This is the strength of social media which is currently taking over all the communication barriers. The important thing is how well this tool is utilized to influence and stimulate the society. Social media has altered the course of political situation of several countries. Now time will tell if it will be successful in bringing a revolution to the country like Pakistan where political, social and economic instability is at its peak.
