Social Media Critical Essay

Introduction

While the roots of social media stretch deeper than we can imagine, it is only a decade ago that many people began to embrace it. Major sites like MySpace and Friendster had gained a relatively huge following though a majority of the population had no idea of the networking sites (Landry, pg 1). In 2005, Facebook had begun to spread across the globe. Most people had signed up for it but did not see its relevance until a few years later. Twitter had also surfaced about the same time but was pointless. Many years later social media had gained a huge reputation as a useful communication and marketing tool. Later on, social media would become a significant part of our modern lifestyle. Whether social media is a good or a bad thing is one of the biggest controversies in today's society. Ideally, there are two sides of the coin and this depends on our perception of how we perceive it. While many people applaud social media as a revolutionary invention other perceive it as a negative influence on the society.

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Indeed social media has become a significant part of our modern lives. Many people use social networking for communication as well as for marketing. Today's younger generation is so much into social networking that they find it difficult to comprehend how the elderly people coped in the past. They are deeply embedded in the social networking culture that they cannot conceive a world without the smartphones, internet, and social media. As a social media user, I can surely agree with the fact that social media has improved our life experiences. However, there are several shortcomings which critiques have always used to paint social networking sites as a force for evil. The following are some merits and demerits of social media.

Advantages

Immediate Access to Information

There are numerous media companies in the United States which bring to question the credibility of stories relayed. It is not surprising that most of the time we hear biased information about events. Stories of less significance are often given more airtime that real stories that affect our lives. One good thing about social networking sites such as Twitter is the immediate access to diverse information. For instance, the news about Osama Bin Laden's death spread like fire in the social media as soon as the news broke out. Other than quick access to information, social media is a rich source of contents due to so much stuff that is written and shared by people. In social media platforms, everybody is entitled to their opinion and one can only draw their conclusions about occurring events without interpretation (Landry, pg 2).

Pervasive Connectivity

Back in the days the old model phones lacked call back technology. If someone missed a call one had to try severally until the catch the receiver in real-time. Additionally, there was no technology to reveal caller ID. People relied on the familiarity of voices through a brief conversation. Where people could not communicate via phone calls letters were used to relay desired information. Unlike in the old days, today people can leave voicemails or texts on receivers' phone when they cannot catch them in real-time. Social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook has even made it easier to catch up with someone by observing their activities. Aside from privacy concerns people still this technology amusing.

Globalization

About two to three decades ago it was quite difficult to access a globally reaching platform where we could share findings or opinions regarding issues that affect mankind. Back in the 90's, it was a big deal to have one's letter published in a local newspaper. Social media has transformed how we share our information with the public. One only needs to login to their social networking sites and post whatever information they want to go public. Once the information is out there in the networking sites they can reach as far as the entire globe in a split second. Social media has become such a privilege that it has globalized our voices unlike in the past.

Growth of Businesses

A few decades ago the company's spent millions of dollars to market their brand. Large and well-established companies took advantage of this due to sufficient finances to facilitate market branding. This meant that only businesses with huge profits could have a wider reach. Today, social media has enabled small business startups to achieve global reach within a short span of time. Social media has provided a more level playing field for all businesses regardless of their sizes.

Disadvantages

Critiques have argued that social networking is a force for evil to individuals and society as a whole. Social media has twined into our lives and although we enjoy it, some of its aspects are detrimental to our mental health. While many think that social media allows us to stay connected to our loved ones studies have shown that it actually makes us feel lonelier. Merriam-Webster defines loneliness as "the state of being sad from being apart from people or company". Peplau and Perlman assert that loneliness is a contradiction between one's desired level of socialization and what one wants to achieve. Ideally, we can be lonely despite having company. Technology has increased the effects of social isolation and made us feel lonelier than ever (Ascharya, pg 1).

A research conducted by Carnegie Mellon long before Facebook was invented in 1998 showed that the increasing use of the internet is consistent with increasing cases of loneliness. This and many other findings have led to the question of whether technology actually makes us feel isolated. There is no substantial evidence to prove whether social media is the reason for growing feelings of emptiness among people. However, there is a growing consensus among people who feel that social networking sites particularly Facebook is not healthy for our emotions and relationships following its usage. Though many of us are into social media, it has been considered a casual avenue for communication. This explains why a majority of texts and messages sent through social networking sites are often ignored. There is no guarantee that our messages will be replied. Facebook can cause isolation and feeling of emptiness especially when we see our loved ones and close friends living their lives happily without our presence. This can fuel hate reading and unwanted behaviors due to feelings of inadequacy. The gap between other peoples achievement as perceived in the social media and our personal realities can make one feel dissatisfied and lonelier.

Sherry Turkle an MIT professor points out that our smartphones and social networking sites have changed how people relate to one another and themselves. She argues that while social media prioritizes control and convenience it does not facilitate genuine connection because online chatting gives us control over what we want others to see or believe. Nowadays people shy away from face to face communication to avoid keen scrutiny or being too revealing. To escape such realities we turn to electronic communication where we feel relieved from discomfort (Ascharya, pg 3).

Intimacy and connection are essential in meaningful communication. Unfortunately, social networking robs us of the opportunity of creating bonds which often requires an investment of time and the ability to maintain close relationships. Social media gives us the illusion of connectedness while in the real sense there is no intimacy and companionship.

Psychologist Adam Alter's presentation in TED talks provides an insightful illumination on the effect of technology on our lives. He asserts that technology robs us much time to an extent that it makes us miserable. He presents a fascinating theory known as "dog food" where he illustrates how many organizations do not utilize their products themselves yet they present them for consumption (Alter). Alter interestingly relates the theory to Apple Inc where the co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs confesses that actually, his kids have not used the technology and that he limits how much technology they are exposed to. This is quite contradictory to his marketing strategy where he gives all credit to his company's product. The same happens in Silicon Valley where the parents who work as high tech technology engineers do not introduce their kids to computers until they are mature enough.

Critics are correct in that indeed social media is destroying us as individuals and the society as a whole. Too much screen isn't doing us any good. We spend a great deal of time scrolling through our smartphones, tablets, and computers and this steals much of our personal time that we could instead use for recreational purposes. Technology is amazing. It is like driving at full speed on a freeway. It does not stop. We can only live meaningful lives by having some limits. No one should allow their lives to be taken over by technology. Instead, we have the keys to enjoying different aspects of life by limiting our use of social media.

Works Cited

Adam, Alter. "What makes us incessantly check our phones?" TED Talk, 14 April.2017, https://www.ted.com/talks/adam_alter_why_our_screens_make_us_less_happy?utm_campaign=tedspread&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=tedcomshare

Ascharya, Kat. "What Facebook Is Doing To Your Brain Is Kind Of Shocking.". 2Machines, 2018, http://2machines.com/184299/. Accessed 17 July 2018.Landry, T. "How social media has changed us: The good and the bad." (2014).