Is Social Media Ruining Communication?

We have never been more connected than we are today but we are also more disconnected than we ever have been. Social media allows us to stay up to date with people at the touch of a button but is it causing us to lose sight of old fashion communication?

At dinner at a restaurant this past weekend I looked around to notice that at almost every single table someone was on their phone. Although social media has an immense amount of benefits it seems it's taking over our lives. This past semester I studied abroad in Italy and did not have access to my phone except at our residence. During my time abroad we never sat at dinner on our phones and actually enjoyed each other's company. It was almost a blessing in disguise that we did not have wifi.  With some sadness, I have fallen back to my old ways since I have returned.


25% of smartphone owners can't recall the last time they were apart from their mobile devices, says in article from Huffington Post. This number is only going to increase with time. I think everyone, myself included, needs to be more aware of this because we are slowly losing the deeper relationships we have.

The Pinterest Movement

Although Facebook and Twitter may be the more popular social media platforms everyone (girls) can agree they spend entirely more time on Pinterest. The ever growing virtual pin-board launched in 2010 has become such an obsession in many peoples lives. Pinterest allows you to browse images from hobbies, weddings, and cooking to clothing and DIY projects and pin them onto personal boards. Not only is Pinterest becoming more popular with the general population the retail industry is beginning to see the advantages of using it as well. 42% of adults in the US use two or more social networks so it is important for businesses to be present on all forms of social media.

Both large and small businesses are increasing their presence on Pinterest in attempts to gain sales, but Nordstroms is taking it beyond that. Nordstroms has a "pin" for every single item on their website and determines what items are re-pinned and liked the most. These items on Pinterest are then advertised in stores with a red tag. 

I think the idea of showcasing popular items on Pinterest in stores will cause an increase in sales. The red tags will catch the eye of customers who otherwise would have not noticed certain items. Nordstroms is smart for thinking outside of the box and testing this form of advertising in their stores. I think other retailers will catch onto this and we will begin to see Pinterest being used more.




Articles: 
http://mashable.com/2013/12/30/social-network-demographics-2013/
http://www.businessinsider.com/how-nordstrom-is-using-pinterest-2013-7