Social Media Influence On Social Justice Issues

Social media is any website that allows social interaction, whether it is business or personal. Over the years, the use of social media has skyrocketed within our youths and adults and has held a tremendous impact within society ever since it was introduced. The impact of social media on society such as Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, and Instagram exposes today’s adolescence to things they should not be seeing; although, it is easily accessible. Social media is believed to be used for promoting yourself, your feelings, and thoughts with the world or followers. Since the creation

Social media might be destroying the American youth of today. Social media are several websites and applications created so people may commutate, collaborate, or share information through social networking. Enough though social media sounds great, there are big issues such as, cyber bullying, lower grades, and wasting an incredible amount of time. These are things we should all be cautious about when we allow younger folks enter the world of social media.

Social media has dramatically changed the world and the way we communicate with each other. We are now in the era of Google, Facebook, and Twitter. Anyone in the planet is just a click far from us and every information is handy in our smartphones. Social media has evolved as the tool that created a gigantic difference in the way individuals interact, promote their opinions, share thoughts, and even impact others. Especially teenagers and youths spend more time in social media than anyone else. According to the report by Pew Research Center published in 2015, 92% of teens go online daily including 24% who go online almost

Many have been researching the various problematic assumptions and ideas of youth and the social media, but few have actually been able to prove that youth and technology could be helpful or harmful. S. Craig Watkins and Danah Boyd have accomplished the task of studying youth and social media, and have come to the conclusion that social media has given youth a different perspective on life. In The Young and the Digital article, we see many believe that technology has been shaping our kids. The question remains, whether the social media such as MySpace and Facebook are affecting the way teens ' and young people view racial classes?

Anyone watching the news, using social media, or walking down a street in a large city has most likely seen or heard the phrase “Black Lives Matter.” Black Lives Matter is an organization founded by Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi, but these are just the chief founders in the organization. The major reason that this organization formed is due to the shooting on February 26, 2012 in Sanford, Florida, of a black man named Trayvon Martin who was shot by George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch member. Zimmerman went to court and was found not guilty for second degree murder. This caused an uproar of riots in the black community, making this the powder keg for the Black Lives Matter organization.

Lenhart, A., Purcell, K., Smith, A., &Zickuhr, K. (2010). Social media and young adults. Pew

Social media is described, by the Merriam-Webster dictionary (2015), as “forms of electronic communication (as Web sites for social networking and microblogging) through which users create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages, and other content (as videos)”. As few as 10 years ago the term social media was yet to be coined, but within that decade the use of these blogs, websites and sharing platforms has increased exponentially with no plateau in sight. From creating Instagram accounts for household pets, to sharing Halloween themed baking ideas over Pinterest, people today have access to social media outlets for almost everything. Today about 74% of people ages 18-65 use some form of a social networking site (Pew, 2014). Facebook takes the lead in social media usage with about 71% of those adults. LinkedIn and Pinterest are tied for second at 28% of users, 26% use Instagram, and Twitter falls last in the top 5 most used social medias with 23% of users (Pew, 2014). In September of 2013 the Pew Research Center measured that 90% of adults ages 18-29 used these social media outlets on a daily basis, which is an astonishing increase from the 9% that was measured in February 2005 (Pew, 2014). Due to the fact that young adults are increasingly involving themselves in these online platforms, it is very important to understand the long term and psychological effects (such as depression, social anxiety,

Starting in mid-July a trend began to take over social media websites such as Facebook and Instagram. All of a sudden one day I wake up and while viewed my feed in Instagram, I noticed people throwing buckets full of ice water over their heads. As the days went by, the people were no longer strangers, but little by little I started noticing co-workers and close friends doing the same. Out of curiosity I began to read the video’s descriptions wondering what this was all about. The descriptions were all full of hash tags that read, #icebucketchallenge, #alsicebucketchallenge, and #strikeoutals. With more research, I discovered that the ice bucket challenge as they called it is done to raise money and awareness

This generation has access to everything. From learning about the current political polls to looking at pictures of cats. All this because of one simple, very entertaining, but informational social media. “I believe it is a lot easier to find the information because there are a lot more resources at our fingertips,” Glenbard East journalism teacher Jeffrey Kargol said. “ People can pretty much go online and get informed about something … , ” This is showing that a

Social media is often discredited as being a superficial waste of time, evidence of the millennial generation's narcissistic tendencies and, in more extreme cases, a detriment to modern society. These statements are, to a certain extent, valid. However, this mindset underestimates social media’s potential, which extends beyond reconnecting with vaguely remembered elementary school friends, or wishing loquacious old aunts in Wyoming “Happy Birthday”. It is a platform in which an idea can be potentially spread to thousands of people in mere milliseconds. Because of this, it has been utilized by activists, both on an individual and organizational level . By raising awareness of

Throughout recent years, social media has expanded exponentially. Following this expansion came several conductions of studies focusing on its impact, growth, and effects on the human body and mind. The topics that sparked my interests were primarily its effects and impact. The growing issue was (and still is) that millennials, or young people from today ranging from ages 15-25, seem to be hooked on their smart devices 24/7, connected to a virtual world and disconnected from the real one. Although social media has many positive impacts, such as staying in touch with relatives and old friends, it also has many negative impacts.

As this class has progressed, I have learned vast amounts of information on current societal issues, such as the inundation of technology and the value of college, through the assignments given in class. In the case of technology, I have discovered the extent of how influential it is on the youth of today, especially with teens and young adults. According to a Pew Research Center survey conducted by Amanda Lenhart, over 70% of teens use more than one social media platform. When taken into context, that amounts to millions of teens and young adults who can connect through social media. As a result, Forbes reporter AJ Agrawal notes that social media is one of the best sources of information for teens and young adults, influencing their outlook

Edison Reasearch and The Arbitron Incorporation administered a survey in 2013 to provide statistics on behaviors and attitudes of people who access digital platforms. Their findings shed light on the use of social media networks and smartphones, which influence the quality of communication in society. This study found that six in ten Americans have a social profile on a SNS and that 71 million Americans show habitual use of social media. A thirty-eight percent increase in a five-year span of those who have a SNS, and a twenty-two percent increase of habitual users. The greatest growth rate is seen in people 55 and older, which is not surprising. People of this age group typically experience cultural lag, meaning it takes a bit more time

The technological and innovative advancements that young adults have access to today can attest to how vastly times have changed. Presence of the internet and social media has opened doors to life altering opportunities that were thought unattainable. However, there are two sides to every coin. With these possibilities come unrealistic expectations that are forced on the youth of the world inevitably leading to dire outcomes.

Various individuals long for a time when technology did not take over the world. For teenagers, it is difficult to imagine a life without the World Wide Web and its countless perks at their fingertips. Social media consumes young lives more than any other form of technological advancement. Social media has a few pros, but also its fair share of cons.