Social technology

Social technology is technology that enables social interaction through a means of communication, usually the Internet. It involves hardware such as a mobile device and software such as a social network. These hardware and software components work in conjunction to allow people to interact. Social technology is not only used to keep people connected socially, but it is also beneficial to businesses. Companies can use various social technology tools to increase revenue, decrease expenses, and stay competitive in the marketplace.

Social Technology Basics

Social technology includes a variety of hardware and software. Hardware is a storage or display device and all of the tangible parts of that device, including the chips and display screen. Software is the intangible aspect of a device, such as computer instructions and data. Examples of social technology hardware include personal computers, mobile devices, and data servers. A mobile device is a portable, handheld device that can perform many of the same tasks as a personal computer. Smartphones, laptops, tablets, netbooks, and personal digital assistants (PDAs) are examples of mobile devices. In addition, wearable technology, or electronic devices worn on the body such as smartwatches and fitness trackers, is quickly becoming a popular type of mobile device that allows people to connect socially. A data server, or database server, is a platform that analyzes, manipulates, stores, and archives data.

Social technology software can take several different forms, such as social networks, blogs, and wikis. A social network is an online community that allows people to interact and share information, typically through a website. Facebook, X (formerly known as Twitter), and LinkedIn are examples of popular social networks. A blog, which is short for "Web log," is a webpage on which individuals express their thoughts, usually on a regular basis. A wiki is a website that features the writing of many people and permits anyone to alter its content. Wikipedia is an example of a wiki.

Together, the hardware and software of social technology enable social interactions via the Internet. For example, people can use their smartphones to access Facebook and interact with other Facebook users. The smartphone is the communication tool, and Facebook is the application through which the interaction takes place.

Staying Connected

Social technology allows people to stay connected with others, especially those who are very busy with school, work, families, and other activities and do not have the time to devote to maintaining social relationships offline. It can also help them reconnect with people with whom they may have lost touch, such as old classmates and former coworkers. Families and friends who live long distances from one another can interact on a regular basis by using social technology. They can talk through Facebook Messenger or share images on sites such as Instagram or Snapchat. Children away at college can interact with parents on a regular basis to stay informed about events going on at home. Social technology also gives people a chance to meet others with whom they may not have had the chance to connect in real life. Instead of physically meeting with someone, people such as the disabled or elderly can use social media to interact with others. While social technology can be a beneficial tool in helping people stay connected, critics note that this same technology can be used to connect in malicious ways. Cyberbullying and privacy concerns are just some of the challenges connected to social technology.

Social Technology and Businesses

Businesses can benefit from using social technology. Certain social technology tools exist that can help businesses increase profits and decrease costs. One of these tools is online reputation management (ORM), also called social media reputation management. A company’s online reputation involves comments and reviews about the company—both positive and negative—that show up in search engine results. Typically, a company will have a poor online reputation if searches for the company turn up more negative feedback than positive feedback. A poor online reputation can lead to a loss in sales.

Companies can improve their online reputations in several ways. For example, a business can take control of search engine results pages (SERPs) for its brand, ensuring more spots on these pages. A company should also regularly update its social network profiles on sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Blogging is another tool companies can utilize to share information about products, industry trends, and other related topics.

Another way businesses can take advantage of social technology is by using social tools to aggregate (or combine) and filter information from the Internet. Given the enormous amount of information on the web, a company that aggregates and filters information can collect information related to its particular industry. This can help a company stay competitive with others.

Crowdsourcing is another social technology tool that can be beneficial to companies. A combination of the words "crowd" and "outsourcing," crowdsourcing is a practice in which a business can acquire needed work or services from a group of people, typically online. This practice can sometimes help a business complete work more inexpensively and quickly than having in-house employees perform the work.

Bibliography

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Klososky, Scott. “Social Media: Four Ways to Make Social Technologies Relevant to Your Business.” TechNet, 31 Aug. 2016, technet.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/hh219267.aspx. Accessed 27 Jan. 2026.

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