Social Media in View
According to Aristotle, humans are social animals. It is for this singular fact that people have the natural tendency to socialise. In this context, to socialise basically means to interact with others. Now, interactions take different forms, depending on the medium of communication adopted. They could be oral, written or nonverbal. Interactions are also meant for different purposes ranging from business transactions to gossip, strengthening relationships and persuasion.
The social media therefore appears as a veritable tool to meet this much desired communicative need among humans.
In the ancient and recent past, communication has mostly been a physical act wherein the participants involved interact with each other on a face-to-face level. Although other modes such as drawings/paintings, signal fires, acting, hieroglyphics, telegraph and facsimile were also employed, the most effective still remained physical interaction.
In the present day, however, social media has come in handy in making more effective the communicative process (generally speaking) in a way and measure that the world has never known.
In this article, a lot about social media will be discussed. First and foremost, the term social media will be duly defined. Following this will be an insight on the evolution of this controversial phenomenon. From here, we shall be looking at the benefits of social media to users and the world at large. Finally, the spotlights will be shed on the negative sides of this recent innovation. So, stay calm, relax and join me on this adventurous journey into the world of social media.
What is Social Media?
Due to the myriad of stand-alone and built-in social media services in existence, defining the term social media becomes more difficult. However, for the sake of clarity, a definition shall be given.
According to wikipedia, social media are interactive computer-mediated technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, career interests and other forms of expression via virtual communities and networks.
Social media comes in different forms, based on their purpose and the common needs they tend to meet among users. These forms include Social Networking Media (e.g. Facebook, LinkedIn), Microblogging Media (e.g. Twitter), Photo Sharing Media (e.g. Instagram, Snapchat, Pinterest), Video Sharing Media (e.g. YouTube, Facebook Live, Periscope, Vimeo), Discussion Sites (e.g. Reddit, Quora) and Community Blogs such as Medium and Tumblr.
Other social media platforms which are manipulated for a variety of purposes include WhatsApp, QZone, Viber, Tik Tok, Discord, WeChat and lots more.
The Evolution of Social Media
The existence of similar phenomena to social media dates back to a few years back. In a bid to bridge the hiatus in communication that existed between persons over wide expanses, certain innovations were introduced. These include written correspondence delivered by hand which metamorphosed into the mail system, telegraph, the pneumatic post, radio and telephone.
Among these, those which stand tall are the radio and telephone which were both birthed in the late 19th century. With the proliferation of these new media, the communication process became generally more efficient and the pace for the emergence of social media was being set.
In the wake of the twentieth century, technological advancement became more rapid and the first super computers were invented in the 1940s. After this stellar achievement in the world of technology, scientists and engineers started carrying out research on the possibility of creating networks between these computers. This noble venture later metamorphosed to become the Internet as we know it today.
The early forms of social media – the PLATO system – were developed at the University of Illinois in 1960 but were later commercially marketed by Control Data Corporation. These led to certain innovations in coming years such as Notes, PLATO’s message, TERM-talk, Talkomatic (most likely the first online chat room), News Report (an online newspaper and blog) and Access Lists which enabled the owner of an account access to a certain set of users.
Primitive forms of email were also developed during this period.
This networking technology got better in the 1970s. In 1979, for example, UseNet which allowed users to communicate through a virtual newsletter was invented. Home computers became a common phenomenon in the 1980s and social media became more sophisticated. Internet Relay Chats were used initially in 1988 and their popularity did not decline even in the 1990s.
Six Degrees the foremost acknowledged social media site came into being in 1997. It was used by people to upload a profile and make friends with other people on the site. The first blogging sites such as Links.net created by Justin Hall in 1994 as a place to publish his writing became more commonplace and this brought about a social media sensation that is still very much alive today.
In the course of time, particularly in the early 21st century, the popularity of social media reached its peak. Platforms such as Windows Messenger, LinkedIn, MySpace, Flickr and Photobucket, a photo sharing site got a lot of users in the wake of their launch. The advent of YouTube, the video sharing and viewing site in 2005 created an entirely new way of bettering communication among people across great distances.
In 2006, platforms like Facebook and Twitter became prominent social media sites worldwide. Till today, their prominence remains unwavering. Other sites such as Tumblr, Spotify, Foursquare and Pinterest started emerging in a bid to meet particular social needs among the teeming netizen population.
Presently, there is an explosion of social media sites such that it becomes an onerous task to either keep track of them or regulate them. Most of these sites provide users with access to a variety of people and information. The creation of more sites with new features to aid interaction among human beings is something we will experience more often in coming years.
The Importance of Social Media
The social media has come to stay among us. Whether we like it or not, it has become an integral part of our quotidian existence. With the help of social media, we can now partake in numerous activities that would have otherwise proved difficult or impossible. So this twenty-first century innovation has generally contributed in no small measure to improving many aspects of our lives. The following therefore are some benefits of social media in today’s world:
1. Helps Build Relationships
One of the fundamental benefits of social media is their ability to build and strengthen relationships of various kinds. Business associates, members of a community, political affiliates and even adherents of the same religion can easily identify with one another on different social media platforms. This in effect aids important information dissemination amongst members of the group.
A typical example is the WhatsApp Group feature on WhatsApp. Also, even though it is argued that friendship online does not translate to real friendship, many people have gotten into meaningful relationships with the aid of social media. Some have even found their partners on an online platform. What’s more?
2. Self Education
Among the myriad of things that get uploaded online, educational materials are not excluded. So one who prudently uses social media has a lot to gain as regards getting educated on various topics of interest. This could be achieved through different means, depending on the particular site in question.
For example, on Twitter, one needs to follow people who they trust to tweet intelligent stuff which would be of immense benefit to them while on Quora, questions are asked and intelligent answers are given by experts in the field around which the question asked is domiciled. This goes a long way in helping one become more enlightened and informed about a variety of topics as well as current happenings in their locality and around the globe.
3. Helps in Getting Assistance
These days, social media serves as a means through which many get help of different kinds. Monetary assistance, useful advice and other necessary information are sometimes gotten from total strangers. There have also been cases where people got a job offer after having posted their Curriculum Vitae or its equivalent online.
4. Quick Access to Information and Updates
One beautiful thing about the Internet and indeed social media is the fact that it has enabled us to have information of all sorts at the tip of our fingers, just a click away. One can even view the livestream of an ongoing event. This is the extent to which social media has contributed in ensuring that new pieces of information and updates are not far from us.
5. Helps Government and Other Agencies to Fight Crime
Social media platforms normally request for a profile for the user. With the help of social media therefore persons who indulge in criminal activities, especially cybercrime and the like can easily be traced and tracked down by the government and crime fighting agencies.
6. Improves Business Communication
Many business enterprises today are leveraging on the massive opportunity that social media affords to have a more consistent relationship with clients. Advertisements of products, the announcement of the existence of new products and many other important information could be easily shared to clients and potential clients via social networking sites.
7. Ability to Reach a Large Audience
Given the large population of social media users, it has become expedient for persons and groups to use these online platforms as trusted tools to pass important messages across as they are assured of getting a large audience. For example, there is almost no media house that does not have a social media handle or page.
8. Utilized for Noble Causes
The social media is also used by people and groups such as NGOs to propagate and enhance some noble venture they have embarked upon. They could also seek financial and other forms of assistance from willing persons online.
9. Aids the Involvement of Youths in Politics
Since instant news updates of all kinds can be read online, the youths, inevitably, have now become actively involved in the political affairs of their country. These days, heated political discussions on social media platforms such as Twitter, especially among young people, are not uncommon.
10. Source of Entertainment
The fact cannot be denied that social media also provides entertainment to users. Apart from the aforementioned benefits, many people tend to turn to social media in a bid to relax from the regular numbness and fatigue associated with work. Stuff like memes, skits and funny pictures help to achieve this.
Disadvantages of Social Media
Having looked at the perks of being a social media user, we now focus on the other side of the coin. This is as regards the plethora of negativities associated with social media usage. Here are a few:
1. Addiction
It is a known saying that too much of everything is bad. This is in no way unconnected to social media usage. There is the danger of getting too engrossed online to the extent that one’s personal life becomes affected in a lot of ways. Laziness, procrastination, distraction and time wasting are just a few of the multiplier effects of social media addiction. In fact, there have been rehabilitation programs organized in recent times for social media addicts in a bid to curb this menace.
2. Fraud and Other Nefarious Activities
Since the inception of social media, occurrences of getting defrauded and scammed have been on the high side. People now perpetrate these acts easily as they can now hide under the anonymity that the Internet affords them. Also, terrorist groups such as ISIS use social media as a tool to persuade people to accept and even join their cause.
3. Cyberbullying
Bullying is a phenomenon that has always been a cause for worry over the years, especially as it happens more often among youths. With the existence of social media now, the act has been transported to the online space. People write and utter all sorts of atrocious and demeaning words against others in a bid to attack them for one reason or another. The concept of hate speech has also become a worrisome trend online.
4. Heath Challenges
As strange as it might sound, the fact that excessive use of social media causes some health problems is not debatable. Some of these health challenges include poor eyesight as a result of its constant exposure to the blue light, sleep deprivation and sometimes, an increased feeling of social isolation which might ultimately lead to depression. The last point sounds ironic but nothing has been closer to the truth.
Excessive use of social media makes one attached to their device, in the pretext of having friends online who do not necessarily translate to actual pals.
5. Could Be Expensive
Social media use, especially for business purposes, could be financially demanding. Managing one’s online presence, responding to feedback and producing new content could become burdensome and one might even be forced to hire a staff in this regard.
6. Security Issues
One could be at a huge risk in one too many ways based on an online comment made on a particular sensitive topic. This is why one has to be careful of what one says alone because one might not know whose toes one might be stepping on in the process.
7. Detrimental to Relationships
In as much as the social media helps to build relationships, if not utilized properly, it could actually make them go haywire. These days, we see cases of partners spending more time online (even when together) than they do with each other.
8. Moral Decadence
This is common among young people who are active online. They are most often enticed by certain ignoble videos and graphics posted online and begin to emulate the inappropriate acts promoted by these posts such drug abuse.
Conclusively, it is pertinent to remind ourselves of the fact that social media has come to stay. According to statista, it is estimated that there are around 2.77 billion social media users worldwide, an increase from 2.46 billion in 2017. It is therefore not unexpected for this new innovation to constitute a nuisance in our ever advancing world. In view of this, the onus lies on us to utilize it in a way that is beneficial to the common good so as to achieve desirable results.
*All images are sponsored by pixabay, free for commercial use and no attribution required.
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