A Quick Reference Guide
by Rose Kowalski
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| Fagen, Adam 'Texting Congress" (4/8/2013) via Flickr. Attribution-NonCommercial Share-Alike 2.0 Generic License |
Introduction
The social media debate is mainly centered around defining social networking as good or bad: some see social media and the best thing since sliced bread, others see it as a time-waster and a potential harmful influence on people.
Social media usually conjures images of Facebook and Twitter, but it has a multitude of facets - you may be using it more than you think.
Social media is a constant in today's connected life; it influences everyone who interacts with it, and can change certain groups for better or worse. A variety of these groups have increasingly been using social media to influence users.
The bottom line is that no matter who you are, if social media is part of your life, it's changing how you communicate, how you present yourself, and how you process information.
Is social media good or bad?
Individuals tend to see social media as a positive or negative influence on society.
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| Pew Research Center "Technologyuse and awareness of stressfulevents in others' lives" (1/15//2015) via Pew Research Center. |
Slate staff writer Lily Newman suggests in her blog post that
Social media allows people to keep closer tabs on most of the people they know, and just as this raises awareness of good things…, it also increases exposure to bad things... These tragedies weigh heavily, and technology users are more aware of them than nonusers.
Newman sees the connections social media creates between people as real and beneficial to users. She argues that individuals become more aware of issues affecting people that they care about over social media that they would if they were connecting in the real world.
Social media allows people to keep closer tabs on most of the people they know, and just as this raises awareness of good things…, it also increases exposure to bad things... These tragedies weigh heavily, and technology users are more aware of them than nonusers.
Newman sees the connections social media creates between people as real and beneficial to users. She argues that individuals become more aware of issues affecting people that they care about over social media that they would if they were connecting in the real world.
In his short film Look Up, spoken-word writer Gary Turk argues,
this media we call social, is anything but... All this technology we have, it’s just an illusion, / of community, companionship, a sense of inclusion / yet when you step away from this device of delusion, / you awaken to see, a world of confusion.
Turk implies that social media gives people a pretense of connection; real-life interactions with others tell you more about who they are and what is happening in their lives. He emphasizes that real world connections that can be life-changing are passed by when we choose to substitute actual connection with social media.
Our values determine how we can view social media: those who value interactions in real life tend to see social media as replacing this personal communication, while those who value any kind of human connection see how social media has made people easier to get in touch with.
How individuals view the impacts and uses of social media is all in the eye of the beholder.
When people use social media, they are in turn being used by a myriad of influencers. Businesses use social media to reach out to consumers, governments try to get their citizens involved and gauge their interests, movements are always looking for membership and support, scholars are debating and researching, and other individuals are hoping to connect and fulfill their own desires.
Scholars use social media as their own space for ongoing colloquiums. Recently, scholars have been using social media venues to collaborate, post projects, and conduct research. They also use outlets to post content, create research opportunities, and track how their content is being used. Many scholars have found that generic methods of seeing how their creations are used have become unhelpful; as social media becomes more prominent in society, it modifies how we research, cite, and use information from scholars. Academics have found it easier to use social media centered methods to keep track of their information.
Social media is a reflection of society and an influencer of society. Social media sites, apps, and programs hold the world's thoughts, beliefs, and values. We catalogue our actions for anyone and everyone to see. By sharing our beliefs and values, we can influence those of others. Not only can people cultivate change through social media sites, but social media sites can cultivate change within its users.
Social media has created a culture of openness and sharing. We can now communicate with speed and versatility in almost any format. This can lead to a gross over-sharing of obtuse details in the everyday lives of people - you know, that one person that always posts pictures of their McDonald's or Starbucks - as well as a greater connection between individuals despite their physical divide.
Overall, social media has shaped our society to become simultaneously ridiculous and phenomenal.
How will you choose to use social media?
How do we use social media?
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| JESS3 and Solis, Brian "The Conversation Prism 2.0" (8/5/2008) via Wikimedia Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Generic License |
Connect
Social media has made it possible to connect with various people, businesses, organizations, scholars, and governments. In a scholarly article about organizations and Millennials building relationships over Facebook, the main incentives behind why and how we connect are explained:
Millennials are making a conscious choice about what they want to receive when they log on to Facebook. The highest motivator for Millennials most likely lies in… the need for integration and social interaction. They are able to connect with family and friends, are able to maintain regular conversations despite distances, and they can reinforce their sense of belonging to peer groups. Further, Facebook can provide Millennials with information about their friends, about their interests and current events (Hargittai, 2007).
We all use social media to connect with friends and family. For those of us who find it difficult to blend in and connect with other people, social media can make it easier to find friends and gain a sense of belonging.
Create
Users can foster political participation, give rise to movements, and create content in social media outlets. People can use different sites to create multiple media types: GIFs, videos, blogs, interactive stories, etc. Some creations are as insignificant as a cute little doodle posted on Instragram, or a snapshot of someone's meal at McDonalds. Larger creations can be something like a national stand against terrorism.
Who can influence us?
Businesses
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| Messina, Chris "Facebook | Fare Sale" (3/28/2008) via Flickr Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic License |
Businesses see social media as a global billboard with infinite spaces and mediums for ensnaring customers. They use social media to connect with potential customers, make them identify with their brand, and influence their buying habits. When it comes down to it, businesses use social media as a tool to increase sales and spread their presence. This leads to a change in online purchasing trends and consumer use of social media.
Other individuals
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| kid-josh "Cyberbullying, would you do it?" (1/29/2012) via Flickr Attribution-NonCommerical-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic License |
Other individuals use social media to say and do things they would never be able to do in real life. The issue of cyberbullying and internet stalking has always been a contentious topic among parents and teenagers. Teens seem to be especially susceptible to the allure of power that social media can bring, because "Cyberbullying is the perfect way for bullies to remain anonymous." according to STOMP Out Bulllying. An NPR story interviewed social scientist Dana Boyd to understand why teens behave this way online: "For the most part, Boyd says, teenagers are doing online what they've always done. The difference now is that - if that teenager isn't careful - the world can see it." Cyberbullying has caused considerable trauma for kids and teens on social media. In extreme cases, this has led to suicides, depression, and self-abuse in the affected parties. Legislation has been passed in multiple states to act against this online abuse.
Scholars
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| N., Sivasothi "Twitter / aarontay:@sivasothi..." (10/24/2012) via Flickr Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic License |
Groups and movements
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| Blue, Fibonacci "Nekima Levy-Pounds at Black Lives MatterMarch" (4/17/2015) via Wikimedia. Attribution 2.0 Generic License |
Movements such as #BlackLivesMatter are taking social media by storm. The Black Lives Matter movement is centered around violent racial discrimination in the police force. They speak out against police brutality towards African Americans. This movement mainly uses Facebook to reach out to people, plan events, and connect with like-minded groups. Social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and YouTube have become major resources for most organizations that want to connect with individuals and spread their message. Social media has the power to let individuals form groups despite physical boundaries. This can lead to worldwide change.
Extremist and terrorist movements also want to spread their influence via social media. They use these platforms to connect with individuals with a main purpose of recruiting more sympathizers and extremists into their ranks. This trend may endanger the world as we know it.
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| Gillespie, John "UN Social Media Day, 2015" (1/30/2015) via Flickr Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic License |
Governments
The U.S. government alone has Facebook profiles for almost all of its departments. This includes the famous FBI Facebook account. The main reason that governments set up these accounts is to inform the public of their actions and current agenda. The fact that they are sharing this information over social media allows concerned individuals to immediately respond to governmental action and ideologies.
Why should we care?
Social media use has real and lasting effects on us - as a society and as individuals. Gil Pizano, a leader in business intelligence, explains that because of social media, "Society today is on the verge of a new way of existing that it's never experienced before."
Social media is a reflection of society and an influencer of society. Social media sites, apps, and programs hold the world's thoughts, beliefs, and values. We catalogue our actions for anyone and everyone to see. By sharing our beliefs and values, we can influence those of others. Not only can people cultivate change through social media sites, but social media sites can cultivate change within its users.
Social media has created a culture of openness and sharing. We can now communicate with speed and versatility in almost any format. This can lead to a gross over-sharing of obtuse details in the everyday lives of people - you know, that one person that always posts pictures of their McDonald's or Starbucks - as well as a greater connection between individuals despite their physical divide.
Overall, social media has shaped our society to become simultaneously ridiculous and phenomenal.
How will you choose to use social media?
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