It’s a dialogue, not a monologue, and some people don’t understand that. Social media is more like a telephone than a television.

Amy Jo Martin (American Author and speaker)

Is Amy correct? There was a saying – “telegraph, telephone, tell-a-woman”, which suggests the changing dynamics and roles in communication and society. It also recognises the historical trend of women being key to sharing news and information within communities. Both the written and spoken word, in text or voice, either via mail or over the fence gossip, it was the network that enabled the news to be spread, kinda like social media.

Television is mostly for entertainment, but what about the ads that keep popping up every 5 minutes? Social media also has lots of ads. We didn’t request them, right? And we can’t talk to them either. It’s mostly a one-sided thing, they talk at us, not with us. If it gets monotonous, we can always change the channel, can’t we? Well, the same goes for social media, we have the final say, stop engaging!

The impact of social media influencers is huge worldwide. They shape the modern world and connect with people globally. These influencers use their platforms to share messages, support causes, and influence people’s purchasing decisions. They play a major role in shaping societal thoughts and values, and their ability to influence people on a large scale demonstrates their significant impact on the world today. They are talking to us and we can talk back.

Amy refers to social media like it’s a conversation we have with others, then, maybe we should have named it “telemedia” because it’s a tool for communicating and sharing, isn’t it? It’s not just for socialising anymore – it’s used for spreading news to ads and everything in between. Dare I say … it’s even like “tell-a-woman,” but now everyone’s in on it!