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Social Media Influences Essay Example

The main essential changes, which appeared now, are connected with technological progress and creation of new ways of communication. Emergence of the internet brought new opportunities in communication, such as blogging or conversation. Certainly, social media caused extremely vital influence not only on usual life, business or entertainment, but also in social movements and policy (Hutchby 2011). Today, people can make revolutions, creating essential subjects in their blogs and encouraging people for several actions. It is possible to call modern society as a network society, where social media became the most vital way of communication.

The issue is that social media became a parallel world where people can communicate and share the information with each other. The influence of social media touched several aspects of people’s life (Haythornthwaite 2002). Such social networks as Facebook, Twitter or Myspace, changed the routine life and the way of communication. The researches show that people use this social network almost 15 hours a day. Also, there are many disputes concerning social media advantages or disadvantages. More researches show that social media gives more benefits than losses to its users.

Social media can bring many benefits; it helps in business and education. Social media help in communication with the entire world in the easiest way, and business partners can have negotiations or many other activities through the internet, as well as students can study on distance (Drury 2008). In addition, social media is very useful for shy and isolated people, who usually have many problems with communication in real life but with a help of social media they can communicate in easier way. Social media has such positive effects as self-esteem; users of social media can show themselves from the best side, can add the information they want (Ellison 2007). For example, Facebook users usually add the information they want everybody to know, and with a help of Facebook they can easily promote themselves. There are some opinions that it is narcissism. Jennifer Baker, Ph.D, said: “Amusingly, you can find students staring and staring at photos on the library computers and they are photos of themselves” ( Baker 2011). Facebook has its own disadvantages, like danger of violation of privacy. Many couples and marriages were split because of ‘facebook bombs’. Sometimes Facebook can be the reason of cheating and problems in relationships (Jones 2005). In addition, the most significant problem is violence in the Internet that usually made by social networks (Hunter 2001).

In spite of the opinions that social media causes depression and brings more disadvantages than advantages, it gives many opportunities and has a positive effect on health. First of all, social media helps in the job searching, because many companies have their pages that are willing to promote themselves, and bring the possibilities of communication to their visitors (Prakash 2012). Moreover, social media has a positive effect on the health; a lot of researches show that after using social media, people are becoming happier, and it results in more productive and positive day. Social media stamp out shyness and loneliness. In consequence, social media bring more benefits; “For most people, how or whether Facebook affects your mood, your health, or your marriage probably depends far more on your off-line well-being, activities, and influences than what you do when you log on ( Day)”.

The idea of information and knowledge that cause the transformation of the basic institutions is taken as the basis of the concept of network society, because of the new ways of communication, modern society also well-known as network society. The most popular works, that refer to network society, are written by M. Castels. Castels` reflections on network society are related to technological revolution and theories of the information society (Smith,PJ,& Smythe 2011).

There are many discussions of rather negative or positive impact of social mass media on social activism. Social media also have a positive impact on society as information is provided by people, not authorities. While some people think that it brings opportunity to share true information, others claim that social mass media create visibility of actions, but actually do not make essential results (Khoury ). There are many people who use the social media, it is possible to gather people for different goals and social media became one of the most significant instruments in social activism (“Twitter, Facebook…”). However, there are many opinions that it is necessary to be not in the virtual world for real changes in life. Mark Kersten suggests that “Social media topples Arab tyrants. Social media leads to democratic elections. It can bring rebel leaders in the heart of Africa to justice. At the core of this apparently irresistible narrative is the belief that social and political campaigns are a success when they achieve massive online traffic and “go viral”. The problem here is simple. None of the above is true”( Kersten 2012). Many people think that social media reinvented activism, and people usually just push the button ‘Like’ instead of making real acts.

In conclusion, the modern era can be called the era of network society. Social media caused an extremely vital influence on every aspect of people’s life. In addition, social media influences social movements and revolutions while gathering people for significant roles and sharing the information. The influence of social media touched several aspects of people’s life. Such social networks as Facebook, Twitter or Myspace, changed the routine life and the way of communication.

References

Baker, Jennifer. (2011) “The Moral Benefits of Facebook.” For the Love of Wisdom. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/the-love-wisdom/201101/the-moral-benefits-facebook

Day, Ashley. “The Facebook Effect: Good or Bad for Your Health?.” Retrieved from https://www.everydayhealth.com/healthy-living/0406/the-facebook-effect-good-or-bad-for-your-health.aspx

Drury, G. ( 2008). “Opinion piece: social media: should marketers engage and how can it be done effectively?”. Journal of Direct, Data and Digital Marketing Practice, Vol. 9 No. 3, pp. 274-7.

Ellison, NB, Steinfield, C & Lampe, C . (2007) “The benefits of Facebook ‘friends’: social

capital and college students’ use of online social network sites”, Journal of

Computer-Mediated Communication, Vol. 12 No. 4, Retrieved from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10836101

Fox, V. (2007) “Searching for people in all the new social places”, Information Today, Vol. 24

No. 8, p. 25.

Haythornthwaite, C.A. (2002) ‘Strong, Weak and latent ties and the impact of new media’, The Information Society 18(5): 385–401.

Hutchby, I. ( 2001). Conversation and technology: from the telephone to the Internet, Cambridge: Polity Press.

Hunter, M. (2001). “How to Beat the Net?”, Community Care, 22—28 February, p.12.

Jones, H & Soltren, J.H. ( 2005) “Facebook: threats to privacy”, Retrieved from http://groups.csail.mit.edu/mac/classes/6.805/student-papers/fall05-papers/facebook.pdf

Kersten, Mark. (2012) “Has Social Media Successfully Reinvented Social Activism?.” Justice in Conflict. Retrieved from. https://justiceinconflict.org/2012/06/02/has-social-media-reinvented-social-activism-a-debate/

Khoury , Doreen. “Social Media and the Revolutions.

Prakash, P. ( 2012). “Can smart technology make us more intelligent?.” Retrieved from https://www.guardian.co.tt/article-6.2.426227.fabc4753f3

Smith, PJ & Smythe, E.(2001). Globalisation, citizenship and technology. In Culture and poli-tics in the information age, ed. Frank Webster. London: Routledge.

“Twitter, Facebook and YouTube’s role in Arab Spring (Middle East uprisings) [UPDATED 7/7/13] (2011). “Social Capital”. Retrieved from https://socialcapital.wordpress.com/2011/01/26/twitter-facebook-and-youtubes-role-in-tunisia-uprising/