Social media has become an unavoidable ingredient in of life and so is architecture. One cannot begin to explain the role of social media and its impact. Today's world is a global village. Everyone- is connected to one another in this vast network generated by the Internet. As said by Marshall McLuhan, a philosopher of communication theory, “The new electronic independence recreates the world in the image of a global village.” This impact of electronics such as Smartphone's is credited to internet. It has impact on the lives of thousands of people by spreading its roots internationally, thereby making us global citizens .people- way debate on the belief that we are all children of Adams and Eve but one cannot argue that we are all related now due to social media.
Before social media took over, architecture was limited to magazines, newspapers and books which left less impact . Nowadays, magazines and books are left on the side for a much more influential platform, one that is not totally controlled by the architects. Digital communication has changed the way people view and interact with architecture, providing architects with new insights on how to design their structures and receive opinions front wider spectrum of people.
As a fact there are 1.59 billion people on average log onto Facebook daily and are considered daily active users for June 2019 and increasing so are the number of people interested in architecture. social media affects ones perception of the place or building even before one sees and experiences it. social media can widely be used by architects not just to promote but also an thread to weave new lifestyles into design. one cannot help but wonder if social media is used by architects, the answer is a big yes. it is used by architects both for business for personal use. Social media provides a platform for showcasing images and visual inspiration, which architects also prioritize.
An architect has the ability to discuss and share thoughts on the built environment and will self-promote on a global scale through social media. All of the popular social platforms have an architect presence including Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Pinterest and Instagram. These platforms are all well suited for visual, technical and intellectual sharing, something architects immensely value.
Most of the contents or pictures is not provided by architects but young anonymous students, designers or simply people who have no direct relation to architecture. social media can be used to create more awareness about the project, it provides a perfect platform for connecting professionals to exchange trends, inspirations, developments in architecture and the opportunity to gather research.
Everything and anything on social media can be altered to make it worth its will for the users, architecture has no exception and spreads widely in that form of memes—the abstract photographs, video clips, and gets that are manipulated in various ways to express thoughts on certain matters or situations that are relatable to people across the globe. With social media comes the use of hashtags. hashtags officially became part of the Oxford English Dictionary in 2014, and whether you tend to use them or not, they are a pretty unavoidable internet tool that helps users connect related internet content. On Instagram, #architecture is associated with over 7o.S million posts, while over 8 million posts are linked by #architecturelovers, and over 5 million have been tagged as # architecture photography.
Social media posts have challenged, inspired and guided contemporary architecture practices. Other than having their buildings stand as illustrious backdrops for photographs the use of geotagging and hashtags have helped architects develop a more through site and post occupancy analysis books have been published on this very topic which helps us understand its importance called social media in Action
Using facts figures and a wide range of research to back up its claims, the book lays out exactly how Architecture firms can get the most out of their social media jump. But the book also takes the time to establish the why of social media- particularly post recession – and offers a fascinating glimpse into its future relevance. As authors explain in the very first chapter “This new form of media is not a trend. It is the way business communicate.”
We see the power and reach of social media strengthen every day, and couldn’t agree more than its not going anywhere sooner, which implies we can do nothing but take peers social media provides.