Social Media & Digital Security

Heather Robins

Table of Contents
Social Media .................................................................................................................................................. 3
Companies that are using Social Technology ............................................................................................... 4
Threats that Impact Computer Security ....................................................................................................... 4
Types of Threats ............................................................................................................................................ 4
Works Cited ................................................................................................................................................... 5





Social Media & Digital Security
Social Media
Social media has been around for a lot longer than most people realize. The modern age of Social Media
(Curtis, 2013) originated in 1971 when the first e-mail was delivered. Then in 1978 two computer
hobbyists from Chicago, Illinois, USA invented an online Bulletin Board System (BBS) to keep friends and
colleagues up to date on meetings, announcements, and information.
This system was widely used in ever changing forms until 1994 when Beverly Hills Internet founded
GeoCities which allows users to create websites modeled after types of urban areas. This site saw more
than 38 million websites and a 15 year run before it was closed in the US in 2009, although it is still used
as a web hosting service in Japan.
In 1997 Blogs began making their debut. AOL Internet service started the first online chat and
SixDegrees.com allowed users to create profiles and friends lists for the first time.
In 1999 a website called Friends Reunited was created in Great Britain with the focus of locating lost
school pals. This website would be remembered as the first social network to achieve prominence.
The turn of the century would see many social networking sites open. In 2002, the social networking site
Friendster was opened to the public and gained 3 million members in three months. 2003 saw the
launch of MySpace, Linden Labs virtual world Second Life, and LinkedIn. Facebook was created in 2004
as a college social networking site for Harvard students. Also during this year MySpace surpassed
Friendster in users. In 2005 Facebook opened a version for high school students and YouTube began
storing videos. 2006 saw the dawn of Twitter as MySpace became the most popular social networking
site in the US, Facebook would take that lead in 2008.
In the years since, Social Networking has grown by leaps and bounds. It is estimated that 2 billion people
use social media at any given time. Now you can access social media on your Smartphone, tablet,
handheld music player, game console, internet enabled TV, and e-reader. In this ever connecting world
is it any wonder that social media has become such a focal point in our lives?
Companies that are using Social Technology
A couple of the companies that I looked at were Tim Hortons and Samsung Canada. I found that both
companies are actively using Social Media to reach out to their current customer base and to future
customers.
Tim Hortons (Tim Hortons) uses several different Social Media outlets. They use Facebook, Twitter,
YouTube, LinkedIn, and Instagram to keep in touch with customers. On Twitter and Facebook they
directly respond to complaints, questions, and compliments on their product. They also use those sites
along with Instagram and YouTube to promote their new products. On their LinkedIn profile they talk
about the company and who they are looking for to fill corporate openings. The updates on most of
these sites were daily, with answers being posted almost immediately to any concerns that arose.
Samsung Canada (Samsung Canada) uses Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube to keep its customers
updated about new products coming out. On YouTube they present short demonstrations of their new
products and products that are being released soon. Facebook and Twitter are used daily to answer
questions, concerns, and compliments about products the company produces.
Both companies have a strong Social Media presence and are using it to the best advantage to keep up
in this fast paced and changing world.
Threats that Impact Computer Security
What are the threats in todays digital world? Threats can come from any number of sources (U.S.
Department of Commerce). A threat to computer security isnt just from a virus or a Trojan. Threats also
come from theft of computer equipment, theft of data, or the data being sabotaged.
The most common types of threats are found in cyber space. These come in many forms. The most
known are Viruses and Trojans. These can come from downloaded files, SPAM e-mails, having no or a
low firewall setting, and from files brought in from home computers.
Types of Threats
Digital threats are caused by a number of different malicious pieces of software. A Trojan Horse is a
program that performs a desired task, but that also includes unexpected and unwanted functions that
can compromise the infected systems integrity.
Threats can also come from inside an organization. This is where data theft and sabotage comes in. An
employee has access to vast amounts of information that are stored on the system. The highest
instances of theft come from inside an organization when employees are unhappy or feel that no one
will notice if something goes missing. Data theft can also occur when a phone, tablet, or laptop that
either belongs to the company or an employee that uses their personal device for work is stolen.


Works Cited
Curtis, D. A. (2013). The Brief History of Social Media. Retrieved from
http://www.uncp.edu/home/acurtis/NewMedia/SocialMedia/SocialMediaHistory.html
Samsung Canada. (n.d.). Samsung Canada. Retrieved from
http://www.samsung.com/ca/index.html#latest-home
Tim Hortons. (n.d.). Tim Hortons. Retrieved from http://www.timhortons.com/ca/en/index.html
U.S. Department of Commerce. (n.d.). Threats to Computer Security. Retrieved from
http://alcor.concordia.ca/~helpline/security/threats.html