Social Networking Essay

1244 Words3 Pages

Today, there are many types of social media available to us with one click of a button- Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, Tumblr: to name but a few. With the invention of smartphones, we can access these anywhere: at work, at school- even on the go! There are several sometimes quite controversial questions surrounding this topic, which I will aim to answer. The key question I will be asking is- how has this affected our modern lifestyle?
What do we use social media for?
Firstly, it means that we are able to connect, or even reconnect with people we would otherwise not see very often. It is accessible to people in all walks of life. Here are some examples of how different people use social media.
• People who have lived internationally know that it is a good way to keep posted on the day-to-day activities of their family and friends.
• Elderly citizens can reconnect with someone from their schooldays who they have lost touch with, and wouldn’t know where to contact them otherwise.
• Teenagers can use it to see what their favourite celebrities are up to, keep in touch with their friends over holidays and showcase their creativity.
• Businessmen can use it to promote their business, and reach out to potential clients.
What are the benefits of social media as oppose to personal websites, emails, letters and old-fashioned hand advertising?
People lead busy lives nowadays. Therefore, they like to be able to do things quickly and efficiently.
For instance, say you want to book tickets to a Coldplay concert, but you don’t know when the next one is coming up, or where to book them. You can go to their Twitter feed- where they have posted:
“So excited for our UK tour March 2014- to book tickets, go to www.example.com”
This tweet wo...

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...ter, and you can see the things most people are talking about- whether they have negative views or positive opinions. While the credibility of some sources can clearly be contested, news channels tweet or give updates on significant happenings all over the world.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, it is giving people a voice. A voice that can influence both major and minor decisions worldwide, a voice that can both help and harm other people- a voice that makes people feel like they can have a say, without having face-to-face consequences. It is open to discussion whether you think this is a positive or negative thing.
To conclude, I think it is open to discussion whether social media is a good thing, but there are always two faces on the coin. When there are benefits, there will always be negatives- it’s generally up to the person with the power how to use it.

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