My very first blog post

I should start with an introduction. My name is James; I'm 32, married and have two beautiful daughters who are the nucleus of my entire existence. I love guitars, sports and keeping fit. I have been in the same job for nearly 10 years. A couple of years ago I was particularly frustrated with work and the limited opportunities available which suited to my skills. As I result I decided to take a giant leap and begin mature age study in the hope of improving my job prospects. My study towards gaining a Bachelor of Social Studies has led me to undertake a unit called 'Social Media' and I'm writing this blog to discuss my thoughts and ideas on the unit's content. 

Social media is something I am fairly well versed in. I use Facebook and Twitter regularly, but not obsessively. I love keeping up to date with friend’s activities and photos and I enjoy the ability that Twitter gives me to customise news suited specifically to my interests. It's fair to say that I'm a fan of social media and I use it to help stay in touch with the world; however I'm not a prolific poster of my own content.  

As I delve further into social media through my studies, I am beginning to think deeper about all elements of social media, its usage and the impacts it has in today's real world. Previously I merely viewed it as a source of quick entertainment, perfect to kill five minutes at home or to alleviate the boredom of long waits at the supermarket or the doctor's office. 

The week one content gave me a strong understanding of just how vast a landscape social media covers. Watching the video A Day in the Life of Social Media made my jaw drop, as I learned statistics showing how far reaching social media's effects are. My highlight in the video displays a statistic equating Facebook content to McDonalds burgers, stating "if content were burgers Facebook would move 238 times the burgers McDonalds sells in a day". 

Week two saw me researching key theorists including Jean Baudrillard, Mark Dery and Howard Rheingold and examining aspects of social media from their perspective. Viewing social media through these lenses made me see bigger picture impacts it can have both socially and culturally such as the social disconnect that social media can inadvertently produce by contributing to a generation of people who'd rather text or send Facebook messages as a preferred means of communication.    

Week three has led me to where I am right at this point in time, blogging. This is my first blog post ever and I must say, it’s been enjoyable reflecting on content from the first couple of weeks. I look forward to contributing my posts in the coming weeks.

Thanks for reading.