In essence social media is simply sites that are social. These include social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace and Twitter, and any kind of online community like a forum or a blog.
The reason social media is so important (and why the media talk about it constantly) is that it enables us to communicate with people who share our interests and passions via the internet. Before the internet people would join clubs and groups in order to meet people with similar interests. For some people this was difficult as there may not have been a group in their area. The internet enables us to meet people online more easily.
Sites like Facebook help you to meet up with old friends and acquaintances. MySpace helps new bands easily showcase their work online. Youtube enables people to share their videos.
There are many more sites that are aimed at smaller communities. LinkedIn is a networking site for business people across the world. It enables you to build a community by connecting with people you already know and their contacts as well. So if you go to a networking event and meet five people, all of whom are on LinkedIn, you can connect with them on the site and then have access to their networks.
