“Social media can be an enabler and an accelerator of existing core capabilities, values, attributes and plans. It can even be a catalyst for change. But it can’t magically create what doesn’t exist.” -Denise Zimmerman
Throughout the last couple years in our society, social networking has become one of the most popular ways to communicate with people. It has become easier and easier to put out information about us on the web and to send out a message to people in a very effective manner. Yes, Facebook, Twitter and MySpace are the most popular social media sites and have created a lot of positives with keeping in touch with people, staying connected, meeting new people, and sharing a ton of media but every positive comes with a negative. The positive aspects of social media stand out to many people. We are able to connect with people who we have talked to or seen in years also we can stay in touch with people who we just met. The ability to connect with people from all over the world is an amazing thing and something that back in the day I personally never knew could happen. We are able to connect with people from all over who have the same interests and hobbies as us. Through social media we are able to receive instantaneous updates whether it is the news or weather. Our capabilities of being able to check out and look up anything we want and learn things what is surrounding us is amazing. We are able to form groups on the internet that allow us to connect with people with the same interests as ourselves and send information back and forth without any hassle.
Also because of social media and social networking we are isolating ourselves from the real world and living real lives outside of the internet. It has been determined "that it can lead to a host of mental, psychological, emotional and physical problems including depression, anxiety, somatic complaints and many others". There has been many times where I have been hanging out with friends and we have realized that we haven’t talked once to each other due to being on our phones and on Facebook or twitter. Social networking can encourage poor grammar, spreading misinformation, exposing children to predators, decreasing productivity, increased risk of identity theft and cyber bullying.
Lauren stated, "...social media and social networking we are isolating ourselves from the real world and living real lives outside of the internet." I slowly feel myself heading in this direction because I'm always connected to internet applications whenever I leave the house. I can't leave the house without my cellphone because I feel that it's detrimental to my well-being. I try to think back to the days before technology took over my life, but nothing much has really changed since then. Growing up my mom didn't want me going outside too often so she would pacify me by buying me videogames and action figures. By constantly having those items available, I didn't see the need to go outside. I wonder how my life would've turned out if I went outside....Most of my friends go out quite often, but most of the time I'd rather just spend the day with my girlfriend or be lazy around the house. I can still interact with them through a text message or Facebook. Social media has enabled us to be a part of someone's life without actually physically being there. This can disconnect us from our friends. Social media allows us to be connected 24/7 but are we really connected? Social media is by far one of the most popular concepts to date, and it's not going anywhere anytime soon.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the positive effects social media you give. The fact that we can connect and meet new people basically instantaneously is a positive. Staying in touch with old friends or family members is also a positive aspect of social media. In addition the way we can receive news and updates from all around the world through social media sites such as Twitter can be considered a positive. On the flip side there are also negative aspects of social media. When you say, “Also because of social media and social networking we are isolating ourselves from the real world and living real lives outside of the internet,” I can agree. Social networking sites have seemed to take over our lives. We are becoming addicted to constantly being in the current of flowing information. It is hard for us to jump out of that current or become detached from social media. It is also very hard like you said to keep anything private through social media. Sometimes changing privacy settings isn’t enough. When you put something on the Internet or a social media site you should expect it to be there forever. With these pros and cons of social media one thing is for certain, that it is here to stay.
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