Impact of Social Media to Society - Research Paper

Introduction

In the era of networking, the internet has made the way people communicate and interact to be revolutionized (Steinfield et al. 115). Today, Proliferation in social networking has caused people to move on from waiting days and weeks to receive. Besides, sending letters through postal addresses is being phased out with email services. People stay in contact with friends and relatives through numerous social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, Instagram, Myspace, etc. The corporate world has not been left behind too as employers use social media sites to do background checks before they decide to hire or fire employees (The Society for Human Resource Management).

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Further, the most valued internet companies are social networking sites (Steinfield et al. 116). Therefore, it is difficult to overlook the impacts social media has had on society. This paper focuses on different ways the society has been influenced by social media both positively and negatively. It dwells on both social, political and economic effects of social media.

The email services were the main contributor to internet popularity among people. Previously, people had to wait for days or weeks to receive a letter from their friend, relatives or organizations. With the internet, people could receive an email instantly from any part of the world. Afterward, websites started to integrate visual and audio elements to improve the user experience. Technologically oriented entrepreneurs aimed at bringing people closer by developing sites that would offer instant messaging, photo sharing, multiplayer gaming, e-commerce, among other services. Later, the invention of internet-enabled handheld devices meant that any person with basic knowledge of Internet-related applications could use their devices at their convenience. These initiatives have revolutionized social networking. Today, the internet has become an absolute necessity for many people (Steinfield et al. 116).

Social Impacts

People can now stay connected using the internet. Geographical location of recipients is no longer a concern. There are hundreds of social media sites across the world that connect people with Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Myspace the commonest. Consequently, humans socialize have been impacted by the widespread embracing of social media. Even though social media focuses on building relationships among people who share interests, some users are open to all (Green; Steinfield et al. 115). People form profiles where they provide their information.

People in these sites they chat and stay in touch effortlessly. Social media has provided a level field for people to meet and interact regardless of a person's personalities (extrovert or introvert), or location (Steinfield et al. 115). People tend to be closer to each other by sharing interests, likes, dislikes, hobbies, etc. despite being physically far apart.

According to Green, social media has made "lightweight surveillance" possible. Since it is difficult to be in touch with every friend all the time, some resort to social media sites to be updated. Status messages and regular updates on social media platforms make it possible.

Social networking has negative effects on society. Social media changes people, not just their actions but also what they are according to Sherry Turkle. People tend to keep a distance to people who are close to them and end up befriending stranger on social media sites (Green). To some it easy to post a tweet a message to their followers but refuse to pick a call from a family member. Social media has created an illusion of companionship with no demands of friendships (Steinfield et al. 128).

According to the Society for Human Resource Management, Communication styles have also been altered. Microblogging sites such as Twitter have made writing to be more concise. For instance, instead of writing 'laughing out aloud' people opt for 'LOL.' This is not a good practice as it corrupts language. Also, abbreviations are getting preference over the full word; for instance, 'b4' for 'before.' Younger generations are adopting these styles before becoming proficient with the language.

Even though social media has increased the opportunities to socialize, some are becoming obsessed with these sites so much that they forget important events in their lives. People are busy on social media sites trying to compose perfect tweets, or documenting events for their social networking friends ignoring special people and events in real life. Some vent out their relationship woes or private information. This adverse effects beyond personal control among them cybercrimes (Green; Steinfield et al. 129).

Studies indicate that social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook have caused more addictions in the United States than alcohol or cigarettes. People are hooked to online friends so much that they cannot find time to meet and talk to their neighbors. Children are addicted to video games and computer screens. Besides, some tend to suffer from depression or become violent when they are denied access to social media (Steinfield et al. 126).

Political Impacts

Mobile and social media technologies have accelerated the rate which relationships develop. People can share information and influence others. Social media has been used to topple political regimes due to information sharing between friends. Movements such as the Arab Spring and the Occupy have been formed by rallying crowds using social media. They organized protests and boycotts efficiently. Political figures, organizations both profit and non-profit such as advocacy and charity groups coordinate and mobilize their supporters through social media (Green). A single post or tweet can be trending within minutes globally.

According to Green, there are many aspects of terrorism starting from communications, recruitment of members, and attacks that have been changing due to the development of social media platforms. These groups are using internet technology and social media to pass their perverted propaganda and ideologies, recruit new members, and justify their violence. Although one-on-one interactions and personal connections remain the recruitment tactics, digital platforms act as amplifiers for these recruitments. Also, the widespread use of social media has made it difficult for security agencies to isolate violent extremist threats from harmless noises on the internet.

Economic Impacts

Today, the most valued internet companies are social networking sites (The Society for Human Resource Management). Investors are finding interest in social networking technology due to its worldwide importance. Globally, social media is not just being used personal benefits but also by organizations for social media screening. Employers are using social media sites either for publicizing job vacancies or conducting background checks on the candidates to confirm if they qualify for the position. Besides, organizations are using social media sites to check on current employees.

Although there is dividing opinions on the matter, most companies are adopting it. In 2018 CareerBuilder survey showed that 70 percent of employers screen potential employees using social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram among others.

Companies use social media screening as a precaution technique when hiring or monitoring current employees. (The Society for Human Resource Management). For instance, the reputation of a company can be ruined if an employee posts unethical content on social media. When a nurse employee posts patient's information online, it violates the Federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.

Therefore, by looking into the profile of employees, such occurrence can be prevented. Another reason for doing background checks using social media is to dig more information about the candidate beyond what is provided in the resume.

The adverse effect of the technique is that a qualified candidate may be denied a job based on unrelated information found on social media sites. Most information posted on social media is personal preferences, hence unethical to discredit a candidate a position based on such information. Besides, a company may miss out on a qualified applicant. However, social media users should be mindful of the content they post online. Deleting hateful, unethical, racial content or deleting the profile is not the solution as some employers refuse to contact candidates who are not active online as they assume they are hiding something.

Conclusion

Social media has been influential as a mode of communication. It has made interactions to be easy regardless of the personalities and geographical location of the users. This has led to social, economic and political effects to society. People can stay close to their friends, chatting effortlessly. Organizations use it for the screening of employees and applicants. Political figures and other groups can use it to gather and mobile people for a common goal using a single post. However, social media also has adverse effects on society. People are incapable of engaging in physical interactions, developing different identities online creating room for cybercrimes, addictions among other concerns. Therefore, social media has both beneficial and detrimental effects on society.

Works Cited

Green, S., N. "Do we need a new strategy to prevent terrorist attacks on the United States?" Centre for Strategic and International Studies, 2016, www.csis.org/analysis/do-we-need-new-strategy-prevent-terrorist-attacks-united-states

Steinfield, C., Ellison, B., N., Lampe, C., and Vitak, J. "Online network sites and the concept of social capital." Frontiers in New Media Research, 2012, 115-131.

The Society for Human Resource Management. "Using social media for talent acquisition: Recruitment and Screening," 2017, www.shrm.org/hr-today/trends-and-forecasting/research-and-surveys/pages/social-media-recruiting-screening-2015.aspx.