Essay Example on Implication of Social Media

Communication systems have relatively progressed with time in regards to technology. Advances in information communication and technology have given rise to the social media era. The world is gradually becoming smaller and smaller with the increase in the number of people joining social media. Furthermore, news reaches the public quickly through social media platforms when compared to the conventional news platforms. Social media can be viewed to have evolved the manner in which people view themselves, how they view others and how they relate to others from a global perspective. Be that as it may, it can be viewed that the increase in popularity of social media sites has resulted in several positive and negative implications. The popularity has contributed to the significant growth of sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat (Ngai et.al 35). From an analytical perspective, it can be viewed that social media is a good influence on people despite its negative side and hence its application is worth consideration in all areas of life; whether in political, economic or social constructs. It is up to individual efforts to control the use of social media to prevent experiencing its negative implications.

One key area illustrating the significance of social media is on advertising. Social media platforms provide countless outlets for individuals, companies, and organizations in promoting their interests (Ruths & Pfeffer 1063). The platforms may be used by multinational companies as outlets to inform the global market on the programs that they support in addition to spreading positive messages or information not covered by traditional media (Ruths & Pfeffer 1063). From an individual observation, platforms such as Facebook and Twitter have become advertisement forums whereby there are thousands of new ads being presented to the audience when one logs in. Also, ad popups appear when one is watching an interesting video on Facebook which makes it easier for advertisers to reach their target market. In other words, the platforms boost the accessibility of advertisements and hence illustrating a positive impact of social media.

A positive implication of social media on people is that it enables self-expression whereby it provides a platform where people may express their feelings, and share their opinions or views regarding certain issues in addition to sharing their art or skills (Ruths & Pfeffer 1064). A good example of social media acting as a platform for self-expression is the Me Too campaign on Twitter that included women opening up on their sexual abuse experiences and their feelings on being viewed as the weaker sex. Women from various parts of the world shared their experiences and continue to talk about the need for safeguarding womens rights. Movements such as the Black Lives Matter have also grown in terms of number and strength as a result of social media platforms. It can be viewed that social media sites provide power and unity when it comes to social issues as they provide outlets for speaking out and highlighting the evils taking place in the society. Social media platforms have made it possible to gain recognition due to their uniqueness and impressive art and skills (Ruths & Pfeffer 1064). From an individual observation, shows such as the Ellen Show by Ellen DeGeneres and Little Big Shots hosted by Steve Harvey include guests whose popularity was enabled by social media platforms. From a psychological perspective, expressing oneself tends to be a healthy human experience and hence social media sites being significant platforms.

Another positive implication of social media is that it serves as an inspirational platform for issues such as fitness and health. There exist accounts on Instagram and Facebook whose main goal is to promote healthy living styles in addition to emotional and mental development. The fact that the platforms are easily accessible makes it possible for an individual to be inspired to lead a healthy lifestyle through the information present in the sites (Ngai et.al 36).

Be that as it may, cyberbullying is one of the main negative implications of social media platforms (Ngai et.al 37). The case of Amanda Todd that involved a girl taking her life due to cyberbullying illustrate the damaging side of using social media. It is perceived that the intense usage of technology results in addiction particularly on young people. The associated view is that most people spend their time online failing in achieving important tasks on time (Ngai et.al 37). The addiction is also associated with depression and anxiety especially when an individual is desperate in receiving views on his or her pictures, videos or opinions. The sites are sources of entertainment but also present a distraction when it comes to performing day to day activities. Social media sites also propel the spread of fake news (Ngai et.al 37). Nonetheless, social media platforms are here to stay, and hence their implications cannot be avoided. However, measures may be taken, such as controlling the content being posted by young people and having programs that educate the young people on how to effectively and productively use the time that they spend in social media.

As stated earlier, from an analytical perspective, it can be viewed that social media is a good influence on people despite its negative side and hence its application is worth consideration in all areas of life; whether in political, economic or social constructs. According to the analysis, social media is a good influence in regards to advertisements, self-expression and as a source of inspirational growth. Social media exhibits negative implications, but, because of its inevitable use, the individual effort has to be employed to prevent suffering from its negative effects.

Works Cited

Ngai, Eric WT, Spencer SC Tao, and Karen KL Moon. "Social media research: Theories, constructs, and conceptual frameworks." International Journal of Information Management 35.1 (2015): 33-44.

Ruths, Derek, and Jurgen Pfeffer. "Social media for large studies of behavior." Science 346.6213 (2014): 1063-1064.