https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/files/nu/H7EB45.pdf
Practice Test
Evidence Requirements
You will complete a test and a Report of at least 450 words - demonstrating that you can
You will work in a group using social media to demonstrate;
It is essential that you properly document your work using screenshots and a record of your actions
Note: It is important to note that you do not need to continue to use a social media account after you have completed the task. You are under no obligation to provide personal information.
History
Web 2.0
Web 2.0 is the idea that the internet transitions from a largely top down service to a user produced model - including social features like discussion, remix and redistributing. We largely see what used to be consider social features as basic features on all websites.
BBS ( Bulletin-Board System ) - 1978
Bulletin-Board Systems are similar to Forums and predate the World Wide Web. They are still in use. They offer a way for like minded people to get together and discuss topics
IRC ( Internet-Relay Chat ) - 1988
IRC offers chat rooms that where easy to access and could be embedded into websites using javascript. They rose to popularity but, after the dangers for young people where highlighted they returned to a niche following.
MSN - Windows Live Messenger - 1999
Microsft Messenger and also Yahoo Messenger became the primary way for school kids to communicate in the late 90’s
Friends Re-united - 1999
Friends re-united had a simple premise, to allow you to get in touch with friends from school, but, never quite got traction
Friendster - 2011
Friendster was the first of the social networks to resemble what we see today, it was a popular website with millions of users.
LinkedIn - 2002
LinkedIn is a business social network, aimed at helping users secure work. It is essentially a replacement for the Rolodex or collection of business cards for yesteryear.
Myspace - 2003
Myspace started as a music platform - success such as Arctic Monkeys and Lilly Allan originated on the service. It became the dominant social platform of the time and was the most used website of 2005. Featuring friends, messages, a wall. It was common to see advertisements that included a Myspace url
Facebook - 2004
Facebook remains the dominant platform - it was initially shunned by many due to it’s lack of customization and personality. Ultimately this is what made it easy to understand for new users and now it is predominantly used by boomers and for messenger
Bebo - 2005
Bebo was large in youth communities, it included the customization of MySpace with no musics basis. It allowed users to share out their love once a day.
Twitter - 2006
Twitter allows users to contact celebrities and high profile users directly. It started as a text only services with a maximum of 140 Characters. It now support 280 Characters and allows user to share image and videos. It is considered a good way of allowing large amounts of people to assemble quickly around a single topic.
Weibo - 2009
Weibo is basically the Chinese speaking equivalent of Twitter
VK - 2006
VK is basically the Facebook of the Russian speaking and ex-soviet world/nations
Instagram - 2010
Instagram is a photo sharing social network - it also includes direct messaging.
Google+ - 2011
Googles attempt to break into the social media space never seemed to break through, despite having a high number or users. YouTube briefly integrated with Google+ much to users annoyance.
SnapChat - 2011
SnapChat is a video/photo sharing service where the messages self-destruct. It also includes AR face filters and location sharing. Concerns over the dangers of sharing private sexual images continue.
Tinder - 2012
Tinder is an app that allows users to connect based on location and perceived attractiveness. It is the first time that online dating became totally mainstream
Vine - 2013
Vine was a short lived video sharing platform limited to 6 seconds. You needed Twitter to login to the services. Logan Paul originated on this platform.
TikTok - 2014
TikTok, previously Music.ly is new kid on the block. It features seamless loading to the next video - and, encourages users to act along to a collection of audio samples.
Negative Impact
Mental Health
There have been a rise in studies pointing towards a link between a degradation in mental health and Social Media use. FOMO - Fear of Missing Out
Witch hunts
Individuals can be targeted by mobs online either because of a difference of opinion, mistaken identity or even honest mistakes. This can lead to malicious bullying and death threats
Facebook/MySpace/Bebo Parties
Teenagers arranging houseparties have at time seen huge numbers of people attend their parties. Often - someone else would upload the details of a party. This has led to large scale police deployment and property damage - not to mention the damage to family relations.
Abduction/Vulnerable People
Lonely individuals are open to abuses of trust and being befriended by nefarious individuals online. This can lead to financial loss, embarrassment or even abduction
Positive Impact
Charity
Social media allows people to organise quickly around a cause and to raise lot’s of money. In 2013 we saw an example of this as the Ice Bucket Challenge
Open-Source
Open Source Projects are usually developed completely online - notable successes include Chrome - Linux - WordPress
Marketing
Social Media is an essential tool for marketing as it allows you to get your message out to a large number of people quicker than traditional methods. For a small fee you can boost your message even further.