The final aspect is using social media to connect with external stakeholders, such as clients, industry experts, and academics. An important point is that Cognizant doesn’ t use this for sales or marketing purposes, but rather for building a trusted online environment where people can connect with one another, share content and opinions, fol low one another’ s activities, and have a dialogue about important business issues. At Cognizant, social media is used to create a learning and knowledge-sharing environment for both its employees and its partners and clients. As stated on the company’s website, the high-level use of social media enables Cognizant to “access the specialized skills of our deep talent pool from anywhere in the world, to solve any problem.” Clients and industry experts agree that this approach has given Cognizant a competitive advantage in its industry.