Social media is something that is around is some format 24-7 and is increasingly becoming a mainstream form of communication around the world. Part of the reason for this is the rapid rate at which technology has been developed as well in the massive increase in the numbers of people across the world who have internet access. This usage of social media has had both positive and negatives on society as a whole and in this article we will look over those as well as a general overview of social media.
What Is Social Media?
Social media is a term to describe website and channels that produce content to be shared online to the general public or just to friends/business connections. One of the key things to note about social media is many people who are on social media can adopt a fake persona or identity or alternatively not show their identity at all. This can lead to people posting messages online which they would not say or otherwise repeat in public.
The original aim behind social media as envisioned by Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg was to connect people across the world and allow them to connect with each other through the web. Since facebooks creation in 2005 the site has seen astronomical growth. It is thought that the site has over two billion active users each month that are using facebook.
The rapid growth and development of Facebook has posed questions for social media users and companies alike with many questions being raised regarding data usage , ethics , and the overall effect of social media on our day to day lifes. What is clear is that social media continues to have an important role to play in today’s society.
What Are The Negatives Of Social Media?
Whilst social media to some degree has become a popular and engaging social platform , there have been a number of negative incidents as well a reports that have highlighted the negative effects of social media overall.
One of the problems that social media has led to is a decline in mental health. Many younger people who used social media excessively had mental health problems linked with excessive social media sage. Furthermore these reports/studies questioned the ethics of facebooks and other social network sites.
Another negative about social media is that people can be very vulnerable to cyberbullying and may be affected by this feeling while offline as well.
What Are The Positives Of Social Media
As well as negatives of social media there are also a number of different positives about social media:
- Social media enables people to stay contact with friends or family that may be staying in other countries with no charge.
- Social media provides a platform for people to share their experiences at no cost
- Social media can be used as a news source and can help online communities to grow
- The number of people using social media has led to awareness about important issues through people sharing content online e.g cancer research
