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Social Media And Its Effects On Real Time

Decent Essays

Growing up a teen in the late 90 's, we were just getting into cellphones. Text messaging were new

and most teens did not own a phone. Unlimited data was uncommon. Most families shared a computer

and usually it was placed in a common area of the home.We went from Instant Messaging on AOL to

chat rooms, as of late the new form of internet based communication is social media.

Nowadays people from different demographics have access to wireless devices and connectivity to the

internet at larger scales compared to the early 90 's. We are more connected than ever. Social

media platforms are operating on real time, anyone with internet access can express themselves on

any topic. With the advent of social media, many Americans believe social media is creating individuals

that lack empathy. This is understandable, since according to several studies such as the one conducted

at the University of Michigan in which it " found that college students today are 40 percent less

empathetic than they were in 1979" (O 'Brien). Twenge concluding younger generations born after

1980 compared to the previous generations "more Generation Me than Generation We".

One reasonable objection according to, Mark Davis a professor at Ekerd, who has been studying

empathy for the past thirty years disagrees. He feels it 's "inconceivable" to believe we live in a world

that 's lacking empathy. Davis also feels we need to see more work before we

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