Social Media and Its Effect on Society
Social Media and Its Effect on Society
In recent years social media has become increasingly popular, allowing millions of users around the world to create, share, and exchange information, in ways that a decade ago, would never have been possible. Today 93% of college students have a Facebook (43) and 93% of Americans between the ages of twelve and seventeen are using the internet in some form. (43) Growth of online social media has had an undeniable impact on society in the United States as well as internationally, greatly altering the way people live their lives. Social networking has connected many employers and job seekers, enabling associations that would never have been able to occur otherwise. Also, social media allows breaking news to be spread much more rapidly as eye witnesses update online profiles and share information before the newspapers or television media providers have time to respond. Moreover, use of online media allows shy or isolated individuals more confidence and helps them to form relationships that they have difficulty making face to face. Despite these positive aspects of social media, many experts feel that social media and its escalation in recent years has had detrimental effect of American society, as well as that of the world as a whole. Many argue that the freedom of users to post their opinions contributes to the spread of falsified information, and leads many to not trust accurate information they may encounter on the internet. Additionally, information or pictures an individual has posted on the internet may impede their admission to a certain college or deter employers from hiring them. Psychologists have even speculated that the growing use of social media has had a damaging effect on the mental health of its users and leaves them feeling depressed or isolated. While these are all worthwhile points that are in some cases true, the positive aspects of social media continue to outweigh the negatives and the government should
In recent years social media has become increasingly popular, allowing millions of users around the world to create, share, and exchange information, in ways that a decade ago, would never have been possible. Today 93% of college students have a Facebook (43) and 93% of Americans between the ages of twelve and seventeen are using the internet in some form. (43) Growth of online social media has had an undeniable impact on society in the United States as well as internationally, greatly altering the way people live their lives. Social networking has connected many employers and job seekers, enabling associations that would never have been able to occur otherwise. Also, social media allows breaking news to be spread much more rapidly as eye witnesses update online profiles and share information before the newspapers or television media providers have time to respond. Moreover, use of online media allows shy or isolated individuals more confidence and helps them to form relationships that they have difficulty making face to face. Despite these positive aspects of social media, many experts feel that social media and its escalation in recent years has had detrimental effect of American society, as well as that of the world as a whole. Many argue that the freedom of users to post their opinions contributes to the spread of falsified information, and leads many to not trust accurate information they may encounter on the internet. Additionally, information or pictures an individual has posted on the internet may impede their admission to a certain college or deter employers from hiring them. Psychologists have even speculated that the growing use of social media has had a damaging effect on the mental health of its users and leaves them feeling depressed or isolated. While these are all worthwhile points that are in some cases true, the positive aspects of social media continue to outweigh the negatives and the government should