Digital technology has had a massive impact in the workplace, especially in the communication field. For this first blog post, I’d like to focus on social media as this aspect of digital technology has had the greatest impact on our daily life, especially at work. For example, Facebook started as a site for college students to connect. Since it’s inception in the early 2000s, it has grown rapidly, with 2.28 billion active users (Facebook global users statistics, 2025) it still remains the most popular social media site. Not only is it popular, but journalists are using it as a reputable source with 38% of journalists saying it’s a valuable source or news information (MBA, 2023).
Digital technology has shaped how we receive news. Social media sites allow for rapid sharing of information in real time. Gone are the days of having to wait until the 6pm News or the daily paper to learn of news. Now, News is almost instant and people can share first hand experiences in real time. Of course, we have to be mindful of who is sharing what and digital/ media fluency is key in deciphering what is real and what is “fake” news. While social media can lead to a spread of misinformation or disinformation, because anyone can share or publish anything, we can argue that it has benefits to society and to the workplace. In their article in the European Journal of Social Science research, Alfaraz and Tully state “ technological development is a key factor for shaping social life, transforming the ways in which societies organize their production, mobility and communication processes……they analyze the role that technological interfaces play today in social transformation, as well as the implications for our present day that our interactions become increasingly intermediated by digital technologies” (Alfaraz and Tully, 2022). Whether we like it or not, social media has significantly impacted how we interact with each other, within and outside of the workplace. Here is a link to this article if you want to learn more about how technology has further shaped social processes.
References:
Facebook Global Users Statistics 2025 | FB Demographics. (2025, June 7). The Global Statistics. https://www.theglobalstatistics.com/facebook-global-users-statistics/
Mba, F. S. M. (2023, June 29). How 2,400 Journalists Use Social Media for Reporting [And Why PR Should Get Serious about Social]. Sword and the Script. https://www.swordandthescript.com/2021/03/journalists-social-media/
Alfaraz, C., & Tully, C. (2024). Mobilizing social transformation with technology. The shaping of social processes since the development of industrial society and beyond: innovation input and social processes. Innovation: The European Journal of Social Science Research, 38(2), 589–605.
Erin A Clark 