Social
media isn't just an internet sensation; it’s a way of life. I call social media
a way of life because people base their entire social being on what they post
online. Some people use social media to do their daily job. With the ease and
accessibility of social media; there are bound to positive and negative effects.
There isn't a way to avoid these effects because they're always going to be
there.
Positive Effects
1.
"Most
sites support the maintenance of pre-existing social networks, but others help
strangers connect based on shared interests, political views, or
activities." People often have a hard time meeting new people wherever
they go. Social networking sites allow people to interact with other people
they would normally never meet. I believe the reason I have so many friends is
due to the fact that I have most of them added on Facebook. By accepting their
friend requests, I'm opening my life to them; and then there’s a chance I can
meet their friends. This ultimately causes your circle of friends to keep
expanding.
2.
"By
allowing such feedback, there is the prospect of conversation, of debate, of
sharing information or perceiving new ideas." People tend to offer their
opinions of various social media websites such as Facebook, Twitter, and
even YouTube. These sites can be beneficial because you are exposed to new
opinions and viewpoints that you didn't recognize before. As mentioned
previously, it’s good to see all sides of a story regardless how many sides
there are. Once you know all sides of the story, you can formulate your own
opinions and debate them if you want. I try not to add my comment or opinion
towards a story unless I know all of the details.
3.
"As
so much of the way we communicate has become digitized “we see more
and more that your telephone is your music player and it’s also your email
client or it’s your Internet browser” (Bronk, 2008)." The author brings up
a valid point. Without the advances in digital communication, we wouldn't use
or phones as often. More and more people are buying smartphones because their
potential is endless. I believe within five years, everyone will have a
smartphone whether they like it or not. Smartphones have so much functionality
built into them that you don't know what they can’t do. If I need to find out
something for my class, I can instantly do a search on my phone. There’s a ton
of applications as well so you will be hard pressed if you can’t find a
suitable app for whatever you're doing.
Negative Effects
1.
"Hyper-networking
was also associated with depression, substance abuse, poor sleep patterns,
suicide and poor academic performance." This is a valid point because
people spend so much time on social networking sites that they can't seem to
focus on anything else. I know I have a bad habit of checking Facebook too
often throughout the day. People are constantly bullied on social networking
sites. It’s a major problem because people continue to die. They believe death
is their only escape. There needs to be more support groups for people who are
bullied in online groups.
2.
"As
people spend increasing amounts of time on social networks, they experience
less face-to-face interaction." When people start to lose that
face-to-face interaction, you know it's not going to end well. Those people are
going to become disconnected from their families and friends, but they won't be
able to conduct themselves in professional interviews among other things. I
constantly see people who are out with their families, and they’re constantly
on their phones. They might be sending out a text, or playing an online game.
Before I had a cell phone, I used to go out to family outings more often. Now I
don’t even leave the house without my cell phone. It’s a shame of how dependent
I am on my smartphone.
3.
"Encouraging
poor grammar, usage, and spelling." You can log into any social media
website and see improper grammar being used on every single post. Nobody is
going to take those people seriously. Teachers are going to read their work,
and instantly think, "Did my student proofread this?" I make sure that
I proofread all of my work before I submit. You have to make sure that the line
between social media and professionalism isn’t crossed. If you don’t know how
to discern the two, you will have a hard time knowing when it’s appropriate to
use proper grammar versus slang.
Social media is here to stay, and it’s up
to you whether you want to yield the positive effects or succumb to the
negative effects. Make sure you know what you’re using social media network for
before it’s too late.
When you call social media a way of life I can directly relate and agree with that statement. The way social media has grown and what it has become there are due to be both positive and negative effects. I agree with your positive effects. When you make the point that social media is a tool that can help people meet other people much easier than in person is understandable. This however leads to your negative effect that says that by using these social media sites as often as people do we lose the face-to-face time. When you give the next positive effect of social media as being exposed to new and different viewpoints I also agree. When you are able to see comments and post comments yourself you instantly gain new outlooks on topics. I also agree with the negative effects that you talk about that come with social media. When you are talking about the way people are spending too much time on social media sites and becoming disconnected with the world I agree wholeheartedly. This overuse of social media can also lead to bullying and other abuse like you said. In addition I couldn’t agree with you more that social media is a cause for poor grammar. People are abbreviating so much that they are forgetting how to spell and use proper grammar. Even with positive and negative effects, you are right, social media is here to stay.
ReplyDeleteThe social media world really has become a way of life for not most but everyone who has access to the internet. In your introduction you say "people base their entire social being on what they post online. Some people use social media to do their daily job. With the ease and accessibility of social media; there are bound to positive and negative effects. There isn't a way to avoid these effects because they're always going to be there." This is a very good outlook on people and their obsession with being connected with the internet 24/7 and their need to know everything and anything about everyone and everything. Some of your positives and negatives were really good, I agreed with social media is a awesome outlet for people to meet new people, exposed to new opinions and ideas, and great for increased sales of smart phones. The negatives were that social media is a cause of depression, people are getting bullied and harassed all the time over the internet and also websites such as Facebook make it to easy, people are constantly on their phones and not getting any real social interaction. I agree with all your points.
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