Blog 08

Social Media includes websites or applications that enable users to share content, communicate, network, and collaborate with each other.

In July 2012, Americans spent 121.1 billion minutes (2 billion hours) on social media alone. 

If Facebook were a country, it could be the third largest country in the world. 

Over 5 million Facebook users are under the age of 10. (Forbes)

GOOD

News

•    It overpowers radio, TV, newspapers, etc.

•    Back in the day you had to wait for tomorrow’s newspaper or tune in to the TV or radio to hear breaking news. Now through Twitter, Buzzed, and Snapchat you are able to know what’s going on in the news the minute it happens.

•    This makes us more globally aware and knowledgeable citizens. 

Education

•    Canvas SJSU- see grades, talk to professors and students, comment on assignments, and be able to access educational resources.

•    Through social media, both students and professionals are able to conduct research with a wider audience to challenge each other’s thoughts and ideas.

•    It enhances campus involvement because students know what’s going on with events and clubs on campus.

Campaigning

•    It raises awareness, gives voices to people, and promotes social movements.

•    Once something goes viral it can reach millions of users.

•    Crowd funding/ Crowd surfing such as sites like GoFundMe can raise up to millions of dollars for charities and fundraisers that go to good causes.

•    #BlackLivesMatter movement is raising awareness for the injustice towards African Americans

•    Justin Bieber was discovered on YouTube at age 12 and now his new album Purpose has been the fastest album to reach 1 billion streams because of social media.

•    LGBT community have more of a voice on social media, it makes them feel as if they are not fighting alone.

•    People with common interests can connect on social media. It doesn’t matter how old you are, what you look like, or what you do. 

Business

•    There are conference calls, business meetings, and interviews done through Skype and video chat sessions. This saves money and enhances productivity in the workforce. 

•    LinkedIn is a professional social network that helps recruiters find employees specified to their qualifications. 1/6 job seekers find their job through social media.

•    There are social media guidelines set up to make sure the employees and company is well represented.

•    Job stimulation- There are now positions such as Social Media Specialist, and people are making tons of money through YouTube and social media sites through sponsors. 

•    Local businesses use social media like Yelp to advertise their business.

•    Economy- McKinley Global Institute study showed that it can help the economy up to $1.3 trillion. 

•    Facebook made up to 4.5 million jobs.

Personal Relationships

•    People are able to stay connected with their loved ones from across the globe. 

•    They are enabled face to face interaction.

•    You can build relationships with new people- Match, Tinder, etc.

•    It connects people, builds relationships between industries and communities, bringing the world together as a whole. 

BAD

Too much information

•    This can lead to false and misleading information with unreliable sources.

•    they can share our perception because big corporations pay for users to have a certain political view or show false advertisements and sponsorships.

Education

•    Most students are too distracted in class and they are on their phones or laptops scrolling through social media.

•    Emerging Adulthood Social Media study showed that 20% of grades, gpa, test scores lowered for active social media students. 

•    There are also more opportunities for cheating.

•    Copyright rights are violated.

Eric Pickersgill- photographer who had a project called “Removed” to show people’s addictions to their phones and social media. Instead of connecting people, it separates them.

Safety

•    You don’t know who’s behind the screen

•    When something goes viral, it never leaves the internet and it can damage someone’s reputation forever.

•    Cyberbullying leads to suicide deaths

•    Sexting leads to criminal charges.

◦                     underage

◦                     workforce

◦                     teacher and student

•    Inappropriate relationships

◦                     Cheating leads to divorce

◦                     Catfish

•    People take it seriously if relationships are not Facebook official.

•    Opens doors for fraud and scams.

•    140 million fake Facebook accounts. 

•    43% of children under the age of 12 have messaged strangers.

Health

•    Lack of face to face interaction and increase of narcissistic tendencies 

•    Immediate rewards with little effort releases dopamine and brain scans have showed that it has the same brain impairments as drug addiction

◦                     psychological addiction, not substance addiction

•    No multitasking- it affects attention, emotion, and decision making

•    Nervous system- Can’t commit to information to memory

•    Phantom Vibration Syndrome

◦                     Itch is perceived to brain as a false vibration or ringing of phone

Distraction from present moment

•    When you wake up, you check your phone.

•    When you go to school, you’re scrolling through Facebook.

•    When you eat, you take a picture of your meal. Filter it, then caption it, and #hastag

•    When you’re home, you watch Netflix and scroll through social media..

•    It’s a cycle between social media accounts.

•    You have hundreds and thousands of followers but how many do you really catch up with and connect with? You probably don’t have a conversation with them or catch up with them because you know where they are and what they are doing through social media.

•    It alters your self- worth

◦                     You get happy when people like your pictures-

▪                                       Releasing dopamine- causing addiction

•    You release your anger on social media instead of talking it out with someone face to face.

◦                     Feeds are filled with negativity.

◦                     There will always be a hater.

•    First there was no face to face conversation because of text, and now words aren’t even being exchanged, emojis are explaining feelings

•    Party? Snap it.

•    Hiking? IG it.

•    Wedding- filled with photographers and videographers

◦                     You forget to live in the moment and understand that a wedding is a celebration of love between two people.

•     You’re too busy trying to capture the moment than live in it.

Opinion

•    There is always a choice- a good and bad side to things, especially with social media.

•    But since there is so much daily exposure to social media, you can’t really help but become addicted to it.

•    It has psychological and emotional effects to our health.

•    There’s so much information being spread that it’s supposed to connect us, but we actually lose ourselves and get separated. 

•    There are campaigns and news to inform us, but it creates biases and pressures to pick a side.

•    Our minds are being controlled instead of educated.

•    We know more about where you friend is at, what they ate, and what they are doing than to what really goes on in the world.

•    Social media was made with good intentions, but is becoming a destructive addiction.