In last one decade, a number of social media platforms like YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, WeChat, Tencent, Weibo etc., have become an integral part of our daily life. Gradually, these social media platforms have also started significantly influencing our financial markets. Critically discuss the growing importance and the direct / indirect effect of these social media platforms on the financial markets; both on the day-to-day operations and long-term effects. Your report should also include a discussion on the positive and negative impact of the financial news disseminated through these sources; along with the potential validity of the financial news coverage and its impact on the markets in general and investors in particular.

The report should be supported with relevant graphs, financial data, examples and references.