The social media revolution has not only changed the way individuals communicate with each other, but also the way businesses communicate with their stakeholders; consumers, potential employees and current employees. This social media revolution has brought forth some of the biggest global networks with; “96% of Gen Y having (have) joined a social network” (Qualman, 2013). It is therefore evident that businesses need to capitalise on the use of social media networking, as an essential tool of communication and insight. However, privacy and security has become a controversial issue particularly in developed countries, where average Internet users are becoming more educated on how their data is being used by sites such as Facebook. It is important to understand the difference between privacy and security, as these terms are …show more content…
Social media not only allows people to find and connect with businesses, but also for businesses to find consumers. The social media revolution resulted in millions of people using social networking sites such as Facebook to create online personas; resulting in sharing personal details of hundreds of millions of people (TED and Golbeck, 2013). Therefore, allowing computer scientists to create models, which have the ability to predict products and services that would interest individuals. This information can be sold onto businesses; allowing them to target their audiences better and, make experiences and communications more personal. While, this can result in better profits and customer service, it clearly shows a lack of privacy and security, as personal information is so easily shared. The truth is that computer scientists can predict future behaviours and attributes of individuals that can be passed onto business, and there are no laws protecting