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PROJECT REPORT
ON
“SOCIAL MEDIA”
SUBMITTED IN THE PARTIAL FULFILLMENT REQUIREMENT OF THE DEGREE
OF MASTERS OF COMMERCE
SUBMITTED TO: SUBMITTED BY:
Prof. Zenia Harsha
M.Com 2nd Sem.
Roll No. 2031
PATEL MEMORIAL NATIONAL COLLEGE
PUNJABI UNIVERSITY, PATIALA

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
In preparation of my project, I had to take the help and guidance of some respected persons, who
deserve my deepest gratitude. As the completion of this project gave me much pleasure, I would
like to show my gratitude PROF. ZENIA for giving me a good guideline for assignment
throughout numerous consultations.
I would also like to expand my gratitude to all those who have directly and indirectly guided me
in writing this project.
It is a great opportunity for me to write on the topic "social media" .At the time of preparing I am
gone through different books and websites which help me to get acquired with new topics. I am
actually focusing on those topics which are important for me to understand easily.
Apart from me this paper will certainly be immense important for those who are interesting to
know about this subject. I have tried hard and soul to gather all relevant documents regarding
this subject. I don’t know for i am able to do that. Further, I don't claim all the information in this
paper is included perfectly. There may be shortcomings, factual error, mistaken opinion which
all are mine and i am alone responsible for those but i will try to give better volume in future.
Thank you
Harsha
M.Com 2nd Sem.
Roll No. 2031

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DECLARATION
I, undersigned HARSHA student of M.Com 2nd Sem. hereby declare that the project work
presented in this report is my own work and has been carried out under the supervision of Prof.
ZENIA of Patel memorial national college.
Harsha
M.Com 2nd Sem.
Roll No. 2031

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Table of Contents
S No. Contents
1 Social Media
2 Definition of Social Media
3 History
4 Six Degrees
5 Why Social Media has been used
6 Features of social networking sites
7 Advantages and Disadvantages of using social
media
8 Conclusion

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SOCIAL MEDIA
Social media are computer based technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing
information, ideas and other form of expression through virtual communities and network.
It is also form of electronic communication such as website for social networking via users
creates online communities.
Users usually access social media services via web-based apps on desktops and laptops,
or download services that offer social media functionality to their mobile devices
(e.g., smartphones and tablets). As users engage with these electronic services, they create highly
interactive platforms through which individuals, communities, and organizations can share, co-
create, discuss, participate and modify user-generated content or self-curated content posted
online.
DEFINITION OF SOCIAL MEDIA
Forms of electronic communication (such as websites for social networking and micro blogging)
through which users create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages,
and other content (such as videos).

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HISTORY
The internet has its roots in the 1960s and 1970s when various private and public organizations
were working to try and find ways to get computers to communicate with one another. In a
sense, this can be considered as the beginning of online social media. However, it wasn’t until
the 1980s, and really the 1990s, that personal computers became more normal, which set the
stage for the emergence of social media.
SIX DEGREES
“First social media” site is Six Degrees. It’s named after the “six degrees of separation” theory,
which states that everyone in the world is connected to everyone else by no more than six
degrees of separation.
Six Degrees is considered to be the first of the social networks is because it allowed people to
sign up with their email address, make individual profiles, and add friends to their personal
network.
It was officially launched in 1997,
It’s number of users peaked at around 3.5 million.
It was bought out by YouthStream Media Networks in 1999 for $125 million, but it shut down
just one year later.
WHY SOCIAL MEDIA HAS BEEN USED
 to stay in touch with friends
 to spend leisure time
 for amusement purpose
 to remain up-to-date with current news or vents
 to share photos or videos with others

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FEATURES OF SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES
Social media are internet based applications
Social media is computer-based technology that facilitates the sharing of ideas, thoughts, and
information through the building of virtual networks and communities.
It is also a form of electronic communication such as websites for social networking through
which users connect with many people.
Social media facilitate the development of online social network by connecting a user's profile
with those of other individual or groups.
Different social networking sites
 websites
 messaging
 video calling
 blogging platforms

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Founders of popular social media websites
 facebook (mark zuckerberg)
 google (larry page & sergry brin)
 whatsapp (jan koum & brian acton)
 LINKEDIN ( Reid Hoffman & Allen Blue)
 youtube (chad hurley,steve chen &jawed karim)
 SKYPE (Niklas Zennstrom)
FACEBOOK:
Facebook is an American social networking service based in MENLO PARK, CALIFORNIA.
It may be accessed by large no of desktops, laptops, tablets and smartphones over the internet
and mobile networks.
Current statistics:
 Facebook adds 500,000 new users every day; 6 new profiles every second
 69% of all Americans are on Facebook
 79% of all online US adults use Facebook

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 74% of Facebook users check it every day
 The average user spends 35 minutes on Facebook a day
 The average (mean) number of friends is 155
YOUTUBE:
YouTube is an American video sharing website headquarter in SAN BURNO,CALIFORNIA.
The CEO of you tube is SUSAN WOJCICKI (feb5,2014)
Google bought this site in November 2006 for USS 1.65 billion.
CURRENT STATISTICS:
 300 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute
 People now watch 1 billion hours of YouTube videos every day
 The average person watches 40 minutes of YouTube content a day
 90% of American 18-24 year olds use YouTube
 In 2014, the most searched term was music. The second was Mine craft
 ON FEBRUARY 2017, website is ranked as the second most popular site in the world.

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WHATSAPP
Whatsapp is a freeware, cross platform messaging which was founded in 2009 by BRIAN
ACTION and this website was acquired by facebook in February 2014
It's headquarter in California (mountain view).
CURRENT STATISTICS
 WhatsApp has 1.5 billion active users in 180 countries.
 500 million people use WhatsApp Status daily.
 More than 65 million text messages are sent through WhatsApp each day.
 India has the largest number of WhatsApp users — 400 million.
 Only 2 million people from China use WhatsApp.
SKYPE:

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Skype is a telecommunications application that specializes in providing video chat and voice
calls between computers, tablets, mobile devices via internet which was founded in 2003 by
Niklas Zennström.
In September 2005, eBay acquired Skype for $2.6 billion.
CURRENT STATISTICS
 In September 2005, Skype had only 54 million registered users compared to the current
171 million
 4.9 million users use daily
 25% of millennials use skype globally
LINKEDIN:
 LinkedIn is an American business and employment-oriented service that operates via
websites and mobile apps.
 It was founded on december28,2002 and launched on may5,2003.
 The CEO is JEFF WEINER.
CURRENT STATISTICS:
 LinkedIn has 650 million members
 27% of US adults use the platform
 106 million of those access the site on a monthly basis

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 More than 1 million members have published content on LinkedIn
 The average CEO has 930 LinkedIn connections
 Over 3 million companies have created LinkedIn accounts
 But only 17% of US small businesses use LinkedIn
Important facts
 There are 462 million internet users in India, on an average Indian web users spend 45
minutes online each day.
 430 million users experience internet on their smart phones and this number is expected
to grow 750 million by 2020
 age group of 15-24 are the highest number of social media users
 67 percent of teenagers have contact with strangers
 Cases of cyber bullying,fake profiles are increased in huge number.
 Thoughts of the youth are being manipulated with increase in the use of websites.
BENEFITS:
 Social media made communication very easier.
 It helps to remain in touch with friends.
 It helps to break monotonous phase of life.
 It helps to strengthen the bond.
 Money over sms can be saved by using these sites.
 Information can be directly sent to large number of people.
 Local business person may expand their business over websites.

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 With the help of these sites people can talk with their near and dear one's.
Drawbacks:
 Youngsters who use social websites may have psychological problems including
antisocial problem and aggression.
 Most of the children get distracted while using these websites.
 Prolonged use of display screen may weaken eye sight.
 It may reduce physical activities as youngsters surf on the internet everytime.
 Sitting all the day in front of computer or laptop may disturb metabolism.
Advantages and disadvantages of using social media
Social media can be a useful tool for businesses, bringing advantages such as engaging with your audience and
boosting website traffic. However there can also be disadvantages, including the resources required and
negative feedback. Considering these pros and cons can help you decide the best approach to social media for
your business.
Advantages of social media
The business benefits of effective social media use include:
 Brand awareness - Compelling and relevant content will grab the attention of potential customers and
increase brand visibility. See branding: the basics.

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 Brand reputation - You can respond instantly to industry developments and be seen as ‘thought leader’ or
expert in your field. This can improve how your business is seen by your audience. See public relations (PR).
 Cost effective - It can be much cheaper than traditional advertising and promotional activities. The costs of
maintaining a social media presence are minimal. If you choose to invest in paid advertising, you can spend as
much or as little as your budget allows.
 Website traffic - Social content can boost traffic to your website. This can lead to increased
online conversions such as sales and leads.
 Evaluation - It is easy to measure how much website traffic you receive from social media. You can set up
tracking to determine how many sales are generated by paid social advertising.
 Customer interaction - You can deliver improved customer service and respond effectively to feedback.
Positive feedback is public and can be persuasive to other potential customers. Negative feedback highlights
areas where you can improve.
 Target audience - Customers can find you through the social media platforms they use most. You can
choose to maintain a presence on particular platforms that are in line with your target audience. For example, if
you are targeting young people you could reach them through Snapchat. If you are seeking business customers,
LinkedIn may be the best channel. See social media platforms.
 Brand loyalty - You can build relationships with your customers through social media. This can help
increase loyalty and advocacy.
Disadvantages of social media
Some of the downsides of using social media include:
 Resources - You will need to commit resources to managing your social media presence, responding to
feedback and producing new content. This can include hiring and training staff, investing in
paid advertising and paying for the costs of creating video or image content.
 Evaluation - While it is easy to quantify the return-on-investment in terms of online sales generated by social
media advertising – there are some less tangible benefits. It can be hard to measure and place a monetary
value on the brand awareness and reputation that social media can bring. It’s difficult to know how social
media effects sales in-store.
 Ineffective use - Social media can be used ineffectively. For example, using social media to push for sales
without engaging with customers, or failing to respond to negative feedback - may damage your reputation.

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CONCLUSION
Though it has brought many advantages but its disadvantages cannot be overlooked so everyone
should use it judiciously.