New research out this week shows nearly 80% of the largest 100 companies in the Fortune 500 Index now use social media on a daily basis. And it’s not hard to see why.

Since the launch of the social media phenomenon it’s gone from strength to strength with a growing number of users accessing all platforms every day. The study by Burson-Martseller found Twitter was the most popular social media tool, followed by Facebook and YouTube. So, what’s the draw to social media sites? It’s all about communication and laziness! Social media sites allow users to communicate in the easiest possible way; from the comfort of their own computer.

Sites like Facebook allow users to share pictures, comments and even allows for the stalking of potential employees or partners! Don’t look at me like that….we’ve all done it, haven’t we?! It’s the easy format, speed and comfort of social media sites that makes users come back day after day. Gone are the days of waiting by the phone or letterbox for a correspondence – it’s all about getting a response right now!

Now social media sites are such a huge part of our world, it makes me wonder what we did before them….. Surely we must’ve been lazier and less communicative? Or maybe we weren’t – maybe we just functioned differently? I think it was probably a bit of both, although I’m obviously far too young to remember a time before social media sites!

Every time a new technological brainwave appears, we embrace it with everything we have. Take the mobile phone for example…OK, so the early brick models were only popular with 90′s business men but once the models were given a makeover, everyone wanted one. Today, it’s highly unlikely to see someone without a mobile phone – I’ve even seen kids as young as 7 texting away!

My point is that once we grow dependent on something, we rely on it on a daily basis and become panicked at the thought of losing it. We’ve all felt that feeling of dread and sickness when we think we’ve lost our mobile. Although we become dependent on technology; be it the mobile phone or social media sites, advances and new innovations in this technology mean we have to roll with the times and learn to relax.

The big question is what’s going to be the new phenomenon that replaces social media sites? And once, it arrives will we wonder how we ever lived without it? I think so!

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