The Health of Social Media
Social media is a tool that we all use daily. It’s quite popular and it has given us access to websites and applications to share our lives as quickly as possible, in real-time. Social media started way before the use of cellphones. It started when dial up internet was still around. Not only has the format changed, but it has transformed the way we live today.
“All communication areas are significant in that each area represents a system that operates within a broader system of destination management, and contributes to its overall efficiency. However, each area of communication has its own characteristics and the knowledge of these characteristics will ultimately help establish an efficient communication pattern. There can be no argument that technology has had a major impact on the world and how people communicate.” (Omrcen, 2009)
Social media is unique but not new. We have been so consumed and wrapped up in social media that we forget that we have access to newspapers, articles, new broadcasting stations, the radio. Our traditional way of information is timeless but fading. Everything we need is at our finger tips, all we have to do is search. Although, social media allows access for people to be more updated and aware on the things going on in the world, it also distances from newspapers and the actual news. There are many advantages and disadvantages to it. It’s a platform of all platforms that can be censored or uncensored.
There are multiple types of social media but the social aspect of it is the biggest. It’s the rising trend in the world today. We can all agree that we use social media for social purposes. People are communicating almost every day through text messages, email, and instant messenger apps. There are even clips, GIFS, you can send, emoji’s, emoji’s that look like you, and games. There’s always an update so that we can have the latest information, the hottest scandals of celebrities, and Global issues or updating on your personal page as big as a birth announcement to as miniscule as what you ate for dinner. There isn’t just one specific group proclaimed to social media. Social media has brought an aspect of different age groups and social groups together in a community.
In the advantages and disadvantages of social media, communication skills are exemplified. Social media allows for a communication outlet. It allows for family members and friends to communicate freely with anything that carries a signal. I’m interested in the role of social media because I use some form of social media every day.
Facebook and Snapchat have become my first two choices of social media. Facebook is a popular social media app that was introduced February 2004. However, there were other social networks such as Bebo or Myspace. Facebook happens to be one popular site that has stuck through decades. To constitute, Facebook had more than 2.2 billion active users in 2019. Social media links are at the bottom of everything that is broadcasted. Twitter is a common platform that I notice most celebrities use. I notice that a lot of social media platforms are used for celebrities to use their voice, popular brands to promote their business, even my friends promoting their businesses and ideas.
There has been a spark in the growth of social media networking, there is always an opportunity to market and expand. Some platforms provided tools to users to expand, such as promotions to get fans. As technology advances, so does the way social media. Whilst, almost everyone we know, young or old, is on social media there are disadvantages, too.
The more negative exposure of social media is usually within the younger age group. We know more teenagers and adults using social media more than our parents. Younger age groups are typically more on social media with an average of 12 hours and 9 minutes per day. Parental controls are accessible however, if you’re old enough to create a social media page there is no need for parental controls. Nothing online is permanently deleted.
There is no rule book on the Do’s and Don’ts of social media. There are unspoken rules. We have to revisit and think to ourselves, “Is that appropriate?”. Now, comments are filtered out for the protection of other uses. This wasn’t always the case. Social media could be a cruel place to be involved. Being on social media you are vulnerable to all types of harassment. Luckily, policies and procedures have been changed to ensure the safety of other users.
We’re able to positively like and respond to comments, we’re able to negatively like and respond to comments and vice versa. It is up to each individual to make that decision to make social media a safe environment for themselves and others. It is okay to laugh, and joke but we also need to be aware of what we post and how that can effect another individual.
To be more actively aware, you are able to protect the privacy of yourself. Several different engine websites have privacy settings where you can control who can see your posts. Social media is a growing product every day. Protect yourself and protect your privacy. As social media evolves, communication will improve. It has a positive impact in the community that I experience every day, it overcomes the negative and makes it beneficial to everyone involved.
https://www.thebalancesmb.com/what-is-social-media-2890301
Mass Media and American Life 