Influence of Social Media on the Society - Argumentative Essay Example

Ever since the introduction of social media platforms, communication among people has dramatically changed. There is an increased shift from the use of classical computers as a communication device to the mobile phones. Social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Snap Chat and the rest have significantly changed the social structure as they have modified the mode of interactions among them. This is a great cause of concern only because actual persona relationships have been replaced by virtual ones which are usually less efficient. This paper is, therefore, a reflection of how social media affects the structuring of our daily lives and how different ways in which social media usage can be moderated to ensure actual personal relationships among people are maintained. Also, this paper will also give an overview of the topic by analyzing the possible effects of social media both on the individuals and the society as a whole. I will first review the current situation of social media usage by looking at the facts and figures to have a baseline of arguments. Having knowledge on how social media platforms have restructured our daily lives is of great importance since it gives us a clear insight on how important personal interactions are as compared to virtual ones. However, social media has its advantages especially for the current generation of Millennials. Globally, most business enterprises rely on social media to market their products or services to a large group of people. Social media has, therefore, become a part of our society and it is estimated that there will be a tremendous increase in the use of social media in the next five years. This change will be as a result of technological advancement in learning, business and other institutions globally. Social media platforms influence the general image of an individual. The society has been restructured in the way that social media speaks volume about a person. A user with the large following on social media tends to be popular, and most people look up to them. The quest for the audience has therefore been on the rise especially among young people. Individuals go beyond the societal standards just to get a huge following on social media. It, therefore, results in moral degradation in the society as a whole.

New technological information channels have produced to changed behavior in the use of technology and an increase in demand of the information seekers. Traditionally, organizations, political parties or companies controlled information about themselves by calling out press conferences through professional public relations managers. Today, however, organizations have switched to more advanced public relations methods, i.e., through social media interact, ions. Social media platforms have boosted business internationally as they have the opportunity to reach millions of consumers online. In other words, this shift to online marketing has forced individuals to embrace social media. In the process, virtual interactions have taken over personal interactions and therefore restructuring our daily societal lives. As opposed to traditional communications, social media has brought about poor interactions with close friends, classmates, and even family members as they are mostly on their phones. Psychologically speaking, such interactions should be avoided as they are associated with depression, stress, and other mental and societal problems.

The current generation has suffered great influence by social media image culture. Specifically, users of websites such as Instagram and Snap chat tend to live fake lives only gain popularity of fit in with the cool' people. Despite the numerous advantages of such sites, they have negatively affected the social life of individuals especially the youth. According to Kok (2013), emotional distress is closely linked to social media interactions. He also suggests that people who spend most of their time on Instagram and Snapchat are related to emotional balance in their lives. Also, a high level of concerns on self-presentation is commonly expressed about Instagram while Snapchat by the young generation is considered as an emotional mode of escape or an intimate space for freedom. This variance shows that social media has in one way or another interfere with the social structure in most places around the world.

Despite the numerous advantages of social media platforms, they express a wide array of adverse effects. As we tend to bow to the pressures of social media, this lowers our ability to think independently. Individuals tend to be more open to peer pressure within social networks. Specifically, other people's opinions and choices on social media influence one's personal choice. This pressure mostly affects young people who struggle with peer pressure cases from their fellow peers. It is evident those social media changes the structure of our daily lives especially by determining our everyday choices. The sense of independent thinking is important and should be upheld as it helps one to make decisions they are comfortable with. Personally, I have been a victim of the same as I had to shop a pair of shoes that I was not comfortable with, but it was the trending brand at that moment.

Social media has also affected other fields of the society such as education. According to research conducted by several colleges in the United States of America, 85% of students use social media networks. Social media is currently being used as an innovative education tool. Also, it has the rate and quality of collaboration among the students significantly. Through social media, students can easily share information with each other through sites such as Facebook, Instagram, Orkut and the rest. It has proved to increase student's participation in class as it is an unusual mode of teaching. Similarly, social media helps students who feel shy to share their opinions in class to express themselves freely. Also, access to the various social media platforms gives educators the opportunity to train about good digital citizenship and productive internet usage. However, students lose the ability to engage in face to face communication and thus their day to day life is significantly restructured.

Other fields that are affected by social media are the business environment. In the current competitive business environment, social media is being used as the new marketing tool. Organizations use social media platforms to enhance its performance, i.e., promote the achievement, of business objectives and goals and boosting their sales. Other agencies promote their products and services by advertising them via social media. This way, the clients can interact and connect with the business owners on a more personal level.

It is evidently clear that social media has quite a large impact on the society we live in. Most of the social media platforms are popular on the web. These sites have transformed the way in which people communicate. Such sites give individuals the opportunity to reconnect with old friends, mates, and colleagues. Consequently, it helps people to share information, make new friends, share videos, pictures, and even audios. Social media, therefore, change a community's lifestyle. One of the outstanding adverse effects of social media is how it makes individuals addicted. People spend a lot of time browsing on the social media platforms other than diverting that precious time to be productive in other tasks. It also has adverse effects, especially on kids. It is obvious for people to post pictures and videos of violence and other negative things which can affect the young generation. Social media also affects the societal rules and customs by providing a platform where people's privacy can be invaded. The day to day lives of young people is influenced by the social media interactions. Such interactions have proved to affect cases of murder, kidnapping, robbery, and drug and substance use.

Despite the obvious benefits of social media platforms, they express a wide array of adverse effects. As we tend to bow to the pressures of social media, this lowers our ability to think independently. Individuals tend to be more open to peer pressure within social networks. Specifically, other people's opinions and choices on social media influence one's personal choice. This pressure mostly affects young people who struggle with peer pressure cases from their fellow peers. It is evident those social media changes the structure of our daily lives especially by determining our everyday choices. The sense of independent thinking is important and should be upheld as it helps one to make decisions they are comfortable with.

Ever since the introduction of social media platforms, communication among people has dramatically changed. There is an increased shift from the use of classical computers as a communication device to the mobile phones. This is a great cause of concern only because actual persona relationships have been replaced by virtual ones which are usually less efficient. As opposed to traditional interactions, social media has brought about poor interactions with close friends, classmates, and even family members as they are mostly on their phones. Psychologically speaking, such interactions should be avoided as they are associated with depression, stress, and other mental and societal problems.

Social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook influence the general image of an individual. The society has been restructured in the way that social media speaks volume about a person. A user with the large following on social media tends to be popular, and most people look up to them. The quest for following has therefore been on the rise especially among young people. Individuals go beyond the societal standards just to get a huge following on social media. It, therefore, results in moral degradation in the society as a whole.

In conclusion, social media has quite a large impact on the society we live in. Most of the social media platforms are popular on the web. These sites have transformed the way in which people communicate. Consequently, it helps people to share information, make new friends, share videos, send pictures, and even send audios. Social media, therefore, change a community's lifestyle on how to community communicate and interact with other people socially. One of the outstanding adverse effects of social media is how it makes individuals addicted. People spend a lot of time browsing on the social media platforms other than diverting that precious time to be productive in other tasks. It also has adverse effects, especially on kids. It was usual for people to post pictures and videos of violence and other negative things which can affect the young generation. Social media also affects the societal rules and customs by providing a platform where people's privacy can be invaded. The day to day lives of young people is influenced by the social media interactions. Such interactions have proved to control cases of murder, kidnapping, robbery, and drug and substance use. People should, therefore, be encouraged to maintain personal relationships in as much as they need social media. This will ensure a friendly societal environment where personal and up-close human relationships are promoted.

References

Curran, J.P., and Gurevitch, M., 2005. Mass Media and Society 4th edition. Arnold.

Flew, T., 2007. New media: An introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Gerbaudo, P., 2012. Tweets and the Streets: Social media and contemporary activism. Pluto Press.

Kaplan, A.M. and Heinlein, M., 2010. Users of the world, unite! The challenges and opportunities of Social Media. Business...