Social media has rapidly become pervasive in our society and it is now difficult to escape its presence.
Even if you don't go online at all, it is likely that people you talk to engage with social media and in some ways it shapes their understanding of the world we live in.
The influence of social media is both positive and negative but like an avalanche gaining momentum it appears to swing opinions in a landslide, sweeping up crowds of people. These strong, rapid, changes lend it the appearance of being quite unpredictable, a medium which can cut both ways.
The polarising effect of social media has become a big concern for companies. Corporations seem to be buffeted by the waves of opinion and even these giants fear its influence.
Half-Life 3
Rumours have been flying again about Valve's much anticipated game Half-Life 3. Too many fans are dismayed that the story hasn't been good news. The gist of the stories is that the game isn't currently in production despite the cliff-hanger ending the series has been left on and the numerous gamers hoping to one day play it.
The reasons for the game not being in development are said to be Valve's fear of people's expectations not being disappointed and the detrimental backlash that would cause on social media.
Despite the company standing to make at least hundreds of millions of dollars with millions of sales, the combination of social media and player expectations is seen to be too volatile to risk.
No Man's Sky
Indeed earlier this year Hello Games and Sony Interactive Entertainment released the ill-fated game No Man's Sky. The game had built up an incredible amount of hype around the promise of procedurally generated worlds, spreading across the stars.
Whether this was due to poor media management or over excited developers or some other undiagnosed combination of errors, the game was not received well by players.
When No Man's Sky was released it saw a massive player base before slumping dramatically after a day. Disappointed players took to social media and within hours opinion had swung from hype and anticipation to anger and disappointment.
Game sales slumped never to recover and the player base has dwindled as the perception of the game turned very negative. While it is hard to say exactly how well the game would have been received without such high expectations, social media contributed to the growing hype around the game and social media brought it all crashing down.
Social media and reforms
Moving to a more positive perspective the power of social media for encouraging reforms in areas like social justice is undeniable.
Groups such as GetUp and Avaaz have used these media to stand up for disadvantaged and powerless individuals.
However perhaps this highlights why businesses appear to be increasingly concerned by a social media presence. The speed at which information can travel across social networks, although indeterminate, can be exceptionally fast and can reach hundreds, thousands or millions of people in a short space of time. This rapid dissemination of information is part of why opinions can be swayed so quickly. Managing social media looks to be a major issue for corporations.
My friends and me
But what about individuals? Social media is very useful for communicating with our networks and finding out information which is of interest to us. Indeed social media has been a great tool for this and a great many people benefit from it. However this world which we see in our feed is only a fraction of what goes on and waves surge across the broader ocean.
Be careful with social media, it can rapidly turn against people and exaggerate small details. When you read a post consider it critically so you aren't uprooted in a landslide of opinion.
Think before you post.
Sam Gillespie is a postgraduate research student at the university of New South Wales.
Sam Gillespie's previous articles may be viewed at www.pressserviceinternational.org/sam-gillespie.html