Arteaga & Arteaga - San Juan, Puerto Rico

Are your clients being part of the conversation?

Social networks, such as Facebook and MySpace, are experiencing unprecedented worldwide growth.  comScore reported on “Digital world – State of the Internet” (3/08), that social sites, a category that didn’t exist three years ago, already account for 16% of worldwide share of online time.  These sites are not only drawing the largest crowds in worldwide Internet traffic, but they are transforming how consumers are connecting and sharing information. 

Facebook is making e-mail communication for young consumers ages 15-24 archaic.  Who would have thought that e-mail, an emblematic digital communication medium, would grow old so fast.  Although it might not be surprising that young users are spending 38% of their online time socializing in Facebook, their older siblings ages 26-34 are currently the networks’ fastest growing segment.  What we’re seeing is a worldwide evolution in the way consumers communicate.

So, what’s behind this evolution?  Social media is all about connecting; about being part of multiple networks (i.e. High school, work, city, favorite music genre, sports); about sharing information and experiences.  In the yesteryears of the early 2000s, we would send out an e-mail with sample pics from the recent weekend trip.  Today, we post the complete photo album and videos of the trip on Facebook and immediately all of our friends are tuned to our life.  Ultimately, all of our online social interactions and connections are an expression of who we are as individuals.  This is Web 2.0. 

At Chat, the digital division of ICOM Puerto Rico Agency Arteaga and Arteaga, we believe brands can and should be part of consumers’ online social lives.