Influence of Social Media

Two decades ago, social interaction had a different meaning in our lives. But the impact of social media on society has skyrocketed over recent years. Growth in the number of users, along with the number of apps that help us connect with others around the world, social media has garnered interest and concern among many.

Not only has this platform been a mode of communication, but for today’s generation, it is a tool of expression. Expressing their creativity, raising their voices, reaching out to others, and building an identity. With all this in the picture, it Is essential in today’s world, for every sector to embrace this new culture, which may soon turn into a tradition. Like the two sides of a coin, the impact of social media in our life has both adversely negative and positive impacts of social media on an individual life, but for the field of Architecture, the positive impacts of social media have been a boon.

Impact of social media on society

Keeping in touch with old friends now seem to be effortless, with various platforms provided by social media. Miles apart, but still we’re updated on what happens in the lives of our close ones. Before social media, it was difficult to keep track of what was happening around the globe. Even though communication over radio and television happened, news traveled much slower compared to the present.

The positive impact of social media in our life, also proves to be a great boon to the business industry, as networking became a huge element. Employment opportunities and career growth are other perks. 

Though there are numerous benefits to social media, the threats it poses goes on and on. The negative impact of social media includes addiction, which is a serious issue that leads to health problems in individuals. Not only does it affect one’s mental and physical health, but it also decreases the productivity of a person. With networking we’re all connected and updated with what happens in each other’s lives, this also raises the issue of privacy and increases spam and theft. Therefore understanding the pros and cons of social media is important

Connecting Architects around the World

Communication, being the key and essential element of social media, both practicing and student architects receive the opportunity to interact, learn and grow with others like them. By allowing long-distance compilation, an architect from one place can collaborate with artists, sculptors, painters, or designers on a global scale, to help create a complete package of beautiful design.

Exposure for Students

Considering the recent needs in structural design during the floods, earthquakes, and most importantly the pandemic, various organizations come up with competitions, which are open to both professionals and students, to provide immediate solutions which are economically feasible. A student with great potential from one part of the globe will receive the opportunity to use his creativity and make an outstanding performance at a competition held in another part of the world.

Ideas, concepts, designs, thoughts, and critical social media can be shared and learned from, by connecting with other fellow architects. For budding architects, they need to update their encyclopedia with the latest trends and design in the field of architecture, design, and construction. Collaborating and creating the designs with ancient and modern materials combined can result in extraordinary designs. So is understanding that sustainability is the future helps students understand the need and importance of having a sustainable community and which helps them in choosing the right construction materials.

Job Opportunities, Career Growth, and Business

Architecture and Social media, go hand in hand and opens a million other opportunities for those struggling to have a job. Architects are strong in the field of art and design, which makes them suitable for many jobs other than their field. In today’s world, an architect can be an interior designer or a set designer according to their needs and interest. Career opportunities and job openings are now easily available with the help of social media platforms like Instagram and LinkedIn.

Sharing individuality and identity

Architectural firms showcase their identity and sense of individuality through various social media platforms and this, in turn, helps architects out there to identify a firm that suits their sense of style. By knowing more about the firm, we can understand the type of work they are looking for and apply to such firms accordingly.

For instance, LinkedIn exposes the employees working in a particular firm. This helps us to establish communication and connection with such employees and helps us understand the work culture and ethics of the place. Focusing further, sites like Glassdoor share the average annual and monthly salary packages available at different firms and this provides us an insight into the financial perspective of the firm.

Honest reviews and critical feedbacks

Be it an architect for some design inspiration or a client looking for the right requirements, social media has many features that allow you to access such information. By reading honest review opinions and critical feedbacks, one can understand different perspectives of judgment about a specific subject.

Some may provide nominal feedback, but there are quite a few who may share what should’ve been done instead and what elements work with reason. As an architect, it won’t be possible to inculcate all the feedbacks received but such information will provide to be useful in their next project. And as in the case of clients, they can help share such information with someone else who is planning to go through the same.

Identifying Customer Needs and Target Audience

What better way to find inspiration for what a place wants than to hear it directly from the residents who live there? Communicating and reaching out, directly to the people who will be affected by our designs helps architects to set standards and requirements for their projects. The best tool for this purpose is social media.

By doing a geographical search on various social media platforms, the user group and type of people living in a specific location can be identified which helps us to establish and define certain parameters. The right construction materials and design solutions can be made by understanding the locality and users and this can be achieved by direct communication, which is now made possible by social media.

For instance, while building a home for a couple, it can be observed that the requirements or spaces enjoyed by a younger generation will be different as compared to people belonging to an older generation. By using social media, what each group enjoys the most in a building can be realized and inculcated. Seeking out what the target audience desires will help the design process to be more successful.

Photography and Modern Architecture

With the rise in social media platforms like Instagram and Pinterest, the use of photographs has become increasingly critical in modern marketing and communication. Research shows that up to 72% of users made purchases based on pictures seen on the internet. With social media influencers posting visual stories that point to Insta-worthy destinations, the importance of photography has ever increased.

Architecture has now been intertwined with and influenced by photographs and geotags. With the update in technology and the impact of SOCIAL MEDIA on society, Architectural Photographers have changed the way they work, and this has changed the world’s perception of Architecture. The digital age has resulted in photographers being faster, less accurate, and less profound. While we react to striking and eye-catching photos, the lines between professionals and amateurs are blurred.

Even though the value of professional photography remains the same, the view captured by any person can be influential thanks to the various social media platform, and this also gives rise to a new class of amateur photographers that can capture a huge range of fresh perspectives and share across digital platforms.