The Power of Social Media - University of Southampton

Social networks have emerged over the past 10 years in various forms to play a fundamental role in our lives.

But do we actually understand these networks? And are we using them in the right ways?

This course will teach you not just about the qualities and differences between social networks but also the impact they can have on our lives.

On this course you will explore the various properties of networks in order to understand more about how we can measure online power and influence.

Through doing this you will discover that networks such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn have very distinct qualities. You’ll learn how these qualities can be used to your advantage in different ways.

The media are quick to report on negative aspects of social networking such as cyberbullying or identity theft, but we hear less about the benefits that occur when networks are used to enhance employability or raise awareness of good causes. On this course you’ll explore how social media can be used for good, not just at a personal level but at a societal level.

Throughout the course you’ll learn different ways for managing your own networks in a professional way to help your own career development.

In fact the course itself is a social network. We encourage you to interact with other learners from all around the world to directly put into practice the lessons of the course and build your own online networks for learning and professional purposes.