Often-times when we hear the words social media we wonder about all the things it can do for us. How it can get me a better job or how much traffic it can send to my blog.
But how often do you think, “How is social media changing the world?” Social media, often being taken for granted by the hardcore web users of the world, is affecting our world and the way we live our lives, whether positively or negatively.
In fact, social media now plays such a major role in society, it causes me to question why there are still many people who aren’t using it. They seem to have an almost hatred for it, or an unwillingness to learn.
I tend to think of those that aren’t using social media as the McDonalds drive-thru guy. Or the fry cook at Burger King. We’ll always need those types of people to do deal with the things we ourselves don;t want to deal with. Keep up the good work you!
The Negative Effects Of Social Media
I, like many others, often overlook the negative role social media plays.
Social media is known for causing something called social proof, or the bandwagon effect. All this means is that people are following others readily without really thinking for themselves.
A girl who threatens suicide online while everyone watches and urges her on may cause another to think it’s okay to kill herself. It seems socially acceptable.
How about the woman who used myspace to bully a young girl, then the girl eventually killed herself?
Social media has seen it’s share of bad. It has been a portal for those intent on causing harm to others, and an outlet for finding acceptance in harming oneself.
But in all the bad that social media may cause, it seems it causes so much more good.
The Positive Effects of Social Media
You’ve seen proof of how social media has affected the presidency. Not only with the election of Barak Obama, but that also of the presidential race.
Ron Paul did better than he would have ever done, if it weren’t for social media. CNN used Twitter and other social media outlets during presidential campaigns to better understand what the masses were thinking.
We no longer live in a world where the media can dictate what we want to hear about. Social media is giving us the chance to choose. It is becoming the way to freedom in a country where the government gains more control everyday.
Social media is also helping guys like Joe the plumber get a better paying job. It’s allowing for families to finally be able to support themselves financially when they never could before. It’s becoming more about what you know and how well you know it rather than who you are and who you know.
With social media, we all finally get an easier way to decide what we want to be doing and where we want to be doing it.
Accept it or not. Social media is changing our lives more each day. All you have to do is decide whether you want to take the blue pill or the red pill. Whether you want to do something with your life, or continue being the guy in the giant mouse costume at Chuck E Cheese’s being punched on by all those snot nosed brats.
Here’s to hoping I’ll see you on the beaches of the world!
What are your thoughts on social media in relation to our world?
Get a Gravatar
Loading ...
My name is Steven Sanders and I'm a Professional Blogger, Izea Insider, Web Designer, Social Media Enthusiast, Dad, Husband, and Friend.
I’d add more balance to the post. While I agree there are major positives of social media (and I’d add connecting with folks in other parts of the world that you would otherwise never get to meet/interact with), I can think of two negatives weren’t mentioned:
1) Social media may result in fewer “live” human interactions. It’s entirely possible that a growing # of people will communicate with people at “arm’s length,” rather than actally spending time with them in a live setting (and I think something gets lost in translation).
2) Social media also puts amateurs in increasingly important roles…and not everyone is up to the task. for instance, reporting on world events is serious business; professional ethics matter. Heavily biased views (if you don’t know that they’re actually biased) may prove problematic to the news digestive system. It’s hard to “consider the source” when you don’t actually know the source very well.
That’s my .02 anyway.
marianne oconnors last blog post..XCONOMY SEATTLE – “Calling Bay Area Investors: Seattle Entrepreneurs Want to See More of You, and Help Build Your Brand”
I find that Social Media has many positives for me. As a business owner, I may not always be able to communicate with my customers. Making myself available outside the norm of email and phone allows my customers to interact with me whether a dispute is not resolved with a CSR or simply to rave about the service. Social Media is allowing faster and instant communication around the world. The possibilities here are endless. Ultimately, it is the responsibility of each user not to abuse of cause harm.
Laura-Whateverebays last blog post..Welcome to FeedBurner
I did a research project on this very topic. My partner and I didn’t find anything conclusive– we basically came up with the same ideas you have here: it has positives and negatives. We felt like neither of those really outweighed the other.
Our main points were: social media facilitates interactions and relationships that might not otherwise exist, giving people the opportunity to be in touch with or stay in touch with people they normally wouldn’t. Bonds are formed, even if they aren’t based on physical proximity.
On the other hand, it (of course) diminishes the amount of physical contact and face-to-face interactions, which feels like devolution.
Would it really diminish the amount of physical contact? You still have the same amount of physical contact with those you’ve already had physical contact with. By reaching out to others via social media, you meet others you never knew, but would you have ever met them outside of social media?
While there is somewhat of a disconnect between online friends vs. physical friends, I don’t see social media causing you to lose touch with those physical friends.
If there is anything I have experienced from Social Media it’s that online friends often find ways to meet each other off-line.
When you spend more time with online friends v. physical friends, or more time networking with social media tools than in the real/physical world.
I also feel like it decreases the need for physical friends (the ones you already knew) to have real-life conversations with one another. I can’t count the times my friends start to tell me stories and I have to stop them because I’ve already read it on their blog.
I don’t think it’s possible to argue that technology doesn’t reduce the amount of face-to-face interactions necessary in a person’s life: online bill-pay, drive-thru windows, iPod buds constantly in your ear so you don’t even have to acknowledge anyone else’s presence, send a text rather than call, call rather than visit, etc.
I use it and love it, but I do think it’s socially/psychologically degenerative.
While I agree with Marianne that there is always the danger of Social Media aiding in a more secular society & less “live” interaction, I have actually found the opposite to be true.
On Facebook I have reconnected with several friends from High School and we have planned an impromptu reunion of sorts in a few weeks when we will all be in town. And just yesterday I attended a Tweetup where several Twitterers from the Orlando area met downtown for lunch.
So, what I see is a greater chance to interact and connect with people and maybe it’s our preconceptions about relationships and their boundaries that need to change.
However, I completely agree that Social Media does allow anyone with a keyboard to proclaim themselves an “expert” on something and most of them are full of –searching for appropriate phrase– hot air.
Carri Brights last blog post..Bok Tower, Lake Wales Florida
Something that recently hit me over the head WRT facebook is the fact that people in their 30s will friend their children and then also be friends with people who leave NC-17 rated comments on pictures, etc. I’m talking about statements that I would kick somebody out of my house over. It’s not cool.
Martin Higginss last blog post..Hoarding/Cluttering and Compulsive Eating Help
Wow, I never realised there was so much bad stuff in relation to scoial media, have these people who get bullied not heard about blacklisting?
Great post, Social Media is going to completly overhaul the internet in 2009.
webdesi3s last blog post..Tutorial: Change your Blog’s Header
social media works.