Effects of Mass Media - Essay Example

? Effects of Mass Media The development of the mass media has made the lives of many people in the globe much easier because it can be used to do many of the tasks that previously required tedious physical activity. Mass media has been used in different fields such as banking and socializing, something which was not possible only a few decades ago. It has become the main source of mediation between individuals in their daily lives and this has not only increased the level of interactions between people from different parts of the world, but it has also been influential in the development of the virtual world. Mass media is one of the most influential developments of the modern world mainly because it affects the lives of almost everybody in the world. It is fast becoming a major source of information with many people relying on it to get news from all over the world, for research, to do market research and make purchases and to keep in touch with one another over great distances. Advantages and disadvantages of obtaining information easily Adequate information is important because they prevent people from making errors or poor comparisons when getting information from different sources, and in prevention of poor conclusions. Mass media revolution has swept through the economy and no company that is capable of escaping the effects of information conveyed in new age media. Therefore, mass media can be a tool used by companies to obtain competitive advantage in various forms, which include reduction of time of obtaining, processing and transmitting business information in organizations. During the process of obtaining the information that has been found, there has been a setback, which involves the creation of an environment that allows people who take advantage of unsuspecting victims by giving false information, and if an individual researcher obtains information without careful selection, one may use information that is not relevant. Advantages and disadvantages of social media Social media has facilitated open communication between people of different cultures, creation of new friends, and communication with loved ones in different parts of the world. In promotional campaigns, people from different geographical locations are able to express, share and promote various global products (Sznitman et al, 2011). Social media has enabled people to get connected at a broad level making it easy to know and find information about almost anything from different parts of the world through the use of the media. Students have had the opportunity of getting technological exposure, which has enabled them to become connected to interaction options from a broad base; besides this, the media has helped students in working together and creating their own meaning on social contexts and academic environment. The use of social media helps in the development of simple skills since social media relies on advanced forms of information and communication systems that require technological literacy. Technological literacy helps in connecting people to the economy as well as making people make vulnerable contributions to the economy. The use of social media is a fun and creative way of doing business because it provides an opportunity for employees to share ideas, share links, ask questions, minimize advertising costs of the business and improve the reputation of the business. However, there is a high probability for social media to open opportunities for hackers to commit crimes such as virus attacks and fraud making people fall prey to online frauds that eventually end in data theft. The third disadvantage of social media is the damage it can to on one’s reputation especially when using the wrong online branding strategy. Worker productivity is affected using social media at the work place; lost productivity may result using social media in ruining the reputation of a company. Instead of workers concentrating on their duties during the time of work, they may spend a lot of time on various social channels such as Twitter; this may result in negative comments from employees. In addition, the youths may turn into addicts of social media forfeiting their studies leading to low grades and their roles in their families. How knowing advantages and disadvantages of social media might alter its usage People have used social media, especially the youth, as a burgeoning need amongst them as a group or for one to join a group. Experts in the business field upon understanding the benefits of social media and its burgeoning need among the youths to intensify their social marketing endeavours in order to increase their sales and to promote their brand. However, companies upon understanding the threats posed by social media can prohibit their employees from visiting social media sites due to the tendency of hackers and system viruses being prevalent in social media sites. Social media has been used by the youth in blind imitation when they imitate their role models and they lack the consent of whether what is done is right or wrong, and in this case, parents may take measures of limiting the usage of social media by their children. Credibility issues about information found on the Internet The first credibility issue associated with information found on the internet is content; whether the information is factual, hearsay, opinion based or propaganda. There are also concerns on originality of the information in the internet and whether there is a specific site on the internet that contains original useful in providing information resources or links to other information that might be relevant. Information conveyed on the internet should be accurate with authority; this can be seen on URL where information for personal website directory is written inside speech marks (Desai and Graves, 2008). Information found on the internet should be objective by having facts and opinions that are not propaganda because facts can be verified, while opinions on the other hand are based on information that evolves after undergoing interpretation and become facts. Credible information should be updated on a frequent basis; therefore, the person hosting the resource should be committed to on-going maintenance and make the resource stable for people to rely on the information. In conclusion, mass media has become an inseparable part of life today, and it has come to affect the lives of many individuals. Mass media has changed the way people live by becoming the main source of influence on the way people conduct their domestic lives since it has enabled them to have access to a large database of information that influences the way they eat, socialize, and behave around one another. References Desai, C. M. and Graves, S. J. (2008). Cyberspace or face-to-face: The teachable moment and changing reference mediums. Reference & User Services Quarterly, 47(3), 242-254. Sznitman, S., Stanton, B. F., Vanable, P. A., Carey, M. P., Valois, R. F., Brown, L. K., Romer, D. (2011). Long term effects of community-based STI screening and mass media HIV prevention messages on sexual risk behaviors of African American adolescents. AIDS and Behavior, 15(8), 1755-63. Read More