Effects of New Media - Essay Example

Effects of New Media Introduction Characterised with technological advancement, 21st century consists of a major current media phenomenon. Technology is arguably the factor that has established revolution of relaying information and communication. The concept, which fostered entertainment to a completely new level, owes its existence to the internet. Generally, the features of new media encompass the interplay of image, sound and technology. Social media, a form of new media, refers to websites where users can create an account and share information. New media has influenced youths in a number of ways. The Modern Society In the past, the world operated on an analogue basis involving publishing of information but trends have changed. The upcoming generation has less concern for news publication but more regards for online information. Digital migration, an increasingly growing aspect around the world, has facilitated the development of new media (Jericho 14). Facebook, Twitter and Instagram just to name but a few are the most common forms of social media. The world has developed into a universal community due to the increased connectivity. Unlike the past, many homes have computers even the youth themselves have personal tablets and smart phones thereby expanding the exposure to networking websites. As a result, most of the youth have created social media accounts. Engaging in social networking is a very popular factor of entertainment among the current generation (Noor, Al-Deen and John 29). It also enhances connection with friends and family who are far away. To add on to that is the fact that individuals get to meet people from other places around the world, share videos and pictures. Effects of Social Media Negative Effects In as much as social media is increasing connectivity, it has had a negative impact on the young generation. First off is the issue of bad influence by forming online groups. Some people have used social media as a tool for motivating the youth to engage in matters or groups whose motive is unethical (Macnamara 26). High profile people have experienced a scenario of impersonation by unidentified individuals aimed at either relaying information that may spark war among certain groups in the society or extorting money. The groups include vigilantes that associate with terror activities. Other social networking groups promote immorality among the youth. Some youth participants succumb to pressure from friends to join the groups. Social evils interfere with proper upbringing of the young generation (Stareva 55). This goes a long way in degrading the personal principles and the cultural values of the society. Evidently, many cases of hate speech have been on the rise in an attempt by the youth to criticize various issues. For instance, some youth affiliated to a given political candidate may form an online group and bombard the political opponent by spreading messages of hate. Related to this particular issue is cyber bullying. Incidences of harassment on online sites have been on the rise. Individuals who initiate the bullying enjoy anonymity while the victims get a feeling of intimidation with regard to reporting the matter. The society considers youth to be the masterminds behind cyber bullying, which is a contributor of stress than may result to depression (Noor, Al-Deen and John, 38). Usually, the bullying degrades the level of confidence of a person in relation to the peers. The depression resulting from the act goes to the extent of suicide for the victims due to the inability of deal with mental scars. Pictures and videos posted on social media tend to appraise the lifestyle of individuals. The youths mainly lead a life full of parties as a way of having fun. Most friends spread information about an event happening at a specified date and location (Macnamara, 59). More often than not, the social gatherings have alcoholic drinks and drugs, elements that the youth consider vital to partying (Kirsh 63). The youths who do not take drugs or alcoholic drinks follow suit due to the peer pressure. Ultimately, the new entrants in the habit take on the alcoholic, drug and substance abuse habit until old age. Communication through social media may seem to have little impact but it has a lot of impact on the youth. Undoubtedly, the language by the youth is downgrading characterized by poor grammar and wrong usage of words. Inauthentic expressions have grown over time creating a culture of what would be fake feelings (Dijck 65). To put the matter into perspective, the conversations on social media comprise of expressions like ‘LOL’, ‘haha’, and others. The motive is to make the party on the receiving side feel good. Ideally, the individual writing such expression may not be laughing in real life but wants it to look like that is what is happening. Decreased productivity among the young generation is attributable to social media. The youth happen to have an addiction to social websites. Laziness is a trait that has grown overtime thereby reducing productivity. The young generation spends a lot of time on social networking. In addition, the relations with family members begin to loosen (Kirsh, 52). When the family tries to spend quality time together, the children are always on smart phones networking. Even in the working environment, the employers have no option but to implement a system that deters access to social networks (Stareva, 64). This is mainly because workers tend to get distracted and are always online checking what friends posted rather than perform duties. The use of social media by the youth on a regular basis tends to create isolation from the society. The feeling of isolation causes psychological defects that result to depression and anxiety as well. This is despite the argument that networking creates close ties on the internet (Macnamara 31). Communication on a face-to-face level becomes difficult as the message conveyed is not satisfactory because of the overreliance on the internet to relay limited information (Kirsh 55). The social networking sites create an illusion of connections, which in real life have less meaning than face-to-face communication. Undesirable traits adapted from social media have developed among the youth. Networking using the internet has undermined the privacy of users. As such, individuals with social media accounts are vulnerable to cases of identity theft. Under the current trend, employers are checking on the history of a potential employee (Jericho 72). The background check focuses on the information posted. Strategically, the move determines what kind of individual the potential applicant is. If the individual engages in unethical behaviour for instance through comments on facebook or twitter, chances are that the organisation will not hire the individual. Social media is a clear illustration that people cannot stay true to who they really are. Users tend to fill in wrong details when creating a networking account for instance Facebook. The act is intentional and intends to create a personality that does not exist in reality (Kirsh, 42). The young generation want to appear perfect in every aspect. Essentially, the youth make a comparison with others. In the event that other people are doing better in life as indicated by posts, a feeling of low self-esteem arises. When the confidence level of an individual goes down, it may act as a barrier to succeed in future ventures. Measures to Reduce Negative Effects Since the habit of social networking begins at home, the first measure would entail the parents being more responsible. Monitoring of the children’s use of social networking especially the number of hours spends will improve the connectedness of the children with the family (Stareva, 43). The parents should only buy smart phones and personal computers when the children attain a high school age. Parents should encourage children to visit friends within the community in an attempt to foster face-to-face interaction. Educating the youth on the dangers of networking using the internet will go a long way in building quality principle in the society (Dijck 73). The youthful users should make use of private settings provided by the social media. The users should also be careful in the posts or information shared as well as associating with certain groups. This will prevent influence that may lead to negative traits, which ultimately damages the youth. Conclusion New media has grown to an intrinsic level in the modern day society. The most common form of new media is social media, which include Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The youth are using social media as a tool for networking globally. In as much as social networking is increasing connection between people, it has a wide range of negative effects. Parents play a significant in controlling the frequency at which children engage in social networking. Works Cited Dijck, José . The Culture of Connectivity: A Critical History of Social Media. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013. Print. Jericho, Greg. The Rise of the Fifth Estate: Social Media and Blogging in Australian Politics. Melbourne: Scribe Publications, 2012. Print. Kirsh, Steven J. Media and Youth: A Developmental Perspective. Chichester, U.K: Wiley-Blackwell, 2010. Print. Macnamara, Jim. The 21st Century Media (r)evolution: Emergent Communication Practices. New York: Peter Lang, 2010. Print. Noor, Al-Deen H. S, and John A. Hendricks. Social Media: Usage and Impact. Lanham: Lexington Books, 2012. Print. Stareva, Iliyana. Social Media and the Rebirth of Pr: The Emergence of Social Media As a Change Driver for Pr. , 2014. Print. Read More