72% of all online US adults, visit Facebook at least once a month and Facebook adds 500,000 new users every day that’s 6 new profiles every second. Today I would like to argue that social media has benefited society. I feel passionate about the benefits social media has had on society because with every one spending an obscene amount of time on these sites, myself included. I would like it to have a positive impact on myself, and everyone that uses it, and so I have researched it ad nauseam. I think it is important that we spend a few minutes on this subject because in the article entitled Social networking sites and our lives, from June 2011, “74% of American adults online use social networking sites such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest, as of January 2014, up from 26% in 2008” (Hampton et al.). I shall argue that social media has benefited society because it provides immediate help during a crises, because it can be used to monitor mental health, and because it promotes positive change within countries. First I shall argue that social media has benefited society because it provides immediate help during a crises. When a calamity hits most peoples first instinct is to call there loved ones and ascertain their wellbeing but this can be detrimental to people who actually need help. The U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings Volume 139 Issue 10 states that after a disaster “Cell-phone networks immediately become saturated, and those in need of help cannot
People today would be surprised to know that social media has not been around forever. In fact, even more surprising is the realization that people did not really even have or use cell phones almost twenty years ago, and in those days cell phones were only used for calling. We have come a long way. Now, the whole world is in the palm of our hands, or in our cars, or on our wrists. Possibly the greatest thing to come out of this drastic evolution is social media. Social media is where everyone can keep up with family, check in with friends, and share their big time experiences with the rest of the world. However, it has opened up many, many more doors than ever intended, both good and bad. Social media has ironically turned people less social, provided an easy outlet for people to bully and point out insecurities, but also has changed the way we receive important information and news.
As much as social media has managed to ruin our society, it plays a positive role for the public as well. Social media allowed people to use their networks as a form of reaching out to old friends and family across the world. With America being known as the melting pot of the world, our society has several people with family on the other side of the Earth. With social media in effect, this permits people to stay in touch with long lost loved ones and keep ties tight. Not only has it sanctioned friends and family to keep in touches but has granted people to relocate birth parents and unknown family members as well. Yes, social media has failed our society greatly but there is always a rainbow somewhere after a rainy day. Social media can play a positive role by bringing people back together.
When analyzing the role of social media in American society, several questions come to mind. What is social media and are these social media and networking sites helpful to the people of America; can these sites be used to enhance or do they intrude in the relationships people have with others, and can they be integrated into their daily lives successfully. As the world becomes more and more technology friendly, the internet has transformed into a place that nearly everyone can go to get away. With the constant click of a mouse for some is all it takes to relieve the stress of their day.
This annotated bibliography investigates several sources that discuss the positive and negative effects of social media usage in order to present an argument on the influence of social media on society. My position is that overall social media can have a negative impact if used irresponsibly, however given the prevalence of social media in today’s society, it is impossible to avoid.
Since the invention of the Internet, people have become indulged with its copious functions, from making advanced programs to learning how to do new projects to social media. Social media has evolved over the years, from Friendster to Myspace to Facebook, since the late 1990s, and people have incorporated it into their lives. It is the modern way for people to connect and communicate with anyone and everyone across the globe. Plus, social media is everywhere; people utilize it when they are on the bus, at the checkout line, and even when they are using the restroom. In Peggy Orenstein’s “The Way We Live Now: I Tweet, Therefore I Am,” she propounds that social media has altered society. Social media has changed society’s priorities, characteristics, and mentality.
In “Faux Friendship,” associate professor William Deresiewics discusses the affect that social media has on our society. Deresiewics originally published this piece in The Chronicles of Higher Education in December 2009, but this piece has been published in The Nation, The American Scholar, The London Review of Books, and The New York Times. Deresiewics’ attempts to convince readers that social media take away our ability to build relationships in person. Despite Deresiewics’ appeal to ethos and this rebuttal to the opposition, “Faux Friendship” should not be considered for Culture Comment’s top prize for persuasive essays due to its attack on the reader and overpowering assumptions.
Social media is defined by the Merriam Webster dictionary as “Forms of online communication, through which users create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages, and other content” (Merriam Webster). Social media, if used responsibly, is a great way for users to connect with the outside world in ways never before imagined. Such forms of communication have been able to connect millions of people from around the world and put them right at a user’s fingertips. This technology has nudged its way into the computers, smart phones, and hearts of millions of people around the world over the past decade, but at what cost? Although a great way for friends and relatives to reconnect, social media
Many Americans believe social media is making people waste their time by making us less productive while molding our daily activities as a stumbling block from all the distractions that it gives us. What about our collective life? How are we even going to find out about anyone that requires our help, along with our ways to assist others within that matter? Social media is an essential tool to promote true and lasting social change; because it is easily accessible to everyone worldwide. This is for the reason that is making us all come together, by giving us the ability to stay in contact. Three main points that demonstrate that social media encourages social change are: instigating political change, sharing information not address by the mass media, and communicating online to promote social causes.
Mark Mckinnon, vice-president of an international communications consulting firm stated, “Technology and social media have brought power back to the people.” It makes sense that he would possess such a positive view of social media, because his job more or less depends on it. However, the reality is a little less sunshine and rainbows. Social media has undoubtedly changed the way humans can communicate with each other, even making it possible to contact people in a far off country. There is a bit of a catch though. For all of its perks, social media is creating a profoundly negative effect on those that use it. Through social media’s constant influence on lives, millions are left with the desire to change
Recently, people are now discussing how social media changes our life, whether it is good or bad. Some of them think that social media is a kind of fad because of its rapid development. Others think that it is really useful and makes our life easier than before.
On my journey to explore whether social media is a blessing or a curse, I ended up with several dramatic consequences. As Scott Brickman, in the article, “the advancement of the communication media,” points out “the boon in lights of the technology.” He proves that Social networking has become a necessary part of our communication culture that cannot be disregarded easily. He also
Social media is one of the most common ways for people to communicate anywhere and at any time in modern society. Some people think that it is beneficial to have in society. Although, many people are starting to see negative effects arise from the use of social media as well. These negative effects are increasing and becoming more problematic every day. The disadvantages of social media far outweigh the advantages. Social media effects everyone in society, especially teenagers by negatively impacting their lives, face-to-face interactions, and mental health.
A lot of people say social media is ruining communication, promoting harmful habits, ruining people’s health, and does a lousy job at keeping their sites secure. On the opposing side of the argument, social media is claimed to be improving society. One example is by enhancing relationships, social media has been shown to provide useful skills and habits, can provide health benefits, and does a respectable job at keeping their sites secure.
What does technology mean to you? I believe that technology is a tool that should be integrated into our society to cultivate the future and resemble the past; it has become such an integral part of our community today that living without it creates a feeling of loneliness. “Technology and Social Media has brought power back to people” (Mark McKinnon). Nowadays, technology has exceeded expectations of people, such as a robot can mow a lawn, clean house, take you to parts of the world without even visiting, is mesmerizing. I am one of the many students who did not get an early exposure to technology, and I repent that every day, as they say, that a child can learn, however many things he wants until seven years of age because his mind is an
As social media has taken over our life, it has also generated new impacts on our life. It has influenced our society greatly, and hopefully it is more positive than