Five Ways Facebook and Twitter are Changing Communication Degree Programs
- Shift in Language
- Less Focus on Social Skills
- Global Nature of Communication
- Big Data
- Shift in Marketing
LOL, BRB and IDK are just three of the acronyms changing communication degree programs today. They stand for “laugh out loud,” “be right back” and “I don’t know.” Any ten-year-old can use those, and other terms, to send text messages in a fraction of the time their elders could even voice the sentiment. Technology is not only changing the way we move about, the way we treat illnesses, and the way we purchase goods; it is changing the way we get our news and deliver our messages. That is why communication degree programs are changing as well. Here are five ways the communication degree program is affected by the Internet and social media.
Related Resource: Top 20 Best Online Communications Degree Programs
1. Shift in Language
There is a huge difference in the language used by the three generations living today. Generally speaking, humans employ the language they see. For “Boomers”, those individuals aged fifty and over, language is more formal. They were accustomed to the proper forms of language they saw in print media and to non-verbal communication methods. The Gen X and Gen Y generations are familiar with digital communication. Using text messaging and communicating through mobile devices has resulted in the use of new terminology and acronyms. Students spend less time studying how to deliver an oral presentation and more time learning digital vocabularies. New terminology has evolved with the emergence of Internet Relay Chat, where words like friend, wall, and page have new definitions.
2. Less Focus on Social Skills
With the shift in communication from face-to-face methods to text and digital comes less focus on non-verbal communication. Interpersonal relationship skills are not as important as they once were in communication studies. An article in Forbes goes so far as to say that social media may be sabotaging real communication. Boomers are accustomed to face-to-face business meetings, while younger employees and staffers would rather fire off a text message. This, left unmanaged, can strain business relations and erode company morale. Misinterpretation is probable. Additionally, the ability of Twitter, Facebook, and other users to project a false persona ( a so-called “sock puppet”) and to publish fake news and other articles makes it more difficult for a communications specialist to present a credible product.
3. Global Nature of Communication
Students must be aware of cultural differences more than ever. For instance, American magazines and newspapers have historically targeted Americans. There were certain expected norms and readers understood context. Today, social use of the Internet makes it possible for people to communicate in real time over thousands of miles. That means marketing must be broad-based and be able to leap over cultural distances as well as language differences.
4. Big Data
The old adage “let’s run it up the flagpole and see who salutes” is a reference to trying something to gage public response. Today, social media makes possible the collection of hundreds of types of data that can be studied to predict consumer behavior. Communicating is much more targeted than it once was. It is now important that students have a foundation of psychology and computer skills in order to initiate a study or to interpret study results. This is vital to successful business communications.
5. Shift in Marketing
Most advertising is now done digitally, as opposed to mail-delivered flyers. Ads are inserted into news articles as well as introduced into social media streams. That shift makes necessary the restructuring of ads to be visual and brief. Students in these degree programs must learn to use words and phrases that can be searched, or that will appear in searches.
Many print newspapers are disappearing as more than 20 percent of people now pay to get their news digitally. Books and magazines have turned to digital editions to reach their readers. Americans today find value in rapid, brief messages and digital relationships. These changes mean communication studies programs must change as well.