The Effect of Social Media

949 Words2 Pages

Thirty percent of Americans use social media websites, such as Facebook and Twitter, to acquire news and information (Pew Research Center). Examples of such are breaking news, top stories, pseudo news, learning how to “twerk”, and a plethora of information regarding some of our favorite celebrities. Irrelevant concerns, for instance, such as Justin Bieber’s latest arrest or videos doing “it for the Vine” seem to take precedence over current and more significant issues such as unemployment and homelessness. Although there are a number of negative drawbacks from the use of social media, there are also some positive advantages. Based on personal observations and authoritative sources, social media will likely continue to have a paramount significance, both positive and negative, in the way we communicate.

For over a decade, social media has become a tool in the lives of Americans today. Social hobnobbing or snooping is used for a number of reasons. It allows people to improve relationships, make new friends, and find family members. It is also used in advertisements of products and businesses and to bring awareness to crucial issues and charities. It can also be used negatively to bully and intimidate others, cause arguments, or disestablish relationships. As reported by Maggie Overfelt with CNN, Facebook is the largest social network and is best used for businesses to generate relationships with potential clients and advertising. It is also used to “share content and conversations, create events and deploy targeted ads.” Additional examples of productive use of social media are, Instagram, Twitter, and Linkedin. Linkedin is the world’s largest resume pool and is used to hire promising employees and networking to reach potential c...

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...n the fifth grade and subsequent years. Bullying can cause those to become depressed, have low self esteem, have lower academic achievement, in some cases cause psychological and emotional damage, and in worse cases, suicide (American Psychological Association).

I am convinced that no matter the positive or negative point of views on social media, we will all continue to use it as a lifeline. Social media has provided so many opportunities to others. Finding and communicating with lost family members, just keeping in touch, or reuniting with old friends can be very therapeutic to some. Others like to use social media as their source for information whether it is just for entertainment or for more credible reasons. In general, it is plausible to suppose that social media is and will continue to be a chief source of information and influence in our everyday lives.

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