Social Media And Its Impact On Society

Social media is a variety of platforms provided to the public as a medium for expression and communication. Seemingly, social media could be viewed as a positive contribution to society, but one must consider the underlying effects of society. Many of us don’t take into account the role that social media plays in the way we perceive things, think, and live our lives. Social media plays a critical part in societal norms. “Social norms are rules of conduct that governs interactions among individuals within a reference group. Norm violations can often provoke disapproval and loss of esteem,” (Young, 2007). People seek approval or validation by their peers or other individuals in society; in effect, societal norms are generally abided by many individuals. “People want to be accepted by others in their social environment and often end up conforming to behaviors that they believe the majority holds as appropriate,”(Power, 2011). Often times societal norms create a strong scrutiny of individuals, which in turn can create poor body image, body dissatisfaction, and more. Poor body image and body dissatisfaction can be the basis for development of an eating disorder. “ The best known contributor to both clinical eating disorders and sub clinical cases of disordered eating is negative body image and high body dissatisfaction,”(NEDA). There are various types of eating disorders; “All feature serious disturbances in eating behaviors and weight regulation,” (Eating Disorders: More Than

While many people put off and ignore the issue of social media and its downfalls, others say that people should think about how our lives are being affected by this advancement in technology, including, lack of human contact and precious time being lost due to consumption with social media. Social media is currently a highly controversial topic in which numerous people have mixed feelings. Society has typically viewed new advancements in technology as beneficial and a sign of success within their country. But, has it solely caused successful outcomes, or are there downfalls to these advancements?

I have constantly thought about intimacy amongst couples as a private and a special thing between them, and considered it as a cherished moment to be experienced concerning the two without the interruptions of others. Yet, nowadays, every notion of privacy is becoming blurred with the use of technology, and peoples’ interpretations of what is private and what is public has evolved over time with these new technological developments. The smartphone plays a significant role in changing peoples’ views on their privacy, and having these devices in hand at all times, with unlimited access to the internet, alongside countless applications and free social media platforms available to share their content has made it even easier to forget about the concept of privacy.

Thank you for your recent editorial titled “Hazards of Social Media” on your LinkedIn page on February 10th, 2016. It was very interesting to read your perspective on social media and its effect on society. Having an undergraduate major in Psychology at the University of Southern California and currently conducting research on social media usage at the Brain and Creativity Institute of USC, I have spent significant time researching the issue of social media.Though I agree that social media can be hazardous if not used effectively, I would like to point out a few flaws in your arguments. I will also state some of the major benefits of social media, along with substantial evidence to back up my statements.

When most individuals hear the term social media they instantly think of Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, and other social networks we use today. Social media didn’t start with computers; however, social media dates back as early as 1792 with the telegraph explain Hendricks (2013). Social media started to spike in the early 1950’s when the phone became popular. Between the 50’s and the 90’s, many social media ideas were brought to life but eventually died; Border states most of these focused around a “Bulletin Board System”.

Technology has developed into one of the most valuable assets to everyday life. The social media apps developed from technology have opened many doors to allow the impossible possible. Being able to buy things online with the click of a mouse, chatting with a friend who lives across the country, depositing a check through your smart phone, and the possibilities are continuously endless. With more and more incredible innovations happening on a daily basis. Much has been made of the growth of social media and its impact on society. This impact can vastly be seen as a positive through the eyes of the general public, a strong perception driven in part by the social media itself, but as social media in all its forms has grown, an argument can inevitably be made that there has been a corresponding diminishment of personal privacy. Many forget that there is a price attached to having free sharing of personal information.

Ed Stetzer, president of Lifeway Research, writes, “If your student ministry is a four-year holding tank with pizza, don’t expect young adults to stick around.” Dr. Stetzer is referring to the current epidemic seen in America involving the church. American churches, and churches around the world, are experiencing a decrease in their attendance. At the current rate, less than ten percent of Americans will attend church, by the year 2050. The largest age group of those leaving the church is Generation Y or, as they are better known, Millennials. The lack of community, authenticity, and faith are contributing factors to the drop of millennials attendance seen in the American church.

Social media has changed the way organizations collect and distribute information to the public. Likewise, the personal social medias of employees have the power to negatively impact the reputation of the organization to which they are employed. Due to the rising number of employee social media scandals, many organizations have implemented social media policies. In addition, organizations have begun monitoring social media to not only ensure that employees are maintaining professional accounts, but also that they do not misrepresent the organization. Social media policies are especially important for law enforcement agencies due to the constant exposure of confidential information. The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department is seen by all as the protection and enforcement of law in the great city of Indianapolis, and in order to preserve that reputation, precautionary action is advised.

Some of our biggest role models in America revolve around our sports leaders. People who have put in many hours of training hard and overcoming seemingly unsurpassable obstacles. People like Lebron James, Usain Bolt, Peyton Manning, etc. Maybe we want to feel the fame, own the money, or meet other amazing people, but we all want to feel the accomplishment in some way or another. Team activities seem to be a major concept our civilization immerses itself in. We are willing to pay hundreds of dollars year after year to go out and cheer on our role-models and follow players’ social media accounts like it is theology we are reading. In ways it is consuming our thinking however, today teams teach many valuable life skills that children lack.

It’s more than likely that the first thing you reach for in the morning is your phone and the last thing you put down before you go to bed. As technology advances our brains are adjusting to the new technology. The way we absorb information is changing, our memories are being impacted and the way we read is changing. Well what is social media? Social media is a bunch of Internet sites that enable people from all over the world to interact with photos, messages, audio and videos. “The very first social media site was created in 1997; it wasn’t until the early 2000s when it took off”. It is estimated that one third of the world’s population uses a form of social media. Studies said that social media has changed the way our brain functions. If our brains are being affected by social media/internet then social media should come with warning so people’s health wouldn’t be affected.

In a few years our generation will be looking back on our youth saying “Social media is one of the biggest leaps made in our culture”. Social media has advanced the way communication is achieved through the way society shares knowledge. We are able to talk to anyone anytime just through a simple text or a Facebook message. We are able to communicate through technology in fast, simple ways knowing what everyone is up too through their never-ending tweets and posts. Though all the things may be true there is a bigger issue at hand, and this is causing great travesty. Social media is destroying communication and intamicy on a face-to-face level.

The term ‘social media’ has become a broad-term to describe a large number of online systems that serve as a platform for the generation, and distribution of user-generated content. Social media creates a virtual social space, where a large number of users come together and interact with one another. These interactions can be either structured, such as responses that are moderated on blogs, semi-structured, such as a discussion between an extended network on Facebook, or unstructured, such as the anarchial functioning of Twitter.

Social media is said to be the cornerstone for communications between everyone in the world. Social media refers to the interaction among individuals in which they create, share, and/or exchange information and ideas in cyber communities and networks. Social media sites negatively affect society by destroying an individual’s ability for independent thinking; consequently, these sites should be banned. There are many psychological effects, constant distraction social media provides for people, and the risk of sexual harassment/ cyber bullying.

Technology is rapidly advancing, and in today’s day in age, social media is integrated into the majority of people’s everyday lives. Individuals should take into consideration their professional persona when it comes to social media, due to the fact that it will be beneficial for them and any future companies they are involved with. Take for example the incident that occurred over Twitter with American Red Cross. The company recently tweeted out an inappropriate tweet saying, “Ryan found two more four bottle packs of Dogfish Head’s Midas Touch beer… when we drink we do it right #gettingslizzard.” (Huffington Post 2011). Now instead of dealing with the backlash and negativity that emerged from the tweet, the company was thankfully able to turn it around and even launched a blood for beer campaign that gave beer to people who donated blood. Not all companies are able to turn around and save their reputation like American Red Cross however, and it is important to make sure what you post on the internet will not get you in hot water.

Today, there are just over 3 billion active internet users. Today using social media is the most common activity of children. People have technology right at the tip of their fingers, which isn’t exactly a good thing. Internet use is changing the way people are living their lives, and causing unhealthy addictions. Social networking sites do have a beneficial effect. They make it easier to keep up with their distant friends and family. However, these sites are preventing real life relationships. Although many people think they need social networking sites to keep up with their friends, networking sites should have a limited access policy, because it discourages too many people from physical interaction, identity theft has become a much bigger issue, and nothing is done about cyber bullying on these sites.