The Positive And Negative Effects Of Social Media

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.

Erik Qualman once said, “We don't have a choice on whether we do social media, the question is how well we do it?” (Qualman, Erik). This quote clearly states that social media has become a part of today's society and that avoiding it would be nearly impossible without total isolation. The quote also ask a rhetorical question that simply queries, how properly do we use social media? Qualman made it obvious that we’re not being as effective as we should be on social media. Social media began it’s thriving point, with the 21st generation, around 2005 when the website Facebook was created. At that point and time, the website was mainly for communication purposes. Whereas now, all social media has formed into an entertainment center. Unfortunately, the original intentions of social media have reached an ultimate downfall. Social media can be used in several harmful ways; such as, the unintentional way, the intentional way, and the way that people tend to forget about.

After debating whether social media has a positive or negative effect on teens, it has been concluded that social media has a negative impact on the developing teenager. Social media can be a great tool at times, by being a means to communicate with friends, classmates, and family members; It can also help spread your ideas, hobbies and life experiences. But after reading the article Studies Offer Mixed Messages On Social Media’s Effects On Young People, By The Baltimore Sun, it explains how social media has a negative effect on teens by causing them to compete (to have a better social media feed), change their body to fit into society (the ideal body shape) and the way it can makes someone feel.

Social media has changed the ability of organizations to self-promote in new generational ways. They attract a larger number of people cost-effectively through advertising in multi-dimensional ways. Social media has had a significant impact on the ability of the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) community to have a greater positive impact on society. This fact is demonstrated well in the case of the article “The Science Behind The Success Of The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge” published in Forbes Magazine. This challenge was a great success because it increased awareness and funding for the ALS Society which is demonstrated through the impact of the challenge, and the use of social media to achieve this. This essay will examine the impact the challenge had on society and the ALS community, which tools were used by the challenge, how the organization has fared in the years after the challenge, and lastly the positive effects of the challenge.

“Social media refers to interactive web and mobile platforms through which individuals and communities share, cooperate, or exchange information, ideas, photos, or videos within a virtual network” (Naslund 114). In the year 2015, over two billion people around the world had an active social media account (Naslund 114). In the past ten years, social networking sites have drastically changed the way society communicates by connecting others faster and over larger distances (Pantic). However, these networking sites have caused serious problems within our civilization. Social media is destroying society by limiting physical interactions, increasing harassment and cyberbullying, and decreasing mental health.

Social media has evolved into an advanced form of communication all around the world. For instance, to speak with family and friends who are far away in a much convenient way. Thus, it can get addictive to some people, which can have a negative outcome because the consumers need to learn how to have balanced lifestyle. Social media has many pros to it and I don’t think they stand for a negative side; I believe, it’s the way the consumers can make social media negative. Overall, consumers shape the perspective of how people view social media. In other words, social media is a very powerful tool but it all depends on the way the consumers use it to their advantage. At first social media was used to communicate now as the society has developed social media is utilize for different matters. For example, people use social media to advertise, become famous, make connections and even income. Social media has taken a big shift especially the way everyone views themselves. In other words, social media has set the standards on how society is viewed what is right and wrong. Now this is the way social media can have a negative impact because not everything that is being stated online is true. Social media tends to give a non-reality point to live life for the consumers. There needs to be balance of using social media and how it can consume ones’ personality, lifestyle and vision on life.

In a world where technology and social media are essentials to everyday life, parents need to know the negative effects it has on their children. Since the rapid growth of the internet in the past several decades, social media has become one of its most utilized services. Today’s youth document their everyday lives through various social media platforms such as Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, among many others. Although many will believe that this is considered an escape for teens in this crazy world we live in, there are negative repercussions that come with social media. The negative effects of social media outweigh the positive effects which in turn create a major concern for our youth. They are our future and we need them to prosper in order to better their own lives. Being exposed to social media may lead to cyberbullying, poor health and negative life decisions, and lack of social skills. Parents and guardians should be more informed on this issue in order to protect their children from the negative effects of social media.

In the previous few decades, technology and the creation of social media sites have taken a great part in the lives of people. The internet particularly began to develop in the early 2000’s into a prominent use within professional companies and personal use. Myspace and Facebook began the launch of early social media sites. Most children growing up in the early 2000’s did not have a prominent engagement in social media. However, times have changed. Technology has snuck its way into nearly every part of people’s lives, including those growing up. But, the internet and social media do not always have beneficial effects. Social media creates lasting problems for teenagers.

Social Media: good, bad, or ugly? Millennials would say that social media is beneficial, entertaining, and provides valuable information to young adolescents. Some older people love social media, though some would argue that social media has a negative effect on society and is the source of distorted information, miscommunication, and failure in relationships. What happened to one on one conversations with colleagues or activities that included running, going outside, or even just sightseeing? The relationships between people have been disrupted due to social media's negative effect on the idea of a healthy relationship; False expectations, mental health issues, and lack of communication prevent strong relationships to begin and grow.

Growing up in the age of internet and being millennials, social media is as natural to the people of today as breathing or drinking water. Social media is a “series of websites and applications that have been designed to allow people to share content and communicate with each other quickly and efficiently” (“What is Social Media, 2017). A few people have a more confined perspective of social media likening it to mean the same as social networking on sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and others. The power of social media is such that, the number of people using it worldwide is expected to reach 2.95 billion by 2020, which is a third of the world’s entire population (Facts, 2017). Social media has been described as being more addictive than even cigarettes and alcohol because it has entered so deeply into the lives of young people that it is almost impossible to stop using it every day (Winefield, Gill, Taylor & Pilkington, 2017). Today, social media can serve as a helping tool in changing a person’s life but at the same time it could also lead to a conflict which might have a negative impact on a person. As summarized by Huppert “Psychological well-being is all about the lives going well. It is a dual combination of feeling good and functioning effectively” (2009, p.137). Social media affects our psychological well-being in many different ways, both positively and negatively. Due to the broad nature of this topic, this essay will focus equally on both the pros and cons

When one thinks of social media one of the first things that comes to mind is an application such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, Tumblr and many other applications that allow one to share information on the internet. So taking that into consideration one can deduce that social media is any application or website that allows one to share information about them or about other things on the worldwide web in real-time. Before social media people wrote letters, sent telegrams or used Morse code. Writing letters and use of Morse code is being applied in some parts sending telegrams was phased out. Social media came with the advent of the modern technological age at the turn of the century. It is with the birth of computers, the internet, and the modern phone that social media took off. Of course with the coming of social media, many ripple effects were felt. Some of the effects were positive. Case in point, information is shared instantaneously and in real-time across the whole globe. The world has been transformed into one global village because of social media. As all things have yin and yang, social media came with a number of side effects; effects that shall be espoused in this paper.

From feather quills and ink wells to party lines and chat rooms, teenagers have always sought out ways to communicate with one another. What started as sending letters to communicate from one person to the next has quickly escalated to the popular creations of Facebook, Instagram. Twitter, Snapchat, Tumblr, etc. These sites make communicating across the world easy and accessible. With the positive aspects social media sites can bring such as helping families communicate when living away from each other, helping long-distance friendships work, increased social contact, and changing society, they also bring a variety of negative aspects. (Climent). "Social media is big and growing, but it is still dwarfed by the analog world in which people live and intereact,"(Fowlkes).

When someone says the words “social media”, many people immediately think about posts and likes, comments and messages, a way to connect with your friends from far away and other positive thoughts. However, some of our political leaders have been using social media to their advantage, using sites such as twitter to influence people to vote for their party. Fake news also is very easy to spread on social media, causing propaganda to increase in our society. In our democratic society, we believe that ‘the people have a say’ but with the dangerous spread of fake news throughout the media, our democracy and citizens alike may be at risk. Of course, when someone tweets something on twitter you are not likely to think much of it. But these

Throughout the years, social media have advanced very much. With Facebook coming out in 2004, Twitter in 2006 and Snapchat in 2011, it has changed the world and the lives of many young teens. Today it is used for everything from our personal relationship, entertainment, to work and in our studies. People have become addicted to social media. I personally know a few who need to leave their electronics in the car so they are not tempted to grabbing their phone or tablet. Cell phones are a kid's world now because, without it, they cannot communicate via social media with friends or relatives. Some kids cannot believe that more than a few years ago cell phones were used just to communicate verbally. The cause of social media has affected many