Social Media and How It Affects society.

Yosef M. Linn

Professor Vadon

WRT-101-020

11 March 2021

The Internet, Social Media, and How It Affects Society

The Internet is relatively young, yet it has already changed the lives of the majority of the world’s population drastically. Social media is one of the ground-breaking technologies of the Internet. For the first time in history, massive amounts of information can be sent instantaneously from one side of the earth to the other. For example, social media has spread awareness in regard to the global issue of climate change. However, my goal in this paper is to persuade the reader that social media has a negative impact on individuals’ lives because it can bring potentially worldwide and irreversible shame upon a person, younger generations have become more passive and less politically active, and extreme addiction develops in too many adolescents and young adults.

Bullying has become easier and potentially more dangerous than ever before. Online bullies can expose their victim’s sensitive information for the world to see with confidence that they will stay anonymous. Bennett explains the potential severe humiliation of online exposure in her article “The Dark Side of Web Fame”. In 2005, a young South Korean woman’s dog defecated in the subway, and she did not bother to clean it. Normally this would result in a “minor infraction”(Bennett). The incident was filmed by a bystander and posted on social media. There is no doubt that this popularity was undesired by the woman because she “was harassed into dropping out of college”(Bennett). The woman lost her future career because her actions were posted on social media (Bennett). Additionally, It is nearly impossible to discover and prosecute an Internet tormentor because “Online there are few checks and balances and no due process - and validating the credibility of a claim is difficult, to say the least” (Bennett).

Thomas L Friedman explains in his article “Generation Q” that it is important for the youth of a society to stand up and protest when necessary. He expresses in his article: “Generation Q may be too quiet, too online, for its own good, and for the country’s own good” (Friedman p. 23). The Internet has made the youth docile because they can protest from their cell phones without having to go and do it in person. It has transformed many of the youth from brave and courageous individuals into lazy and unfit idlers. Now with the pandemic, the ambition of the people has been reduced even more for fear of spreading the illness. Without Social Media to occupy the youth, maybe they would have a stronger opinion about politicians and real-world issues.

In 2013, a research team conducted a social examination of social media users. They asked the subjects to avoid social media for four weeks. Upon completion of this task, one subject said “my fingers seem to be programmed to seek out the Facebook app every time I pick up my phone” and described feeling “alone and cut off from the world”(Social Media). Another study discovered that individuals who were shown images from social media websites, for instance, the Facebook logo, “experienced brain activity similar to that seen in people with addictions to gambling or drugs”(Social Media). Additionally, the Pew Research Center found that “56% of teens used the Internet several times a day, with 24% using it almost constantly” (Social Media). It is arguable that social media creators make their websites addictive on purpose. One example of this is the infinite scrolling feature. When a person watches a movie there is a time limit but a person can scroll for an entire day.

In conclusion, the Internet and Social Media have undeniably and significantly impacted society. Social media has allowed people to communicate rapidly at no cost on a global scale but has also destroyed the lives of people who were exposed to the world of Internet defaming. Social Media has the potential to unite individuals and form protests but it has also reshaped a large portion of the youth into less productive people. Finally, the Internet and Social Media have given society the opportunity to discover almost any information that can be desired but it can be extremely addictive. A young man or woman may not want to do anything but scroll through the infinite entertainment on their cell phones. It is astonishing the number of people that can be seen crossing the road without checking for cars because their eyes refuse to leave their phone screens.

Works Cited

Bennett, Jessica. “The Dark Side of Web Fame.” Newsweek, 21 Feb 2008, www.newsweek.com/dark-side-web-fame-93505. Article. Accessed 21 Feb 2021.

Friedman, Thomas L. “Generation Q.” The New York Times, 10 Oct 2007, www.nytimes.com/2007/10/10/opinion/10friedman.html. Article. Accessed 22 Feb 2021.

“Social Media: Does social media have a positive impact on the world?” Issues & Controversies, infobase, 5 Aug. 2016, icof-infobaselearning-com.ezproxy.bergen.edu/articles/culture-and-media/social-media.aspx?sr=1&tab=1&hd=1789. Article. Accessed 22 Feb 2021.