Social Media... Beneficial or Harmful?

Social media is a very popular and widely used medium of entertainment in today’s society that allows people to connect and congregate from all over the world without having to leave the comfort of home. In order for many people to relieve social isolation and loneliness, social media unravels new pathways of communication and can be used to help people open up and express their opinions (Naruse). It can give people the chance to share and express their ideas to a large audience and receive feedback. Large and small businesses alike use this platform of communication in order to relay information about their products and services faster by using promotions and advertisements on social media websites. While social media has proven itself to be helpful and beneficial in today’s society, there are many studies that show how it can take quite a toll on the mental health and wellbeing of the people who constantly use it.

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.

Do you think social media is harmful or beneficial to us? I say it can be both harmful and beneficial to us. Do you think that it is more harmful or more beneficial to us? It is more beneficial to us than more harmful to us for many reasons. Do you think that social media is harmful to kids and should just stay in parents hands? Kids can handle social media to not just parents. Although; people may say that social media is bad for our community's. It can be very helpful to the human race. Some people may say that social media can break up relationships, or distracted kids from their schoolwork, or even lower people's self-esteem. But social media can do the complete opposite, it can help people get into relationships, social media helps market small businesses, and it can help students with school work.

Moving forward, social media has been a major convenience and reward to virtually everyone. On an individual basis, social media allows friends and family both near and far to communicate with one another. Also, businesses are flourishing through the use of social media. Advertising has never been easier. Horn (2013) states, “Our profession, unlike any time before, is demanding we become social media (…) experts” (1). Horn (2013) also states, “More than half of reporters (55 percent) use Twitter and Facebook to source stories” (1). Social media has greatly benefited business life and personal life.

There is much controversy over whether or not the risks of social media outweigh the benefits. While it can be used for numerous types of criminal activity, it can also be used to stop these crimes and other criminals. Just a few examples of occurrences that can negatively affect or even inflict physical harm on people through social media usage include things such as cyberbullying, sexual predation, robbery, etc. These things can permanently affect people’s lives or even, in some cases, kill them. Given these risks, there are also many strategies the police utilize to catch criminals, which would not be possible without social media. So, which is it? Does the amount of predators or cyberbullies online and on social media give ample enough reason to consider social media more help than harm, or are there enough good things that result from social media usage to consider social media a valuable asset? Social media can be used as a tool in law enforcement, but there are too many negative factors, like crime and cyberbullying, that were directly caused by social media to consider it much of an asset.

These days it seems like social media is just as much a part of everyone's daily routine as brushing their teeth. Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, LinkedIn, YouTube...seems like just about everyone's got a profile on one or more social media sites. In fact, according to Edison Research, over 2/3 of all Americans over the age of 12 use social media, and 75 million users report checking those sites multiple times per day. While it may not be quite the “15 minutes of fame” we were all promised at some point in the future, what this means is that most of us at least have the potential, if we're not careful, to have our information made public to a worldwide audience. While this may sound like an attention-seeker's dream come true, it can also be very

Social media forums have had a positive impact on the Public Relations industry in the twenty first century. The massive increase in social media usage has provided a medium by which it is easier to connect with a larger audience worldwide. This has resulted in an adoption of social media strategies for many PR specialists. Sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram allow these specialists to keep up with the public’s opinions on current events as well as promote businesses or products.

Is social media beneficial, or has it served as a hindrance to our society? This has been a reoccurring topic for quite sometime now and honestly, I believe that it has been both a "blessing" and a "curse". I am guilty of using social media way too much--it's pretty much a drug if you ask me. No matter how many times I tell myself that I am going to stay off for at least a day, I always find myself slipping in a tweet of some random Drake song lyric (that's pretty sad, I know). Besides personal addiction, using networks like Twitter and Instagram have actually expanded my outlook on different issues and trending topics. I do not really watch TV, so I never watch the news, however, though social media I usually find out all that I need to know.

Over the past decade, social media use has been increasing at an expeditious rate. According to Pew Research Center, 86% of Americans are active internet users, and the number of active social media users is increasing daily. As of 2016, Facebook has 1.6 billion users, Instagram has 430 million users, LinkedIn has 429 million users, and Twitter has 325 million users. With those numbers in mind, why wouldn 't the public relations agency utilize these free platforms as a way to gain publicity? My digital project raises the question of “how has the public relations industry changed over the past decade, due to the increase in use of social media?” Patricia Swann (2014), states that “public relations is the management function that establishes and maintains mutually beneficial relationships between an organization and the publics on whom its success and failure depends” (p. 2). Strategy is a large aspect of public relations, and gives us reasoning behind all the communication activities done throughout the work day. Having a set strategy allows us to target specific missions, goals, audiences. Public relations practitioners rely on their audience to support their missions and goals. Gaining another way to put forth these strategies—via social media, has the ability to change the field of public relations in a prodigious way. With the rise of social media, some may argue that it is now easier for practitioners to communicate more effectively and timely with their

Social Networking: Does it do More Good to Us than Bad? Social Networking, a word so common among youngsters in the present has somewhat taken over their world. It has become so popular among the hip and young society of today, that it has become almost a way of life for them. Walk into any college computer lab in the US and you’re bound to see dozens of students logged onto a social network (SN). In the last few years with faster internet connections coming into service, the use of social networks have sky rocketed; especially among young adults. Since social networking has become such a controversial topic these days, I decided to conduct my research project on the pros and cons of social networking. Has it done more good to society

Social media has been recognized for the way it has changed how public relations professionals conduct their jobs. It has provided an open arena where people are free to exchange ideas on companies, brands and products. As stated by Doc Searls and David Wagner, two authorities on the effects of Internet on marketing, advertising, and PR, "the best of the people in PR are not PR Types at all. They understand that there aren't censors, they're the company's best conversationalists" (R. Levine, C. Locke, D. Searls, & D. Weinberger). Social media provides an environment where users and PR professionals can engage in conversation, where PR professionals can promote their brand and improve their company's image, be listening and responding to what the public is saying about their product.

Each day, we ask the same question, is social media good or bad? Everyone has their own opinion whether it is good or bad. Social Media keeps everyone around the world stay connected, it helps solve government solve crimes and keep everyone updated when there is bad news in their local area.

According to a 2007 survey conducted by the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) and Dow Jones & Company, the majority of participating public relations practitioners and students believe social media have positively impacted the public relations practice; 5 years later, this conviction is no doubt infinitely stronger (Graham,

On my journey to explore whether social media is a blessing or a curse, I ended up with several dramatic consequences. As Scott Brickman, in the article, “the advancement of the communication media,” points out “the boon in lights of the technology.” He proves that Social networking has become a necessary part of our communication culture that cannot be disregarded easily. He also

This article examines the important role of social media to public relations practitioners. The researcher wants to investigate the innovation of social media through the case study of Obama presidential campaign and public health issue. Moreover social media can bring destruction to the organization, if the user misuses the social media. Social media has brought a new challenge to the society. The researcher use intensive interview and focus group toward public relations practitioners to explore how important the social media did to them and the negative outcome of social media. The researcher use quantitative method – survey to examine the appetency of the social media among different size of community.