Media Impact On Social Media

Suicide rates have increased in teens over the past few years. Along with suicide rates increasing, mental health of teens in general has been a widely discussed topic. A huge contributor to these issues is social media. Over the past couple of years, teens have been diagnosed with mental health disorders such as anxiety and depression at a much higher rate. These issues are prevalent for teens all over the world. The increase in diagnosis of disorders is largely due to the rise in popularity of many social media platforms.

    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.

Social networking sites (referred to more broadly as social media) are a collection of websites and applications that enable users to swap ideas, post updates and comments, and participate in activities and events while sharing their interests with other users. From general chit-chat to propagating breaking news, scheduling a date to following election results, gentle humor to serious research, social networking sites are used for a variety of reasons by various user communities. Nowadays, nearly every person who has access to a computer and Internet indulges in some kind of social networking on a daily basis. The introduction of social media has changed the entire dynamics of our lifestyles: the ways we live, work, and maintain our friendships. Despite its numerous advantages, social media does yield some negative effects. However, the benefits of social media greatly outweigh its negative effects.

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

Although news media talks about how social media affects American entertainment, psychology, and culture, few sources have definitively addressed what “social networking” implies. Because there is so much cross-over between social networking and other forms of media, the line between what is and what is not social media is very blurred. However, without a true definition of social networking, it is impossible to discuss its place in the media, in the workplace and in everyday life. It is necessary to understand what social networking is and what it is not in order to determine its purpose in society. While many believe social networking is one broad branch of networking with one general goal, this is not the case. “Social networking” is, in fact, a broad phrase to describe thousands of different social media types, each with its own unique set of purposes.

Beer proposes three principles in which he discords with the definition of “social network sites”. He first underscores that the distinction between “network” and “networking” is unaccommodating and ambiguous, thus would cause the subtle differences of sites such as Youtube and Facebook to be blurry and inseparable. Defining sites simply by examining how people connects with each other overlooks the diverse functionality of SNSs nowadays. Second, Beer disagrees with the artificial segregation of both platforms, particularly concerning definitions of friends and social interactions as there are increasing online virtual relationships that are informing friendships in physical reality (Beer 520). With web 2.0, social media becomes the prime platform for communication, work and entertainment owing to its accessibility, permanence and mobility. Thirdly, Beers posits that the vague distinction between platforms enables and promotes online surveillance and anonymity, which leads to issues of physical safety, lack of authenticity and privacy. Consistent with other researcher who take on a capitalist perspective in studying SNS (Bigge 2006), Beer finally raises doubts with related to the software designs , the advertising techniques and claims for capitalist interests of SNSs. Overall, Beer places much emphasis on examining how the society is perpetuated through SNS. He renders a much

Edison Reasearch and The Arbitron Incorporation administered a survey in 2013 to provide statistics on behaviors and attitudes of people who access digital platforms. Their findings shed light on the use of social media networks and smartphones, which influence the quality of communication in society. This study found that six in ten Americans have a social profile on a SNS and that 71 million Americans show habitual use of social media. A thirty-eight percent increase in a five-year span of those who have a SNS, and a twenty-two percent increase of habitual users. The greatest growth rate is seen in people 55 and older, which is not surprising. People of this age group typically experience cultural lag, meaning it takes a bit more time

Research into the use of SNSs has provided opportunities for social researchers to contrast the use of social media and psychological wellbeing using the global use and deficiency paradigms. As previously mentioned the global use paradigm suggests that people’s patterns of behaviour are the same in an online and offline setting. Whereas the deficiency paradigm suggests that individuals are making up for a lack of offline interpersonal relationships by using social media sources. There has been much research into individual’s personality traits and motives for using SNSs.

Nowadays, social media is a big part of the American culture with approximately eighty-one percent of the US population using it(Edison Research). On average, people spend two hours a day on social media meaning the average American spends five years of their life on it. This in part has to do with the variety of platforms which equals more time on them. (Asano) The rise of social media began in the early 2000s with the start of Myspace and continues to grow. Today, we have various platforms including: Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, and YouTube amongst the most popular. These platforms provide a new way for billions of people to connect, communicate , and inform themselves amongst others at any time of day. It’s a new form of interaction where now the most social person sits on their couch, smart phone in hand, all day. People tend to say being online is toxic because of cyber bullying, hackers, and fake news; however, due to the increased access of ties between people and information, social media has begun to influence social and political change in a positive way through its power of communication.

Social media has become a prominent part of life for many young people today. Most people engage with social media without stopping to think of its influence on our lives, whether positive or negative. What will the long term effects of today's social media use be for our youth? Social media has revolutionised how most of us communicate, especially regarding young people, even in the most remote Indigenous communities in Australia youth culture is being reshaped through digital technologies. Young people are provided with a range of positive opportunities to maintain social connections and support via online social networks as well as learning and participating with a multitude of interests. Along with these opportunities there are also risks associated with social media such as social isolation or loss of privacy as well as cyberbullying and self-esteem pressures. We need to develop the opportunities offered by digital and social media to promote learning and wellbeing for our youth that is inclusive of young people’s input and ideas.

This analysis reflects the advantages and disadvantages of social networking involving today’s society. Social Networking is the use of communication through modern technology such as a computer or a smart phone that allows people to publicly interact with each other by creating an account. It can be used for personal reasons such as getting back in touch with relatives, dating, connecting with old friends, and surprisingly for learning purposes as well. It can also be used for business, marketing, and promoting events or products from an organization. Though there are various ways individuals or organizations can use social networking for what it’s actually meant for, there are still many disadvantages in having affiliation with it. There is a possibility of interference with relationships with friends or family. Impersonation also aids in risk factors associated with having a social networking account. But most importantly, health issues are seen to arise such as negative effects of obtaining adequate sleep. Both aspects of pros and cons regarding the idea of social networking are portrayed in this analysis. However, the explanation as to why social networking tends to have more disadvantages is specified with supporting research.

Social network sites (SNSs) such as such as Friendster, CyWorld, and MySpace allow individuals to present themselves, articulate their social networks, and establish or maintain connections with others (Ellison, 2007). These sites could be used for work related situation, romance, connecting with individuals with shared interest, or creating a connection amongst college students. Facebook enables its users to present themselves in an online profile, accumulate ‘‘friends’’ who can post comments on each other’s pages, and view each other’s profiles (Ellison, 2007). Individuals can write on the wall of friends, send private message, comment on posts, as well as chat via instant messaging. Much of the early research on online communities assumed that individuals using these systems would be connecting with others outside their pre-existing social group or location, liberating them to form communities around shared interests, as opposed to shared geography (Ellison, 2007).

Over the past few years something has taken a toll in most people’s lives, we use it, love it, talk about it, and check it almost every hour of every day: this thing is called social networks. It was only a few years back, in 2003, when MySpace was discovered, and in 2004 when Mark Zuckerberg established Facebook, and soon after in 2006 Twitter followed. These sites became more than just an online destination, but a way of life. Notifications, follower counts, friend requests, photo comments- all what might seem like silly things that teenagers and adults alike await the moment they come home to check. We scroll unconsciously through feeds and pictures of people we barely know, from the inquisitive human nature. At school everyone is

Society is constantly changing and will continue to change in the future. The change is predictable because people change their ideas, routines, and views frequently. One of the topics that is typically brought up when discussing the influences on how society is changing, is social networking. There are two sides to every story. One side of the effects of social networking is that it is beneficial to society by informing people on particular situations in the world and on current important events. The other side views social networking as dangerous and drama filled. While there are benefits and dangers to social networking's effects on society, I will argue that social networking has changed society more negatively than positively.

Typically, studies focusing on this dimension start out by recognising that an analysis of the mere frequency or breadth of SNS activities may be insufficient to distinguish between different categorical types of SNS users. This is why, a number of typologies have proposed to take into account the qualitative differences in the ways how people use social media, e.g. how they use SNSs and what psychological gratifications can be associated with different types of media uses (Donohew et al. 1987; Palmgreen & Rayburn 1979; Schlosser 2005). This line of studies, in particular, has produced very promising research.