Communication, Communication, Communication: Software And Social Media Working Together‍

Many years ago, I worked for a well-known global IT company. My manager at the time was not just a nice person; he was an inspiring mentor with seemingly simple, but almost always successful corporate ideas, notions, and methods. Of the many things he taught me, one of the most important was the power, significance, and importance of good communication. Specifically, he was talking about communication in a business environment, within the workplace, on-site, on location, on the phone or, in later years, online too.

Emails, phone calls, texts, conversations, whatever form communication took, clarity was key, honesty was essential, and an ability to convey precise details was critical, and all in a polite, professional manner. No exceptions. Of course, things move on in terms of how, where, and via what technology we communicate, but the overall notion that communication is paramount stands the test of time. From digital transcripts to digital currencies, online conferences to virtual meetings, technology drives business, as well as communication.

Whether that was between colleagues, among clients and company representatives, or by anyone involved in a multi-pronged project, communication was, for him, the bedrock of success and the plinth on which the pillars of any work were built. Returning to the idea of how communication is being shaped, driven, and transformed by technology, software and social media are now playing a major part in this constant evolution.

But just how symbiotic is the relationship between software and social media, how does one impact the other, and are they co-dependent on each other's innovation? Let’s try and unpack some of that.

Advancing Apps: Driving Digital Development For Business And Leisure

Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, X (formerly Twitter, of course, though I am unsure how long I have to detail that distinction) - just a few of the now ubiquitous social media platforms that are dominating the digital landscape of this global sector. Many millions use these apps and platforms for reasons that are almost as numerous. Putting that another way, these social media platforms are used for business advancement for some, purely social reasons for others, and then there is the Venn diagram group that utilizes one, two, or more of their social media options for communicating for both business and leisure.

Social media, whatever it is used for, has been one of the most innovative industries within the mobile app sector.

Although each platform generally has desktop presences of one form or another, everything from X to TikTok, Instagram to Snapchat, and so many more are now apps, first and foremost. As digital development has advanced, these apps have become increasingly utilized as business tools. In many ways, they were formerly considered to be leisure or social-based platforms - but wow, that has changed. As new platforms for social, work, and video-based communications emerge, with the communication tool Discord being a good example, the landscape is changing.

Delving further into how apps and online tools are driving both business and leisure, it is clear that social media is now a powerful business tool. I suspect that each of us can think of brands, companies, corporations, in a wide range of industries and sectors, that have a huge social media presence. To them, the marketing and commercial potential for social media platforms is sizable, and clearly being harnessed by many. Not only is this form of advertising instant, constant, and agile, but it is also one with a more global reach at a lower cost than many traditional advertising platforms on or via what we might call the traditional media.

One further question may be how these digital tools are being developed, i.e. are they being developed to enable greater business advancements, advertising, marketing, etc., or are they being developed more as actual social media tools, to suit personal users rather than commercial enterprises? Personally, I suspect the reality lies somewhere in the middle of those two options.

Of course, social media platform creators are aware of the fiscal value to their own company when their platform can be used for business advancement. Equally, of course, so-called individual influencers and the casual user are also an important demographic for social media apps, so I would suspect developers and creators at social media companies, large and small, will consider both when mapping out their own products and services. It would be a brave company who ignored or neglected either.

When Sophisticated Software Meets Social Media Supremacy

Part of the reason social media has become popular is that the software that drives it is becoming increasingly sophisticated day by day. Far from just being able to post a few characters, as once was, we are now in a digital world where movies, videos short and long, and all manner of content can be posted easily, quickly, on mobile devices, and now even on wearable tech. On that issue specifically, digital tools are now being created with the “mobile first” approach, something that has been hugely beneficial for social media companies and app developers.

Indeed, the dominance of social media outlets would not have been so pronounced, arguably, without the ability to create and deliver content bespoke to mobile tech itself.  For both personal and business growth and development, the more sophisticated the software, the more feature-rich and functionally supreme social media apps become. With social media app trends continuing to show a surge in users and a wider scope of both content created and content creators, the supremacy of these platforms seems set to continue.

Among the many digital tools, social media platforms, and technical advancements that are shaping this overarching industry, the software that powers them has become incredibly high-end. Moreover, the digital landscape is ever-evolving, meaning constant changes, almost daily software updates, iteration after iteration, and new versions all designed to woo users and deliver for consumers and businesses alike. With this unending evolution now both expected and demanded by both personal users and commercial social media departments, I suspect we will see greater sophistication and a social media ecosystem that morphs into even more than it is now. And that is quite something.