How has social media changed promotion and marketing communication?

"Advances in technology continue to change the marketing landscape. As you will see in the following sections, marketers are harnessing new technology to hone their marketing message and reach more customers. The business world now relies on the internet for much of its communications, marketing or otherwise. Almost all companies have Facebook accounts, and individual leaders of companies have separate individual accounts on Linked In, Twitter, Instagram, and other social media sites. New social media sites are popping up almost every week. The phenomenon of social media has created a business climate in which thousands of impressions can be made with one social media post. That impression could be positive or negative. Within social media, there are “stars” of social media—individuals who have developed audiences in the millions who follow their posts every day. Social media is a hugely powerful tool for marketers. It has it challenges, though, because the platforms are constantly changing and evolving. Also, the audiences being reached often read (or view) and believe the messages seen on various social media platforms without understanding the context of the message. A social media post that goes viral can close down a business, even if the post is not true. That’s what makes social media the newest challenge/opportunity for marketers. Companies that want to retain market share and build their image must develop tactics for the use of social media and for defending against problems created by the use of this powerful marketing tool."