Celebrating Social Media Day


June 28, 2015 at 12:00a.m.

Social Media Day is Tuesday.

Also known by the hashtag #SMDay, Social Media Day was launched in 2010 by Mashable, a leading news and entertainment media site. But unlike “Hallmark” holidays like Sweetest Day or Boss’s Day, the focus isn’t on greeting cards and flowers.

According to Mashable, #SMDay was created “as a way to recognize and celebrate social media’s impact on global communication.”

Last year, groups gathered around the world to celebrate the day, and not just online. Several groups hosted social get-togethers (or meet-ups) to interact and network, and to celebrate all the good things the world has accomplished with social media.

How Will You Celebrate #SMDay?

If you’re interesting in exploring all the good social media has done for the world, here are some ways you might considering joining in on the celebration:

  1. Use the #SMDay hashtag. When you’re on Twitter, Instagram or other social networks, use the #SMDay hashtag to find information about the day. You might be surprised to find other people planning meet-ups and other social events in your neighborhood.

At the very least, you can mingle with millions of other people celebrating the day, via social media of course.

  1. Make A Proclamation. Mashable’s goal is to get others to continue to promote the day in every city and state (much like yours truly is attempting to do with this column). In fact, they offer tips on how to get your elected leaders to make an official proclamation for Social Media Day.

While it might be a little late to push your local official to proclaim June 30th as “Social Media Day” in your city, you can always start working on next year’s #SMDay. If your local leaders are reluctant to make the proclamation, ask them to consider a commemorative message to acknowledge the importance of #SMDay.

  1. Check Your Passwords and Privacy. Celebrate social media by changing your passwords. It might not be what Mashable had in mind, but Tuesday is a good day to check privacy settings and passwords. This isn’t to suggest we should only check our privacy settings and change our passwords once a year. But it makes sense that we might use #SMDay to review these settings.

  2. Reflect On Social Media. It’s always fun to look back over social media posts from the last year, and take stock of all the new connections we’ve made. In many ways, social media is the new scrapbook for important moments.

Start by reviewing your social media timeline for cool pictures, events and milestones, and share your thoughts with others (hint: the TimeHop app is great for this).

However you plan to celebrate, remember that #SMDay is about reflecting on the positive aspects of social media and the connections we’ve made.

Dr. Adam Earnheardt is chairman of the department of communication at Youngstown State University. Follow him on Twitter at @adamearn.