Social Media And Its Effects On Society

In this day and age it is not uncommon to see a family at dinner with their heads in their phones instead of submersing themselves in conversation with one another. Friends and family alike know more about each other by looking at ones Facebook wall rather than by holding a simple conversation. Ones life is no longer played out by communicating face to face or even through a landline, but rather by Facebook statuses and Instagram posts. It is no secret that social media has become

“We don’t have a choice on whether we do social media, the question is how we do it” (Qualman, n.d). According to Merrain Webster 1828, “social media is form of electronic communication (such as websites for social networking and microblogging) through which users create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messaging, and other online (such as video). Technology has involved into something that everyone can utilize effectively just by the swipe of finger or by pressing a single button. We don’t have to go the post office for hand written letter from families and friends abroad, but we can get them through simply opening a chat box online. However, social media has become the addiction to many young people today and even adults alike. We eat with your phones. We study and communicate with others on your various devices. We even go into the bathroom with our devices to ensure that we don’t miss a tweet, recent Instagram post or a WhatsApp message.

It’s hard to believe, that only a decade ago social media took off and became the new trend. Of course, there was Friendster and Myspace that had been around for a few years but most of the world’s population hadn’t come around to it yet. Nowadays, social media has taken over our lives. It has influenced every decision we have made in life in one way or another.

Can you remember the days before you had a Twitter, Snapchat or Instagram? Ever looked back at your life and questioned what was more important to you back then to what’s important to you now. As we became older, technology grew rapidly stronger and this new aged world that is based on sharing, likes, emojis and views has turned us into figurines to promote one’s ego and popularity. I mean, who does not want to share about what extravagant thing you did this past summer or how hot this puppy dog filter made you look in this photo?

Stephen Marche’s “Is Facebook Making Us Lonely?” posted by The Atlantic has internet users questioning the meaning of why they use the internet and social media as well as weather or not it has a profound impact on their social lives. In 1995, only one percent of the world had access to the internet according to internetlivestats.com. Today, that number is approximately to 40%. With the expansion of the internet came social platforms such as Myspace, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and numerous similar sites. However, while these social media websites may be great ways to communicate with those who are far away or otherwise unable to speak in person, a detrimental effect comes with the power to do so. It can be time consuming and if one has an

Over the summer I read the book #digitalvertigo by Andrew Keen. In this book keen addresses how in todays society social media is isolating, destroying and disorienting us. In todays world there are so many different types of social media sites such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. As Keen stated, “32 percent of fifty- to sixty- four-year-olds in America are accessing social media networks on a daily basis” (30). As a result of this outbreak in social media amongst all ages, our generation has given up the concept of privacy, time, and mental composite. After reading this book my views on social media have changed drastically about what I do and how I expose myself to the world.

In this new modern world of technology just about everyone uses some form of social media. Social media has given its everyday users a celebrity complex without the benefits that come with fame. Users are constantly distressed about depicting a certain image of their life and self to their “followers,” “friends,” or “fans” or being involved in the latest hot gossip and for what gain? I myself have fallen victim to this trap and have more social media accounts than I can count on two hands. Millennials are constantly criticized that social media has made people less social, people tend to forget about the term “social” in “social media.” Social media users are not aimlessly posting for their own personal gain, they are posting to share it with

Social Media such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube are web-based activities that provide individuals access to build a public or a semi-public profile within a confined system, connect and find users that they share a connection with as well as view and navigate the list of connections that are made by other participants of the systems (Boyd & Ellison, 2007). Social media is widely used by young adults contributing to about 84% of the total usage (Smith, 2011). Some of the popular reasons for widespread use of social media are staying in touch with near and dear ones especially with friends and family, making new friends, following famous politicians and celebrities and also in search of potential relationships (Smith, 2011). However as the use of social media becomes more widespread, we cannot help but express concerns over the effects that social media usage may have on our behavior. Over the past couple of decades, research has strongly linked social media usage with negative behavioral outcomes and is known to affect one’s overall well-being. This essay will begin by discussing some of the behavioral issues that result from social media usage, followed by criticisms of this argument. The recommendation will then highlight some ways by which the behavioural problems could be dealt with, acknowledging that self-monitoring and self-regulation are the main ways to tackle the issue.

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

In today’s world it’s hard to get by without using a social networking site. Due to the growth and increasingly large part of society it has taken over, not only people, but stores and even food chains as well possess their own social media accounts. Social media is an easy form of communication and allows people to feel more connected with each other. As society has become remarkably attached to their accounts, it becomes an addiction as they upload posts portraying the life they wish to share, not necessarily their life in reality. I for one, however, am not one who posts everything about themselves on social media or Snapchats every second of their life. Moreover, although it has yet to become a worry for most, social media holds important personal information, shares a false reality of people’s lives, and results in less face-to-face interaction with others. Furthermore, resisting the temptation of conformity and not devoting myself to social media accounts has overall been much more enjoyable for me.

Most of us use social media to communicate with our family, friends and our loved once. Since almost all of my friends live 8000 mile away, I use Facebook, Instagram, and viber to keep in touch with them. Bur recently I started noticing it has become more than a means of communication. I start posting a picture and obsesses about how many likes I get, checking other peoples Facebook just to see if they have more friends than me, believing every post without questioning if it’s a fact and funny enough I start sending friend request for people I don’t even know. Christine Rosen, a senior editor of the New Atlantis and resident fellow at the Ethics and Public policy Center in Wessington, D.C. on “In the Beginning Was the World”, she wrote how technology is affecting the society’s critical reading ability. Peggy Orenstein, an author and a contributing writer for the New York Times, on “I Tweet, Therefore I Am” she talks about how social media is distracting as from fully live in the moment. Even though the development of technology have increased the quality of life, it also brought undeniable challenges to our society. The constant use of social media and internet has increase society attention-seeking, Distracted, and decries critical reading. The use of social media has increased dramatically throughout the years.

Do you know anyone who isn’t using any kind of social network? These days social network such as Facebook and Instagram become one of the basic things in our lives. People are trying to share every moment in their life. But there is one thing that some people don’t know, the thing that social media uses our personal information to improve the website and also to sell it to advertisers. These websites are using special algorithms to collect our information also using these algorithms to predict what kind of things we do, such as shopping or contact with other people. In fact, people should know about the benefit and defects of the social network when they use our personal information, and if there are any defects what should they do to improve this problem.

It is thought that social Media is a way to portray yourself and your life online so that others can easily access it; to comment, like, or share your life events. It is a way of being social without truly seeing that person. According to Rosen, social media resembles a modern manipulation, in a way that we portray what we want others to see and can distort the true essence of our being. The easy accessibility of social media it has allowed our culture to flourish in ways it has never before. Providing that technology has become so easily accessible, it has allowed one to effortlessly alternate and updates their social media. But this accessibility has caused a social anxiety in its user, causing a need to be like others; to be cool, or known. This idea of fame has made our generation of social media users monotonous and analogous.

Users of social media can do many different things, they can make their own profile (making it viewable world-wide), “they can also instant message any other person that has that same social media site, and they may also look at other people’s profiles, including pictures and may also read all their personal information without their consent.” ("The Negative Effect of Social Media on Society and Individuals") However, there is a vast problem with the continuous use of social media. Users have become so addicted to the everyday use that the “real life social media” such as libraries, schools, post offices, parks, coffee shops, and so on have diminished in importance and are slowly being forgotten. To replace all the real-life ways to socialize we have in place social media sites such as: Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, Instagram, Myspace, and so on. Social media has become a tool of importance for humanity for both good and bad. So why should we be so concerned with all the disadvantages that can come along with over using social media? “Because we are losing interest in all the things that are supposed to bring us closer together and making us more isolated each day the more we rely on this tool. Children today cannot even imagine a world where there is no use of cell phones or social media. It has implanted itself into our world today.” (“How Social Media Has Changed Us: The Good and The Bad.” Return On Now, 5 Sept. 2014,

Social media has made it possible for like-minded individuals to discuss important topics, widen their personal knowledge and discover things they never knew before. Although these sites can be beneficial to most by helping educate young people, being used as a voice of reason in society, and helping people be more creative and innovative, it still poses a problem. Reportedly, people spend an average of 3 hours a day on social media, posing the issue of how it has taken over our lives, which may lead to people becoming more introverted.