Facebook. Twitter. Instagram. These are the latest social media sites and applications that have been taking over the lives of my generation. The definition of Social Media is anything that is a website or application that enables a user to create and share content or participate in social networking. Since the creation of the telephone, we have been able to call family and friends from just about anywhere. With the internet in 1983, it has allowed us to gain any information with a click of a button. So why not combine the two? Thus was born social media, both an effective way to communicate from one place to the other and obtain all types of information simultaneously. At first this new digital interface seemed harmless, maybe even having the ability to produce something positive. The brighter light shines, the darker the shadow gets, and social media is no exception when it comes to positive and negative effects. From harmless sharing of opinions to bullying of one’s outlook, family photos to pictures of embarrassing acts, social media has gone from bad to worse. 1. Facebook, a social networking website and application with over eight hundred million users. With each passing day, that numbers grow exponentially. Communities of people have formed around the basis of Facebook, since it makes it so easy to message back and forth. Facebook has allowed a variety of subjects to form around it like being able to keep in touch with friends and family, having the ability to make
Addiction, profit and influence usually are not the first words you would expect to come to mind when thinking about the term “social media,” yet with a little digging you will soon realize it could be the perfect description. Social media can be defined as forms of electronic communication through which users create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages and other content. Most often social media is understood as a positive concept because of the ways it has allowed us to attain cheap and easily accessible knowledge at the end of our fingertips. For example, take the average college student who would rather spend their last $20 at the bar you can conclude that there are superior consequences to abusing too much of a good thing; using social media has its own set of superior consequences.
For many years, the world has heard stories about children and teens who have gone missing or taking their lives because of social media. Some think that social media should be restricted to only allow so much information. Others think that social media is a form of expression that can help teens and businesses grow. By adding restrictions, such as a limit to what information you can share on your profile, the government can help combat prevent identity theft, social media related kidnappings, and reduce cyberbullying even though the opposing side disputes these reasons and stance.
Romantic relationships have become super complicated in recent years. The movie He’s Just Not That into You portrays ten people’s perspectives on relationships and dating in the 21st century. This movie was written as interweaving stories that come together in different ways that make a point. People find the world of dating to be complicated and most times confusing. There is always a fear of cheating and falling in love with manipulative people. Social media has also become a huge part of modern dating. Everything from texting to dating websites can influence how people view potential mates. The Facebook status was invented expressly for discovering if someone was single within the first couple seconds of being on the page. You can practically advertise that you’re single to any of you friends in hopes of finding a date. Dating today can be fraught with conflict and miscommunication and is vastly different from the dating world fifty years ago as it now includes a “hookup” culture, a non marriage centered mentality, and the use of modern technology.
Strangely, being on social media for several hours daily is regarded as normal. Although social media use would be classified as a mainstream activity, that does not make common behavior the correct behavior. “Behaviors[sic] such as attempting to attract more followers about your life.” (Fishwick, 2016). Users today are more willing to participate in activities such as cyberbullying, or activities that could potentially harm others or themselves mentally or physically. Getting praise and compliments from strangers, who couldn’t care any less about another user’s well-being, are more important than their own well-being. Blindly following the masses, social media users do not realize the impact they have on others and even on themselves.
According to Simon Kemp, there are roughly 2.08 billion active social media accounts worldwide, which is “a 12% increase since last year” (Kemp). Social media has become an enormous part of everyday lives. It has been made so that everyone around the world can easily connect to one another- and almost instantly! Social media is a growing industry and has many positive and negative affects on those who use it.
“What is your biggest fear?” is one of the most sought after questions in which many individuals reply with a generic answer, such as heights, clowns, spiders, snakes, or the boogie monster. However, what if I told you that social media is causing widespread fear across the nation to its millions of users. Yes, that is correct… Facebook, Instagram, virtual game worlds, blogs, and collaborative projects are causing fear. This is referred to as FOMO, or the fear of missing out, causing unnecessary depression, anxiety, and unhappiness to those who participate in social media. Although social media was initially created to connect us to other individuals, it has also caused us to be more disconnected in numerous ways. Today, many adolescents are more concerned with creating an ideal image of themselves online, than how they exploit themselves in the ‘real world’. They are also feeling more obligated to be on their social networking sites as they fear that others will be having more rewarding experiences, that they may be missing out on a get-together with friends, and feel its important to be posting 24/7 about the things they are doing so others are aware of their personal experiences or adventures. Social media is causing a rift between relationships, consuming our overall well-being in a negative way, and is promoting our generation to create an ideal perfect image, one that is impossible to obtain for any human being. In this essay, I will delve into my own experiences with
The rapid growth of social media has recently become a determining factor which could aid in the success, or result in the downfall, for a company. Companies, over the past few years, have turned to social media to gain competitive advantage. If, on the other hand, social media is used improperly it can destroy a company forever. A crisis can be devastating to any company and their public, but if dealt with properly, such as using social media to address the issue in a timely manner, the company can have the chance to come back even stronger than they were before the crisis. This becomes realized when the public feel they have been acknowledged and their customers respond by remaining dedicated even during turbulent times. More often
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, texting on mobile phones, and internet computer use, you have heard of them all. These are all included in what I define as social media. Social media is defined by Merriam-Webster as "forms of electronic communication through which users create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages, and other
It has been proven that social media usage produces the same effect as love in the brain by activating a chemical, known as dopamine. With that said, teenagers ages 15-19 spend at least three hours each day on various social media platforms. Throughout the past decade, the growth and advancements in technology have allowed for social media to excel more than ever. As social media improves, it becomes a bigger part in people’s daily lives. Due to the fact that the Internet has only leaped within the past decade, there have been many ongoing controversies regarding its global effect. Social media can connect you to billions of people, however, there are huge risks that must be considered. Although social media may seem harmless, it brings
Social Media has it’s pros and cons, but this has made it 1000 times easier to connect with family and friends. We can go on and on about the first social media sites but we cannot argue what became more popular the fastest. Social media have developed dramatically over the past 16 years from Friends Reunited to Instagram we’ve created ways to entertain people and communicate with celebrities and people all over the nation. People have also portrayed an image that may not even be their own, nowadays we call it “catfish.”
When one is struggling trying to figure out one’s own identity, there are resources available. For example, YouTube may have makeup tutorials. However resources for figuring out one’s sexuality may be harder to find. Trying to turn to loved ones may result in judgment. So the Internet is the next best choice. In most cases, blogs are the ideal option because they allow for people to share the personal struggles and triumphs with the world. Upon research Tumblr may come up on a search engine. It is a social media website that hosts millions of blogs.
To be social: be it a social Butterfly or hermit, everyone in the modern age feels the effects of the real world and all it has to offer. People often feel subject to the criticism the world has to offer. The majority falls under one of the two categories and might not even know it. Social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat provide a way to keep in touch with everybody under the sun, while also pulling one away from society, allowing them to be onlookers on the world from the comfort of their own homes. Perhaps the “hermits” stay inside their shells out of fear. Society has become blind to the simple fact that it no longer feels it necessary to leave their comfort zone and take the risk of going out and possibly being critiqued by Society. For most, a home in today 's society provides a safe haven for the harsh realities of the world today.
To quote Jim Morrison, “Whoever controls the media, controls the mind” this quote continues to reign true in the 21st century through mass media being pushed and pumped into society whether through television, advertisements, marketing or social media. Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and SnapChat are all popular social media outlets utilized by individuals from many different backgrounds and age groups. These social media outlets are not subjective to gender, race, or class but they still affect those that utilize them. Much of the media today shapes how many people, specifically women, are expected to live and be perceived. In much of these social media outlets one can log in and view on the “popular page” images of women, both famous and normal, who are deemed by members of society to be the ideal. These ideal beauty images subjugate many if not all individuals who view them in some way shape or form. While some of the effects can be positive it is the negative effects that are detrimental.
We torment each other each and every day. We claim we want the hate to stop. We want the rumors, disrespect, harassment and bullying to end. We cringe at the bitter words spoken about us online. And yet we persist to tag along through sharing of photos and videos. The virtual world called social network continues to corrupt the minds of the innocent and the young. The popularity of social network site will continue to grow in number regardless of whether we love or hate it. Coupled with the advancement of technology social networks promote an accessible way to manipulate people. The world within our computers not only provides a smooth way for bullies and predators but also negatively impact the health of young teens, productivity
Technology is rapidly advancing, and in today’s day in age, social media is integrated into the majority of people’s everyday lives. Individuals should take into consideration their professional persona when it comes to social media, due to the fact that it will be beneficial for them and any future companies they are involved with. Take for example the incident that occurred over Twitter with American Red Cross. The company recently tweeted out an inappropriate tweet saying, “Ryan found two more four bottle packs of Dogfish Head’s Midas Touch beer… when we drink we do it right #gettingslizzard.” (Huffington Post 2011). Now instead of dealing with the backlash and negativity that emerged from the tweet, the company was thankfully able to turn it around and even launched a blood for beer campaign that gave beer to people who donated blood. Not all companies are able to turn around and save their reputation like American Red Cross however, and it is important to make sure what you post on the internet will not get you in hot water.