Social Media and Its Impact Worldwide - Essay Example

Social media and its impact worldwide Introduction Social media is the platform in which people from different parts of the world virtually interact with each other. Information and ideas are exchanged in a very short time. It mostly involves the use of the internet. Unlike other media where one cannot give their own ideas and opinions, in social media one is given the ability to communicate, too (Pernisco 4). Social media involves a wide variety of websites whereby people are able to interact with the website itself and the visitors of this particular website. Some of these websites include social bookmarking such as Blinklist; social news, e.g. Propeller; social networking e.g. Facebook; social photo and video sharing, e.g. YouTube; wikis, e.g. Wikipedia. Social media has both the negative and the positive impact on the users. However, as much we criticize social media, the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. Social media connects people, allows them to interact with different people and hence exposes them to different opinions and ideas (Pernisco 5). People are also given an opportunity to share their opinions with a wide variety of social media users. This kind of interaction has made the world smaller. People can communicate with friends and beloved ones from any part of the world. Information is passed much faster compared to other media, and organizing events and workshops has been made easier especially for the young generation since it is easier to find them on social media than anywhere else. Businesses and individuals are using the social media for advertising (Faraz and Zohaib 2). For companies to prosper in this generation, they must embrace social media. In social media, one is able to contact more friends than they would if they did it personally. Therefore, companies are taking advantage of this to advertise their products online. Zukerberg’s Facebook is the most successful social media with over 500 million users, and the number is still increasing. Many companies have turned to Facebook for their advertising by creating groups, pages, events, and social ads. These Facebook tools are used to promote a company’s product. Discussions about the products are generated, and the consumers are enlightened more about the product. Pictures, videos, and links are also shared (Faraz and Zohaib 3). In job hunting, network is key, and hence, individuals are creating their profiles on various websites for the target employers to view them and offer them jobs. Children and adolescents have benefited a lot from social networking. They can connect with their mates and exchange notes on their school work. However, social media also has a negative impact on children and adolescents. Research has shown that 75% of teenagers own cell phones, and 25% of them use them for social networking (Schurgin et al. 3). The study has shown that teenagers log into their Facebook accounts at least twice per day and spend more and more time on the site. This has been seen as a time waster for the children. The time spent on social networks could have been utilized productively elsewhere. Facebook addiction and deprivation of sleep has a negative effect on the lives of the children. Social media has also brought about vices like cyber bullying and sexting from peers, thus ruining the young ones morals. Companies and corporations do not have to conduct a face to face interview to get the first impression on a person. With the advancement in technology particularly social networking, it is possible to know a little about a person before the physical meeting. People create their personal profiles on various social networks like Facebook, MySpace and Twitter, and prospective employers are able to access their information. However, one is not guaranteed that what is on an applicant’s profile is true; a physical interview is still important for one to judge effectively and see how an applicant carry themselves, their communication skills and their general body language. Sometimes judging people in light with what they post on social networking sites is not fair. Clearly, social media is not for corporate affairs, it is for social networking with families and friends and hence companies should not use it while recruiting staff. With social media, people’s lives are no longer a private affair if everyone can access everyone’s profile. Today, more and more people are willing to let the world into their lives, on Facebook people update status of where they are, what they are doing and even post their photos for their online friends to see; thus, there is no privacy (Pernisco 7). Previously, Facebook allowed the sale of its users data to private companies, but after criticism from various quarters, the spokesman, Chris Hughes indicated that that had never happened, and eventually they changed that particular clause on their security policy. Social media has helped in bringing together people of similar minds and opinions. Facebook has provided various tools to cater for this. A good example is the creation of various groups. People with similar ideas or facing a common problem come up with these groups whereby they address their issues and strive to come up with a solution. Mostly people of a different opinion are not welcome, and this may lead to lack of exposure or even violence, especially if the groups are political (E-Guillotine para. 3). Social media has been reported to trigger political violence. People form political groups supporting candidates of their choice on Twitter and Facebook attack others who are of a different preference, and this may get out of hand and lead to war among the people. There has been much of censure that people on social media are not really what they claim to be. Some people over-glorify themselves and rate themselves very highly with the aim of attracting a prospective employer or to just attract many online friends. These people may go to an extent of uploading photos of celebrities on their profile in order to attract. People tend to create an image about themselves which they are not; once they identify their target group, they tend to offer what their target likes in order to market themselves (E-Guillotine para. 5). People market themselves for various reasons: some want to attract employers and improve their living standards, but others are in it for the wrong reasons. When people post photos of their half-dressed bodies, it sends a clear message that they want to attract others sexually, or they just want to attract attention. This is not healthy because such people could be suffering from low self-esteem. People add friends on Facebook for various reasons. Some are known to them while others are not. While having friends is a good thing, some online friends are dangerous. Various murders and rape cases caused by the unknown online friends have been reported. Conclusion With the progression in technology, social media is becoming more and more enhanced. If this trend continues, it will lead to a huge mile stone in communication and interaction. Skype is a major advancement in social networking, where one can actually see the person they are chatting with. However, this will also lead to an increase in online vices. For example, cyber crime and hacking into other people’s accounts are on the increase. A new trend, which seems to promote inappropriate sexual behavior, has also been reported. Social media should be left purely for interacting with friends and families and not for advertising and marketing. These should be catered for in the other media like newspapers, radios, televisions, etc. Works Cited Faraz, Farooq, and Jan Zohaib. “The impact of social networking to influence marketing through product reviews.” International journal of information and communication technology research 2. 8 (2012): 3-10. Print Schurgin, Gwen, et al. “Impact of social medial on children, adolescents and families.” Official journal of the American academy of pediatrics 127.4 (2011): 1-7. Print. Pernisco, Nick. “Social media impacts and implications on society.” Student journal of media literacy education, 1.1 (2010): 4-16. Print. E-Guillotine. “Why people get fed up with social media.” 2013. Web. 4 April 2013 Read More