Michael Parducci
9/18/21
Social Software
Professor Tusman
Setting up blog and posting a response
Social media is a computer-based technology that gives users the ability of sharing ideas, thoughts, and information through the building of virtual networks and communities. Even though social media is something we rely on throughout the years, it does have its cons. One of the major problems with social media is cyberbullying because of the effects it has such as mental health issues, increased stress, anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem. At least 5.4 million children stay home on any given day because of their fear of getting bullied. Even if the bullying has stopped it can also result in long-lasting emotional effects. Another problem with social media is that it is addicting. Like when you have your phone out, it makes you feel like nothing else is going on around you. It can also, alienate us from the relationships that we have in real life. For example, when your family wants to spend time with you like watching a movie, you would be on your phone texting or posting on Facebook instead of watching the movie with your family. It can affect your job or schoolwork such as scrolling through apps instead of studying or at work. One of the biggest problems with social media is the Fear of Missing Out (FOMO). This is a problem because it’s a social anxiety stemming from the belief that others might be having fun while the person experiencing the anxiety isn’t present. It is often exacerbated by social media sites like Instagram and Facebook. It involves a deep sense of envy and affects self-esteem. I believe that we can fix social media and reform it because social media is something that people will never stop using and should be used in positive ways. One of the ways we can fix social media is by acknowledging the issue. Like when you receive negative feedback it’s best acknowledge the issues and concerns and make up for your failure and not meeting their expectations. Another way to fix social media is to be calm and positive if people are bullying you either ignore or block them because you don’t want those type of people in your life. those type of people in your life. You can also, show off your skills or interests with social media that way you can get a job you want, or you can impress your friends and everyone using social media.
There are multiple social media sites that try to be a very good and competitive site. One of these sites is Facebook. When Facebook was created Zuckerberg (the creator) found himself in legal troubles with fellow Harvard students for allegedly stealing their idea, but in the end, Zuckerberg paid them $65 million and granted them Facebook shares as part of the settlement. Facebook is super popular in rural area since 66% of American adults use Facebook in rural areas. While Facebook is usually used to keep in contact with family and friends only 88% of Facebook users do that while others use Facebook for entertainment, news, or other purposes. Another site worth talking about is Instagram. While Instagram is a popular site, Facebook bought Instagram back in 2012 for $1 billion. Instagram is about sharing photos and Instagram is so popular that about 995 photos are uploaded on Instagram every second. The more time passes the more popular Instagram gets since its global revenue for 2020 reached $6.8 billion. Both sites are very popular and will still stick around for years to come. Even though these are great sites they do have their flaws. For Facebook one of these flaws is Identity theft. Since you share your personal information about yourself in some cases can lead to identity theft. Hackers can use this information to gain access to your other online accounts or open new accounts using your identity. Another issue with Facebook is malware and viruses. When a Facebook account is taken by a virus or malware it’ll post links and status updates to fool other users. For Instagram one of these flaws is that if you don’t have an iOS or Android phone you can’t use Instagram. While people usually have IOS or Android those who have Windows Mobile, BlackBerry or Linux won’t be able to use Instagram and enjoy since it’s a good app. Another issue with Instagram is that it has limited features. While Instagram is amazing some of these features like the Instagram campaign and the Instagram ads are only going up in prices and there are other platforms that you can use that are completely free.
I do find Jaron’s argument convincing because social media can ruin people’s lives when they should be exploring the world, meeting people in person and becoming a better person. I feel like if we quit all our accounts for 6 months, we can get to know ourselves a lot better than we ever did on social media. Jaron was very calm and collective when he gave his argument, he never said you must stay off social media forever, what he said was that it is our choice he’s not forcing us but giving us a chance to get to know ourselves and to grow our skills. I agree that social media can make us angry and irritable because in the video he mentions how Donald Trump is like this in Twitter and how Twitter is his addiction, that he’s a victim and how this could happen to anyone. He also compares social media addiction with gambling since when someone starts either of these, they have a hard time stopping. I believe that these concerns have been addressed whether it’s on YouTube or news sites like the Yahoo, washingtonpost.com, and Buzzfeed. The reason that this is still a problem today is that social media is a serious addiction that needs to be taken more seriously because if we could stop this we can continue to improve ourselves and move forward to the future.