Social Media Effect on Society - Essay Example

Social Media Effect on Society Social Media Effect on Society Social media refers to the modern way through which people develop and share information through the internet. The social media is a manifestation of technological advancement where the world is now using advanced means of communication. In this context, the social media relates to social sites like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, MySpace, Instagram, and other media(Zarrella, 2009).Notably, the development of computers, smartphones, technology networks,internet-enabled computers, and the internet are some of the factors that foster the availability and dominance of social media in the modern world. In the social media, communication takes place through online channels.Indeed, social media uses various social websites and software applications to enhance the interaction and sharing of information in the internet. The distinct form of social media include sharing videos, chatting, online forums, blogging, networking, audio, photo sharing, live broadcasts, gaming, search, mobile, interpersonal, and publishing (Safko, 2010). Although almost everybody in the modern world use the social media, this phenomena is dominant among young people. However, with the current technological advancements, more people join the social media every day. Subject to its dominant use and fast speed of passing information, social media is deriving significant influence on the modern society where it affects global issues. As such, individuals, organizations, and even governments are prone to the effects of social media, which may include educational, social, political, economic effects. Indeed, with the increased access to the internet and technological connectivity, social media is influencing globalization since it is a global aspect (Svatosová, 2012).It is worth noting that through social media the society gained and equally lost fundamental things. As such, we cannot regard social media as universally beneficial. Social media plays a major role in our social lives. Recent statistics prove that most people in the world are now using social sites like Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace to socialize and share information. Indeed, through social media we have been able to connect, socialize, and maintain close relationships with our friends, relatives, and colleagues who are in different locations across the world using the internet. This comes at a reduced cost and is very convenient since we can associate with ease and at the comfort of our homes. Moreover, through the social media, we have been able to meet new people and establish mutual friends whom we share common interests and goals. The social media offers a platform where individuals in the same field can meet and share ideas. We have also been able to interact with our role models who may include politicians, artists, or entrepreneurs who equally rely on social media for socialization. By sharing information and ideas with our friends, relatives, or colleagues, we have the potential to improve our academic performance, solve family problems, develop strong bonds, create opportunities for new relationships, inform one another, and contain national disasters by notifying, sharing information, and creating awareness on natural disasters(Vinerean et al, 2013). Nevertheless, it is notable that such interactions derive adverse effects like exposure to peer pressure and other immoralities since there is no control to accessing social media information. Moreover, the privacy of the social media users is always at risk since anybody is at liberty to view their profiles. Indeed, we even have anonymous people accessing our confidential information for heinous purposes through the social media. This demeans the potential good of the social media in the modern society. Social media plays a noble role in the modern business environment. Indeed, the modern entrepreneurs are using the social media for diverse business purposes that include advertising, networking, communicating, marketing, and selling. Through the social media, manufacturing companies, marketers, customers, suppliers, and other business stakeholders share business information and exchange products and services for value. The social media offers a platform for advertising the company and its products to target customers online. This enables social media users to get information about specific products on sale. This has enabled entrepreneurs and customers to reap many profits since online adverts attract a huge customer base. With the social media enjoying a huge number of users amounting to more than 1.5 billion, entrepreneurs recognize this capacity to market their products (Zarrella, 2010).Small, medium, and big companies use the social media to market their products and create a network to promote business where they can derive good business deals and ideas.LinkedIn is a social networking site that deals with business issues only. Social media is also a formidable force in politics. Indeed, the social media hosts variouspolitical blogs that seek to respond to mainstream news and political dynamics in the world. This emanates from the fact that politicians always seek to give their opinion on world news with an aim of correcting media bias and misrepresentation. Moreover, most politicians have individual and political blogs that represent their political and social views and where they interact with their followers. Politicians use the social media to campaign for grassroots and national elections. The social media is also home to unverified political polls that ultimately influence the actual political outcome. In the recent times, President Ballack Obama used the social media support to win the U.S Presidential elections. However, it is also true that the social media derive negative effects in global politics. For instance, social media developed and led to the success of the Arab Spring that defined a political revolution. Indeed, social media was very effective in organizing protests, mobilizing protesters, passing information, demeaning the government, and increasing global exposure to the progress of the Arab Revolution and the atrocities of the under siege leadership (Nydell, 2012).The sending of messages, uploading of videos, and the instant updates on Facebook and Twitter encouraged people to join the revolution. The spread of the revolution across the Arab region and countries defined the strength of social media in politics. Notably, the resultant deaths, destruction of property, political instability, and displacement of persons confirm the negative effects of social media in global politics. Social media influences entertainment in the world. Indeed, the society derives entertainment from the social media by downloading music, videos, and games from the social sites supported by the internet.YouTube offers free videos and games that entertain social media users. By socializing and sharing pictures, music, videos, and jokes, social media users derive fun.Indeed, Facebook and Twitter are platforms of entertainment. We can also interact with international artists through social sites like MySpace. The interaction with such artists is a form of entertainment since it can also encourage young people to pursue their talents in entertainment. However, it is quite notable that the entertainment offered by the social media derives negative effects in the society. Indeed, social media corrupts our morals by allowing everybody especially children to access violent and pornographic materials. According to Huesmann (2009), various researches confirm that, “Exposure to violence in television, movies, video games, cell phones, and on the internet increases the risk of violent behavior” (p. 1). Social media accords us a chance to access source news. The huge numbers of people who access the social media have the benefit of accessing global live broadcasts and debates. This emanates from the fact that we can access national and international broadcasters through the internet. We can therefore stream their news from the social media. Moreover, mainstream media share their main news items on the social media allowing many people to access such news. Indeed, major broadcasters like BBC and CNN have blogs offer great insight into their news. Such broadcasters differentiate their news into business, health, entertainment, sports, political, and national news. Therefore, social media has been effective in providing the global society with the current news since such news have a global impact. Social media equally plays a significant role in the education sector. The social media hosts online classes and tutorial programs, which enable the society to gain quality education without attending physical classes. Online education is quite cheap, convenient, and accessible to all social media users. Through the social media, individuals can attend online classes, online discussions, receive assignments, submit assignments, carry research, and receive up-to-date information. Moreover, students rely on social media to complete their projects and disseminate research. The social media offers a huge platform to communicate and share research materials thus fostering education. However, the social media may demean the level of education by reducing physical interaction with the tutors and encouraging the use of informal language (Wang, 2012).Moreover, it limits critical thinking, damages the brain, and intellectual development (Connolly, 2011). Social media plays a major role in charitable affairs. Indeed, charitable organizations like UNICEF and Red Cross rely on social media to solicit financial and material support for the vulnerable in the society.They also use social media to create awareness on societal problems. Notably, the response to charitable events on the social media has been very significant. For instance, social media users donated to the Haiti earthquake victims upon the request of charitable organizations. Moreover, social media users also create specific accounts for charity. The partnership between charity organizations and social sites like the partnership between You Tube and Red Cross derives significant financial support to the vulnerable people in the society. As such, through social media, many victims have received the necessary help from across the globe.However, it is worth noting that social media derives negative effects on the society. Such effects include addiction, less tenacity, loss of self-esteem, poor communication skills, cyber-bullying from predators, impersonation, loss of privacy, loss of control on disseminated information, and reduced capacity to deal with interpersonal situations. References Connolly, M. (2011). Benefits and Drawbacks of Social Media in Education. Retrieved from: http://www.wcer.wisc.edu/news/coverStories/2011/benefits_and_drawbacks.php Huesmann, R. (2009). The Impact of Electronic Media Violence: Scientific Theory and Research. Journal of Adolescent Health. 41(6), S6–13. Nydell, M. (2012). Understanding Arabs: A Contemporary Guide to Arab Society. London: Nicholas Brealey Publishing. Safko, L. (2010). The Social Media Bible: Tactics, Tools, and Strategies for Business SuccessLondon: John Wiley and Sons. Svatosová, V. (2012). Social media such as the phenomenon of modern business. Journal of Marketing Development and Competitiveness, 6(4), 1-23. Vinerean, S., Cetina, I., Dumitrescu, L., & Tichindelean, M. (2013). The effects of social media marketing on online consumer behavior. International Journal of Business and Management, 8(14), 66-79. Wang, H. (2012). Six Ps of youth social media from a young consumers perspective. Young Consumers, 13(3), 303-31. Zarrella, D. (2009). The Social Media Marketing Book. London: OReilly Media, Inc., Read More