The Use of Social Media - Essay Example

Needless to say, people use and depend on technology for their needs and the demand for technology has been on the rise (Lietsala & Esa 34). The impacts of technology on the society are far reaching. It has had both positive and negative effects on the society. However, it has had more positive effects than negative effects on the society. Technology has made the world we live in a small place to live. Technology, through social media has revolutionized how information is relayed and accessed.

In reference to Collin et al (13), information spreads faster in social media than any other form of media. Most of the people first learn of any breaking news through social media. People have also switched from watching televisions for any updates to seeking such updates in the social media. This makes social networks the number one source of information for Americans. For instance, the news on the capture and killing of Osama bin Laden had spread faster even before President Obama made the announcement.

People had already learnt about the incident through social networks and spread like wildfire. However, most of the people who saw the posts first did not believe them. This is because they thought it was just another internet hoax. Arguably, social media has been known to promote the spread of unreliable and false information. Almost 49% of people in United States have learnt of false reports in social media (Picazo-Vela et al. 506). Recently, social media were filled with false information that the missing Malaysian airlines had made a safe landing.

After the plane was reported missing, numerous people spread news on Twitter and Facebook that the plane had made a safe landing in China. This news of safe landing was also picked up by international news media such as CNN and Malaysian media outlets. However, the rate of false information is lower than correct and reliable information. In most cases, media