Effects of Social Media and Social Media Networks on the Public

Introduction

The world is continuously witnessing the emergence of new technologies every day

(Lampe et al. 720). Advanced technologies and globalization are transforming the world into a

large global village with minimal boundaries. People can now talk to one another regardless of

their geographical alienation due to the emergence of social computing systems. Social media

platforms are now embedded in the modern way of life. Social media and social media networks

are enabling people to share voluminous data without using huge capital outlays. The widespread

application of social media and social networking is causing a considerable impact in the modern

society. However, only a few people know the real differences between social media and social

media networking. Therefore, this paper provides insight into the effects of social media and

social media networks on the society.

Types of Social Media

Johnston (261-273) asserts that Facebook currently tops the list of the most used social

media platforms across the globe with users spending not less than ten minutes to upload content,

download content, or converse with friends. Individual visit their accounts on a daily basis. A

large percentage of the users do not wish to lose the contacts, friendships, and relationships that

they have created in Facebook through the years. They log in to their accounts to check on these

people and wish them luck in their daily endeavors. Others hope that their interactions with the

rest of the world will create an opportunity to meet acquaintances that they have not seen or

heard from for many years. Research indicates that a sizeable populace also use Facebook to

escape loneliness, stress, and depression due to pressures of the real life.
 Twitter is another social media platform used by millions of people from different

corners of the world. Thomases (1) asserts that this micro-blogging platform is preferred by most

social media enthusiasts because it permits participants to share thoughts, links, and other

content in real life. Individuals interested in having private conversations with one another can

use Twitter because the platform supports both private and public messaging. However, users

cannot send content with over 140 characters. Celebrities like Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi,

Kim Kardashian, and others command huge following in Twitter. As a result, the platform has

enjoyed monumental success as the number of friends, families, fans, co-workers, and others

interacting with one another keeps on rising.

Instagram has demonstrated the power of image sharing and messaging social media in

recent times after storming the global marketplace despite being regarded as one the least

attractive sites because it mostly focuses on celebrity gossip and selfies. However, the business

world has embraced Instagram as marketers move to create awareness about their products by

uploading high-quality images to entice prospective customers. Snapchat is another image

sharing and messaging platform that has been embraced by the world, particularly millennials

and big commercial brands. These are the people and businesses that are using Snapchat

creatively to generate massive hype around their brands. Other social media platforms include

Pinterest, Imgur, YouTube, Vimeo, Medium, Tumblr, WhatsApp, and others.

Difference between Social Media and Social Media Network

Over the years, individuals have formed a tendency to use social media and social media

networking interchangeably because they do not understand, or possibly have no idea, that there

is a huge difference between the two. Individuals only realize the mistakes that they have been

doing once they understand the full meaning of both terminologies. One must try to define both
to gain a clear understand of how they are dissimilar to one another. Social media refers to the

different digital or rather electronic channels that allow individuals to communicate and create

content that can be shared with their virtual friends. As such, social media denotes the platforms

information, videos, ideas, and other personalized content that individuals like sharing through

platforms like Facebook, YouTube WhatsApp, Skype, Twitter, and many others.

Meanwhile, social networking denotes the act of creating and maintaining personalized,

professional, or corporate relationships with others using digital platforms. The two definitions

show that the main difference between social media and social media networking manifests itself

in their roles. Social media is a platform while social media networking is a form of engagement.

One can be using social media without having direct interactions with the other users. For

example, a social media enthusiast can upload or download content to a social media platform

without interacting with the other users. However, one must join other parties that share similar

goals, opinions, and interests if he or she wishes to enjoy social media networking.

Additionally, social media and social media networking differ when it comes to the mode

of communicating the intended message. Social media can only be viewed as a format of

delivering messages. It is a technological system that enables the users to disseminate

information. The information may be intended for other parties or not. Social media networking,

on the other hand, requires two-way communication because it is a form of engagement between

different parties. Social media networking requires all parties to contribute towards the topic

being discussed. One must raise his or her views, support, or complaints to fit into the

networking community because all share similar experiences, backgrounds, interest, or experts in

the underlying topics.

media and social media networking. Social media requires one to upload stories, pictures, videos,

and other content regularly to command a huge following. The users of social media must upload

meaningful content if they wish to command respect from other users. However, the content of

social media networking is utterly different because it requires the conversing parties to make

meaningful contribution to the underlying topics. The parties must engage in rich conversations.

Every person tries to have informative conversations with the others to gain and maintain their

support. The content of social media networking is designed to help participants to grow

professionally and personally.

Lastly, time and effort can also be used to gauge the difference between social media and

social media networking. Social media allows the users to schedule their timetables and come up

with the best timeline that suits their needs. They can upload content when they want, login to

their preferred platforms whenever they wish, and leave at their pleasure. However, social media

networking demands more effort and time from the participants. Individuals may struggle to

make schedules because the absence of one member cannot deter the other participants from

initiating discussions. Social media networking requires more commitment and dedication.

Failure to do so create the risk of losing the friendships and networks create online.

Effects of Social Media and Social Media Networks on the Public

Social media and social media networking has never and will never be accepted by all

people. Nonetheless, both the technology and the engagement that it fosters have become a

massive part of the users’ lives. Users begin their day by logging into the social media accounts

to check on their friends and end the day by wishing the same friends a good night. Social media

and social media networking is now a social phenomenon that affects nearly every member of
the society. Most people wonder whether these platforms and the activities that they inspire are

good or evil. The answer to such a question can only be determined by looking at the effect of

social media on the society.

Primarily, social media and social media networking is beneficial to the society in

multiple ways. For example, social media and social networking fosters speedy communication

between users regardless of their geographical alienation. A lot of people are finding their time

being stretched thinner by the commitments that they must satisfy every day. Some people are

the sole breadwinners in their homes while others are busy throughout the day due to work and

family commitments. Such people cannot afford to ignore social media and social networking

because they offer the only opportunity to engage in speedy and efficient communication with

the other members of the society. They can post updates to multiple social media platforms and

receive response immediately through the cross-posting technique.

For these people, social media and social media networking are the sole reasons that they

still have a connection to their society. The social member platforms enable them to keep up with

the developments happening at the community level even when they do not get time to

participate physically. They can always check social media updates of friends and see what they

have been up to during the last few hours or days. Remember that social media can also highlight

upcoming events that users may have forgotten and, hence, prompt a reaction before the event

happens. These platforms are indispensable to the users who do not get time to visit their friends

and neighbors due to other commitments.

Social media and social networking can also help users save their money by engaging in

short conversations. Even lengthy conversations do not subject the users to excessive spending.

Phone calls are shunned by most people in favor of social media posts because the former does
not allow the users to simply say what they want and hang up. Phone calls require the caller and

the receiver to engage in unnecessary pleasantries to avoid being rude to one another. They must

exchange time consuming and resource drowning banter that can be avoided through social

media chats, which often happen in shortened forms. Social media platforms like Twitter limit

the number of words that a user can send as a message at a time. Such limits force the individuals

involved in a conversation to go straight to important issues and, hence, save time and money.

Social media and social media networking also keeps people in touch with the rest of the

world (Bryfonski 167). Social media platforms allow people to interact with strangers living in

other parts of the world with confidence. It is not about keeping one in touch with the inner circle

of friends, relatives, and neighbors. On the contrary, social media technology are designed to

open up the entire world for the users. They transform the world into a smaller circle. Some users

do not have any idea about the nationality of their contacts because their interactions are no

longer based on one’s familiarity with the contacts. Social media creates an environment where

interactions are content-based as opposed to location-based.

The business aspect of the society is benefiting hugely from the massive use of social

media and social networking. Business all over the world have embraced the concept of digital

marketing in recent years. Their marketers are targeting users of social media platforms like

Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. Users of these platforms can gather, create, ad share content

information related to their favorite brands. Businesses of all sizes can take advantage of this

digital marketing technique because it does not subject them to excessive spending like is the

case with paid advertising (Zarrella 81). The marketers are assured that their products will earn a

sizeable share of the market once the users recognize and accept them.
 Individuals who try out the new products introduced to the market by marketers also

serve as brand ambassadors even though they are paid for their work. They always communicate

their satisfaction with the qualities of the new products through comments, pictures, and videos.

These users often convince their followers and friends to try out the new products through word-

of-mouth. Remember that customers can trust fellow customers more than the marketers because

the former do not have a reason to lie about the quality of the products unlike the marketers who

are obliged to push sales at all cost. Customer traffic into physical stores has increased due to the

marketers’ persistence in pushing their products through social media and social networking

sites.

Education is another key sector benefiting from the widespread use of social media and

social networking sites in the society. The emergence of the smartphone as the communication

device of choice has boosted the education sector in a huge way. Students and educators own

smartphones and laptops that allow users to install social media and social networking sites like

Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, and Skype. Tech companies have also developed numerous web

tools ad apps that offer social media for use in the educational context (Raut and Patil 282).

Faculties are using these tools to enhance communication, engagement, and learning. The

instructors direct the learners on the use of these software tools to maximize output from learning

activities.

The use of social media in teaching and learning is revolutionizing the education sector.

In particular, the use of these tools is eliminating the traditional learning setting that rarely gave

the students a chance to formulate and control their learning activities. The new method allows

the students to assume control of the entire learning process with the teacher demoted to perform

a supervisory role. The advantage of the new approach is that students are enhancing
collaboration and harmony amongst themselves. Additionally, these tools are boosting creativity

through brainstorming even when students are out of the school compound. The interactive

nature of social media and social networking tools is boosting the morale, confidence, and the

willingness of students to assume an active role in the learning process.

However, no one should make the mistake of thinking that social media and social media

networking are free of adverse effects. On the contrary, the society is suffering from multiple

impacts of the social media and social media networking. For example, a large percentage of

people have developed a false sense of connection due to their obsession with both the platforms

and the engagement activities (Raut and Patil 283). They cannot distinguish between the real

relationships that people foster in the real world and the causal interactions that they form

through digital media platforms. Users tend to devote a lot of energy and time to the causal

relationships created through digital media platforms at the expense of the real relationships that

they ought to have with their families, relatives, neighbors, and loved ones.

Social media enthusiasts never forget to remind critics of their behaviors how they have

succeeded in getting connected to their virtual friends. However, the same cannot be said about

the physical connections between the different users. Most people spend their free time indoors

conversing with their “friends” online or merely surfing the social media sites to see what has

been happening during his or her absence. These activities limit one’s participation in outdoor

activities with individuals who live nearby. The lack of physical contact with others is

deteriorating the cohesiveness of the society. People can no longer count on relatives, friends,

families, neighbors, and other members of the society because they do not know whom they are.

They no longer interact and, thus, there is no bond to unite the society.
 Additionally, social media and social media networking have introduced a new form of

crime known as cyber-bullying to the society. The immediacy created by these technologies and

the engagements happening through them are available to responsible citizens and predators.

Users with links to minority groups and other disadvantaged backgrounds are vulnerable to this

type of crime. The predators may post derogatory, demeaning, and offensive content using

anonymous accounts solely to terrorize individuals. These form of digital crime can leave huge

mental scars. Bannink, et al. (2014) posits that some victims of cyber-bullying have been driven

to commit suicide after losing their self-esteem, self-worth, and meaning for their lives.

Cyber-bullying comes alongside defamation. There are numerous times when disgruntled

friends and employers choose to vent their disappointment and frustration by speaking what they

think. Their views are often negative because they have experienced torture, discrimination,

persecution, betrayal, and other negative things at the hands of the employer or the friend. Social

media and social networking enables stories to go viral within a matter of seconds. In such cases,

these type of stories can damage the reputation of an individual or a firm. Research shows that

companies, celebrities, brands, politicians, and other members of the society have been forced to

spend a lot of resources on public relations efforts to counter allegations that can tear down their

reputation. Some victims have lost their jobs after derogatory allegations go viral forcing them to

resign or get sacked.

Social media and social networking is also accredited with increasing the cases of

stalking in the world. Individuals with malicious intention try to get close to their targets every

day. However, they cannot risk saying this using their real identities because the target may be

unwilling to accept them as friends if they have a rocky history. As a result, they are forced to

create false identities to penetrate into the inner circle of the target’s friends. Predators are also
attracted to specific preys due to the content of their social media accounts. Most users misuse

these platforms by posting photographs, videos, and personal information to the sites. The users

may “tag” these content with other identities to increase the chances of being accepted and

celebrated. However, such actions could attract the wrong people to one’s wall and initiating

stalking and other misbehaviors.

Social media and social networking could also have a negative impact on public health.

Scientists have conducted numerous fieldworks that have confirmed that there is a positive

correlation between the hyper-networking and the development of adverse health behaviors.

Hyper-networking denotes the act of spending several hours consequently interacting with

virtual friends through the Internet. The adverse health outcomes of such activities include

addiction, depression, isolation, and drug abuse (Weimann 70). The most prone groups of people

to these negative effects of social media are the youths and teenagers because they do not

consider the outcomes of their actions until it is too late. Suicide can be an outcome of social

networking in extreme cases.

The same platforms can also decrease productivity in the workplace. As mentioned

before, a large number of people are currently addicted to the use of social media platforms.

They cannot spend an hour without logging in and checking the stories trending. Others cannot

spend one hour without conversing with their virtual friends. They feel obliged to participate in

online discussions and engagements at all times. These sites and the activities that take place

online are huge distractions of workers in the modern workplace. Individuals addicted to the use

of social media may prioritize interactions with their virtual friends over their work assignments.

As a result, completion of the work assignments is always delayed leading to unnecessary

conflicts in the workplace.

The social media platforms are designed in a way that encourages people to participate in open

forums. They are required to expose their confidential information to the public. Users can post

intimate and personal details of their lives every day. The problem with this type of behavior is

that most users do not understand the danger that they are putting themselves in by exposing

personal details. They do not know how to use filters to lock out people who could have

malicious intentions. Other users simply opt to ignore the filters because they would like to

acquire fame. For example, youngsters are increasingly taking “selfies” of themselves taking

beer or performing sexy dances and posting online without knowing that such behavior could be

less attractive to prospective employers.

Conclusion

A significant number of people believe that social media and social media networking

always overlap. However, research indicates that these are two dissimilar things. Nonetheless,

both social media and social media networking can be beneficial and detrimental to the public.

For example, social media and social media networking enhances harmony amongst the masses

by fostering close interactions and the creation of solid friendships. Both can also foster

development because they give users an opportunity to interact with one another, discuss ideas,

and brainstorm leading to the recognition of opportunities for business and professional growth.

On the other hand, both social media and social media networks are threats to public safety

because individuals can assume fake identities and target others. Spying is a vice that limits the

participation of users in social media interchanges.

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