Social Media And Its Impact On Society

As we all know, social media has a tremendous impact on society and has affected in some way our daily life, relationships, and/or business. Every day, people around the world access famous social media network sites such as facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and so on to find out about other people, others might use social networking to reconnect with old friends, make new friends, or even meet their spouse. The excessive use of social media websites might bring negative effects; while for other people, it might bring satisfaction or positive effects. Technological advancements such as the internet, have given us the opportunity to connect with other people anytime and anywhere in the world. Pretty much all around the world, everyone has access to the World Wide Web via a desktop computer or smart phones. The fact is that no matter our current location or destination we might go, social media will always be following us as long as we have that direct connection. The main focus of this paper is to identify the good and bad of social media, and the current and future problems it will bring.

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?

Though the importance and dependence of social media in society this meaning has been developed. The third principle of symbolic interactionism is that “meanings can change or be modified through interaction” (Ferris and Stein, 2014, pg. 32). This principle proves that social media does not have to be a negative influence is the dependence and meaning of it in society changed. If society, particularly younger generations, did not place such a heavy importance on social media it would not have the meaning that it does in our society. If social media did not have the importance in society that it does it would not have the power to negatively affect the mental well-being of so many individuals.

Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat - all these are called social media and they have a critical impact on the way young people think and interact on a day to day basis. “Virtual Communities” (Lee, 2015) is about the virtual world and how it affects the physical world and the influence it has on the lives of people on a daily basis. “Enhancing Your Body Image” (Donatelle, 2015) is about the influences that media or outside sources have on the way people view their bodies and how people feel about themselves. The main similarity between the two concepts is the influences that virtual communities have on the way people see themselves in the physical world. Enhancing one’s body image and the affects virtual communities have on the physical world are connected in many ways; furthermore, the influences that media has over people and how that can lead into bullying, and how all of it affects the future of an individual.

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”.

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.

Social media in today’s society has some positive aspects but there are many negative aspects to living in such a social media world. Cyber bullying, hacking, cyber stalking, and other cybercrimes have taken off since social media became so popular. Job growth, e-commerce via social media, families staying connected, and information that is beneficial to society has made many things possible that was not available before social media became the norm. Social media in the last 10 years has become almost unstoppable. It keeps getting bigger and in some cases better than it was before it started but there has been trials and tribulations to social media where it is in today’s world. Social media is a way of life now for most people in the United States, there are many different forms of social media and different ways that it is used in everyday life.

Social media provides an outlet that reflects our lives online. It is changing the way we relate to others and how we think about ourselves. Users of social media have created for themselves a social footprint. This footprint marks where they are and where they have been online. Their lifestream is now recorded in the timeline of their social networks. Participants in social media now have a digital identity, which shows their activity with a time and date stamp in reverse chronological order. The users social brand is created by any online interactions that have been created by leaving information (Solomon, 2015).

What kind of world could possibly exist without some form of a Facebook, a Twitter, or an Instagram? Perhaps, it would be a world so unjust; people would actually have to call all of their five hundred and twenty-nine best friends by phone. So that they may share with them, the stale bread with one slice of turkey meat sandwich, they bought during lunch! Social media websites like, Facebook or Twitter are portals to information and communication. It has provided new and exciting opportunities for people all around the world to be able to connect with each other more easily than ever before. It has also helped businesses to flourish, and provides just about every answer to a sought out question. The internet superhighway so to speak, has created an excessive need. And as a result, it has become such a craze, that the sophisticated computers used to access the internet, now play a major role in everyone’s life; including children. Many gaming systems, cellular phones, and other electronics readily made available to children all have the potential to easily access the internet. Ever thought about what effects might such a craze have on children? For instance, could the excess of internet use with social media in particular, pose any implications onto children? The excessive partaking in social media amongst children- inhibits their productivity, interferes with the development of their social skills, and desensitizes their outlooks.

that at the very core of social media, is information sharing. We are curious about how

Mullin, Hardy, & Sutton stated (2014) “social media are platforms that enable users to interact digitally with friends, fans, athletes, celebrities, media, and brands in real time (p. 348). In just a few short years, social media have become the centerpiece at the table of intercollegiate athletic (Elfman, 2013). Social media is being used for several components such as recruiting; fans engagement, and fundraising, Twitter, and YouTube are increasing the bonding process to the virtual realm in most athletic department. Causing most athletic departments and the sporting industry to hire folks just for promoting their brand through social media. Social media has become a game-changer across the board for the sporting industry. Using social media and the numerous platforms forms several fans as well as followers. For example, the NBA was the first major league that used Facebook and Twitter. And now they have over 27.5 million fans and followers (Facebook.com, 2013). Therefore, if social media has an impact on gathering millions of followers can it generate revenue?

To quote Jim Morrison, “Whoever controls the media, controls the mind” this quote continues to reign true in the 21st century through mass media being pushed and pumped into society whether through television, advertisements, marketing or social media. Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and SnapChat are all popular social media outlets utilized by individuals from many different backgrounds and age groups. These social media outlets are not subjective to gender, race, or class but they still affect those that utilize them. Much of the media today shapes how many people, specifically women, are expected to live and be perceived. In much of these social media outlets one can log in and view on the “popular page” images of women, both famous and normal, who are deemed by members of society to be the ideal. These ideal beauty images subjugate many if not all individuals who view them in some way shape or form. While some of the effects can be positive it is the negative effects that are detrimental.

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.

Every business hears those terms being bandied about every day. They are made to feel less than and that their business will go under if they are not on the cutting edge of whatever is happening in digital. The reality is, there is some truth to it, but not in the way you think.