Because it’s topical, it’s fun, it’s participatory and it works across boundaries of geography, demography, hierarchy and class! It is frustratingly difficult to measure the results of using social media (if you are really keen, go here) but it’s impossible to ignore the phenomenon. Our resident expert, Jyothi Kiran, Digital Anthropologist, has her thoughts on social media here, in a paper called Addicted to Anonymity. It’s a good read, even if we say so ourselves.

Social media is quite unlike traditional media, which pushed content and dictated what you should be reading or listening to. Remember, this is 2010? The media landscape has changed with blogs, networking sites and user generated video. Remember, member of Indian parliament Shashi Tharoor is using social media, the president of South Africa is using it, the prime minister of Norway is using it and so is the Queen of Jordan? Oh yes, Bill Gates is using it too. So why should you be left behind?