Anonymous Social Networks: Nameless Commentary Harming Society

The Internet has been changing the world since it is created. As a part of new media, social media is a fundamental shift in the way we communicate. It has been helped to create a digital global village that 26% of the world’s population is using social media and the number is keep increasing. (Qualman, 2013) This essay will attempt to discuss how has the social media changed the public sphere, mainly focus on the improvement of public participation, social relations and information dissemination. Also Mainland China is taken as an example to show that social media enabling democracy in a developing country. Social media is also being used in good ways to spread information. There are some disadvantages to be analyzed, too. The issues like lack of privacy, social media violence and social media out of control will be discussed in this essay.

    People do not realize the immense impact social media has on their lives.  Social media first impacted people’s lives with the invention of the telephone in 1890.  Following this, the radio entered many homes in 1891; this was the beginning of social media.  During the twentieth century, computers and the Internet began the modern rise of today’s social media. UseNet, in 1979 was a virtual newsletter, which began what people think today of as modern social media.  When home computers became popular during the 1980s, such sites as relay chats took off.  Then, in 1997, the first true social media site , Six Degrees, came about: “It enabled users to upload a profile and make friends with other users. In 1999, the first blogging sites became popular, creating a social media sensation that’s still popular today” ( “Complete History of Social Media: Than and Now”). Although social media has some positive effects,  social media has changed the world for the worse because it negatively affects politics, privacy, and bullying.

In his essay, “Get Over It,” Jeff Jarvis argues that “ . . . our supposed privacy crisis, . . . could result in our missing many of the opportunities the net affords to connect with each other and with information” (430). On the other hand, Andrew Keen, in “Sharing is a Trap,” states that “. . . this increasingly ubiquitous social network . . . is invading the 'sacred precincts' of private and domestic life” (426). With all the posting, tweeting, and blogging privet lives have become open to the public. SMS, emails and even calls are being traced, recorded and reviewed every day, you are not safe on the internet. Keen’s argument regarding social media is valid in regard to the transformative nature of the Internet, privacy and “publicness.”

With the proliferation of technologies, especially the Internet, social networking has become ubiquitous in the modern world. Social networking tools like Facebook, Twitter, etc. are the impetus that is ever facilitating rapid creation and exchange of ideas to promote and aid communication. Humans interact by being social, therefore sociology analyses the changes in the social trend. Understanding the sociological perspective on the effects of social media, we find that the social aspect has changed. Comparing the past and present status of our society, it is obvious that there has been a transformation which all points towards the evolution of social media. Social media has changed our culture and has impacted on the way people meet, interact and share ideas; it has changed the perception of how people should communicate with the society. Social interactions have been defined to be an exchange among individuals with the aim of strengthening the society. Social interaction is building block in every society when people meet and interact; they define rules, systems, and institutions in which they will live by. On the other hand, social media is known as a platform that allows people to network and socialize through applications and websites that have been innovated. Though social media could be used as a useful tool to communicate with friends, family and even with people you do not know, however, researchers show that social media is absolutely harming human's skills to have

In the article “Anonymous social media- Understanding the content and context of Yik Yak” the authors : Erik W. Black, Kelsey Mezzina, and Lindsay A. Thompson argue that even though Yik Yak, an anonymous social medial aimed for college students does present potential abuse, it does not demonstrate serious threat to students. The study was conducted for three days across 42 different college campuses.The author proclaims that the college campuses that were used in the research to study the content of yik yak posts are located in the Eastern and Southern parts of U.S. To support their claim, the authors incorporate numerical data from their study. The purpose of this research was obtain a better understanding of what type of content students

With evolving technology comes new types of social media, people have begin to question the internet’s effect on our mentality. It is a bit difficult to compare the pros and cons of social media, it has more to do with an individual’s experience.  Some could be having a horrible time due to social media, but others could be thriving off of it.  The more negative implications of using social media could be the way that we share our personal lives and how much of it we give to the public, regardless of social relationships, to consume.  Along with this, we are deeply impacted by what we see from others based on our viewing of what they share because of the ability to create falsified identities and unrealistic interpretations of who we are

As of 2016, suicide has replaced homicide as the second-leading cause of death among U.S. teenagers because of social media bullying. Social media has taken a significant toll on our society, one that affects millions of students around the globe. Every day, online platforms are gaining in popularity. So much that study now shows that the average person spends more time each day on their phone and computer than they do sleeping! While social media offers some benefits in regards to education and relationships, the risks of cyberbullying, social anxiety and identity theft far outweigh these advantages.

Writing on the Wall by Tom Standage focuses on different forms of social media and how it has changed to benefit society throughout the past 2,000 years. Standage defines social media as a community that is brought together by shared information and passed along to different social connections. Social media may not have been in the same form as we are used to nowadays, but it has been around for centuries. In some ways, you may not realize that daily activities are forms of spreading information. People like the idea of social media because as humans, we like interacting with other people. Throughout the years, we’ve learned how to transition from oral communication to a written language. The discoveries changed how people view communication for the better.

Social media has taken over the world. Many people use social media accounts to communicate with family and friends. Social media has grown popular each year, as each year comes around social media upgrades and get even better. Have you ever thought how people used to communicate back in the days? We wouldn’t know because we could just communicate through social media accounts such as Facebook, Twitter and more fancy accounts. Bruce Schneier is the author of “The Internet is a surveillance state”. Many people will tell you that they use social media every day to make their day better. If some people don’t have access to social media, they could have a bad day. That just shows how people use the internet daily.

Since the early days of the widespread use of internet forums, the disguise of the wily screen has been the norm. It could be argued it was not until Facebook required users real name that this trend began to change. Mark Zuckerberg, founder, and CEO of Facebook favors the end of anonymity on the web to thwart trolling and harassment across social media and the internet. (Daily Mail Reporter, 2011) However, anonymity still flourishes on the web with apps like Yik Yak. In essence, Yik Yak is a social media app for iOS and Android that targets college campuses with their 10-mile radius limit as the “go to” source for current happenings and gossip, all under the veil of anonymity. (Tech Crunch, n.d.) While Yik Yak most recently has been striving to be known more by its local aspect over the anonymity, it affords “keyboard warriors,” controversy still clouds the app and the adverse effect on young student’s college life. (Constine,

The term “social media” is one that has been coined only since the beginning of the 20th century. In centuries prior, the earliest forms of communication were conducted through hand written letters dating back to 550 B.C. (Hendricks, 2013). Following this method of communication, the telegraph was invented, followed by the radio and telephone towards the end of the 19th century (Hendricks, 2013). It was not until the 20th century when the first versions of the “computer” were introduced. By the 1980’s, almost 100 years after the invention of the telephone and the radio, home computers and the use of email and online “chats” were beginning to be used (Hendricks, 2013). During the early 2000’s the popularity in social media sites such as

Nowadays, Social Media plays a majority role in our daily life’s, seriously we can’t live without it. Before the digital age, socializing and networking weren’t as popular, but now Social Networking Sites and Digital Social Media platforms such as vine, Facebook and Instagram has officially brought a new era for socializing and networking. However, this doesn’t simplify that this is making a positive change within our society. Even though, Social networks can

Social media is defined as “websites and applications that enable users to create and share content or to participate in social networking.” However a more accurate definition of social media is as follows: “the relationships that exist between network of people” (Wiang, 3). Although social media traces back to before the 1800s, it is something that has become especially popular over the last two decades. What is interesting about this is that technology began going through a sense of both change and advancement of after

Social media has gained immense popularity, following increased access to the internet and technology devices including smart phones. Social media is used to denote platforms in which people build and share social connections; thus enhancing information sharing and interaction. Major examples include Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, Google+, Pinterest and Instagram. Through social media, people can connect, interact and exchange information such as pictures, videos and other digital media by registering as users in these platforms and updating information affecting their lives on their profiles. When social media applications came into existence, these were mostly used for interacting and sharing with friends, relations and new friends acquired through these platforms. Social media has however been constantly abused, as people turn it into a ground to vent, lie, insult, bully or threaten others. The social networks no longer serve their intended purpose in the society and users have taken advantage of the free space to say whatever they want with no regard to how it affects others. People have used such domains to brandish their selfish acts and gains.

Despite the positives, there are many negatives associated with social media. Using social media can make a person more vulnerable to predators and cyber bullying. In this age, “Cyber bulling is quite common, can occur to any young person online, and can cause profound psychosocial outcomes including depression, anxiety, severe isolation, and tragically suicide” (“American Academy of Pediatrics”). Cyber bullying impacts society in a negative way because it is harming young teenagers’ minds. Bullies, torment, threat, harass, and even embarrass their victims by using different forms of social media. Using social media can also decrease privacy for an individual. People often give out their personal information not knowing who can see it. To average internet users, “A false sense of security may leave social networking site users vulnerable to security attacks such as hacking, leaking sensitive information, and sending viruses” (“ProCon”). Furthermore, Social media can also lead to brain disorders and can cause people to have a hard time interacting with people face to face. “Social networking entices people to spend more time online and less time talking to a person face to face.” (“ProCon”)