Social media, which relates to the sharing of information, experiences, and perspectives throughout community-oriented websites, is becoming increasingly significant in our online world. Thanks to social media, the geographic walls that divide individuals are crumbling, and new online communities are emerging and growing. Some examples of social media include blogs, forums, message boards, picture- and video-sharing sites, user-generated sites, wikis, and podcasts. Each of these tools helps facilitate communication about ideas that users are passionate about, and connects like-minded individuals throughout the world.

According to the Universal McCann’s Wave 3 report, released in mid-2008,^[1] social media is rising and does not seem to be stopping anytime soon. Among all Internet users between the ages of 16 and 54 globally, the Wave 3 report suggests the following: