The Influence of Social Media - Essay Example

Social Media Introduction It is irrefutable that the world has experienced a rapid technological advancement over the past few decades. Al-Deen andHendricks note that the advancement has mainly been witnessed in mass media where the emergence of the Internet has changed virtually everything (7). For example, the Internet has made communication simpler than before. The Internet has also changed how people do business. This is because nowadays it is easy to transact via the Internet without having to travel to the location of the business. For example, with the Internet, it is possible for an individual to shop online as well as order products and pay online without necessarily having to travel. However, social media are one of the major contributions of the Internet. Social media are one of the most common forms of communication of the 21st century (Al-Deen and Hendricks 7). It provides a platform where people can connect with friends and families. Research indicates that many people nowadays spend a significant part of their time chatting on the social media networks such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, MySpace, and LinkedIn, just to name but a few. This paper will examine the positive impacts of social media on society. The world has experienced faster growth in social media usage over the past few years. The increase, according to Al-Deen and Hendricks, has mainly been occasioned by the growth of Internet connectivity all over the world (8). Al-Deen and Hendricks note that most parts of the world today, even the remotest ones, have the Internet connection (9). This has led to the growth of social networking as a tool for communication. For example, a study conducted recently showed that the last 5 years have seen the number of teenagers and adolescents using social media rise by over 22% (Pernisco 3). The study also showed that more than half of teenagers log on to their favorite social networking sites more than once a day (Pernisco 3). This has reverberated with the emergence of Internet-enabled smartphones. The emergence of Internet-enabled smartphones has increased social media usage by giving many people the opportunity to connect to the Internet without having to attend a cyber café or having a computer. In fact, a research conducted recently showed that over 75% of teenagers currently own mobile phones, 25% of which are used for social networking (Pernisco 14). Companies are not left out in terms of social media usage either. Martine notes that companies are increasingly adopting the use of social media as a means of connecting with customers and advertising their products (par. 2). In addition, adults are increasingly using social media for connecting with friends and families (par.2) According to a recent study, more than 50% of U.S. adults own at least one social network account, which they use for connecting with friends and families. Certainly, social media are impacting the lives of everyone regardless of age, profession, or gender. Positive Effects of Social Media The benefits of social media usage to society are numerous, according to Al-Deen and Hendricks (10). One of the most outstanding positive impacts of social media on society is that it has helped in promoting socialization and communication among different people across the globe (Al-Deen and Hendricks 11). This is because social media provide a platform where individuals can connect with friends and families from different locations all over the world. What one needs is only to create an account with one of the social media-networking sites to connect with friends and families, according to Al-Deen and Hendricks (11). This is a splendid thing because it gives people the opportunity to create the friendship with other people from different locations. In so doing, people learn from one another, thus embracing cultures from different regions around the world. For example, with social media, an individual from U.S. can easily find a friend from a different geographical area such as Kenya, which is a good thing. This was not easy a few years ago before the emergence of social media. Mathews notes that social media has also helped in bringing the world closer together more than ever before (56). For example, with the social media, it is exceedingly easy today to know what is happening in different parts of the world with a lot of ease. This is evident from the fact that people nowadays do not rely much on news from television or radio to know what is happening in different parts of the world (Mathews 56). This is because the information can easily be found on social media in real time. For example, before the emergence of social media, it used to take Americans hours or days to know what is happening in, say, the remotest part of Zimbabwe. This is because people used to overly rely on news from television, radio, and print media. However, with social media, such news can be gotten real time as a when they happen, according to Mathews (57). The main reason is that such information is relayed through social media, which can be accessed by different people all over the world real-time without having to wait for the happening to be broadcast on television or radio, among other channels. Pernisco cites that social media has also given people the opportunity to learn and share ideas (7). As stated earlier, social media have given people the opportunity to learn different cultures from different people all over the world. In fact, Pernisco notes that the use of social media has contributed immensely to the spread of cultures from one region to another (7). The use of social media has been cited to enhance creativity among individuals, which is a positive effect. This has particularly been witnessed among teenagers where the use of social media has helped immensely in enhancing their creativity through sharing of art, music and other ideas (Pernisco 8). In this regard, social media have made it extremely easy for individuals to borrow new ideas from their friends in other countries, which they then apply for the development of their community and the country at large. Social media are also a good platform where people can get information about their health. Martin indicates that volumes of health information are nowadays available on social media network sites (par.3). In this regard, it is noted that social media networking sites contain information pertaining to sexually transmitted diseases, depression signs, and stress reduction. Therefore, teenagers suffering from chronic illnesses can nowadays access websites where they can develop supportive networks of the individual with similar conditions (par.3). In fact, research indicates that many people have become extremely conscious of their health conditions through social networking, which has been extremely beneficial to society. Social media usage has also proved beneficial as far as learning among children is concerned. In this regard, Martin argues that social media usage enhances learning among children (par.6). A study shows that many middle and high school children nowadays use social media to connect with one another on homework and group assignments (Al-Deen and Hendricks 41). As a result, it is no longer a must that students have to be together to do class assignment or homework. This is because as long as every member of the group is logged on to a social media site, it becomes easy for students to communicate with a lot of ease, which enhances their learning opportunity. For instance, social media sites such as Facebook allow students to gather outside classrooms to exchange ideas on assignments. Mathews indicates that some schools today have incorporated the use of blogs as a lecturing tool, which has proved so beneficial in reinforcing English speaking, writing and expression skills among students (66). In fact, as earlier stated, technological advancements have improved Internet accessibility, so many people today access the Internet and log on to their favorite social network through their mobile phones. This has also improved the contact between patients and doctors. In fact, some people get their doctors through social media, which has helped enhance health awareness among individuals in society (Healey 14). Social media has also proved so beneficial to companies today. In fact, many companies today are subscribed to at least one social network such as Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, and LinkedIn. Today many companies have taken advantage of social media for advertisement of their products. A study conducted on companies shows that a majority of companies today put their products on popular networking sites. This has increased their sales turnover since it makes it easy for products to reach many consumers throughout the world. In fact, the application of social media as an advertisement tool has proved to be extremely cost effective to many companies compared to advertising through other forms such as television and radio. Furthermore, social media have proved effective as an advertising tool in the sense that as long as one customer knows of the product, the customer can easily help advertise the company’s products on other social media network sites that the customer might have, in addition to the one that the customer in question has (Healey 14). In addition, social media have proved as an exceptionally useful tool where companies can have a one-on-one direct communication with their customers. This has helped companies to keep in direct contact with their customers. Social media has made this possible in that it has made it easy for customers to get real-time feedback regarding products dealt with by a company. For instance, it is possible nowadays for a customer to make a direct inquiry of a company's product through social media without having to travel to the store, which may prove expensive and time-consuming. This was not possible before because a customer had to either send a letter or an e-mail and wait for a couple of minutes, hours or days before getting feedback on the product. This usually inconveniences many people who use these old methods. However, with social networking, a customer can chat instantly with its supplier, thereby obtaining real-time feedback (Pernisco 11). Conclusion The world has indeed been revolutionized by the rapid technological advancements witnessed over the last few decades. However, the emergence of the Internet has had a very profound effect on mass media. This is because it has revolutionized how people communicate and interact with one another. This is because it has led to the emergence of different social media networks where people can connect and communicate with their relatives and friends. Social media has brought several other advantages to society. They include making it easy for people to find and connect with relatives and friends all over the world. In addition, social media have made it easy for people to get news from all over the world with a lot of ease, among other benefits. Works Cited Al-Deen, Hana S., and John A. Hendricks. Social Media: Usage and Impact. London: Lexington Books, 2011. Print. Healey, Justin. Social Impacts of Digital Media. New York, Spinney Press, 2011. Print. Martin, Jobin. “Social Media: Positive Effects on the Society.” Web. 26 April 26, 2013 http://techpiper.com/2012/04/social-media-positive-effects-on-the-society/. Mathews, Jennifer N. Social Media Marketing for Business Owners, New York: Booktango, 2012. Print. Pernisco, Nick. “Social Media Impact and Implications on Society.” Student Journal for Media Literacy Education 1.1 (2010): 1–17. Print. Read More