Social Media Influence coursehero
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Feb 20, 2024
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docx
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Social Media Influence
Social media is one of the most significant technologies to date because of its design and goal to better life as people know it, now and in the future. Social media has increased communication and has had a good impact on sharing, streaming, education, enterprises, and many other areas. While social media may be used for good, it can also have a detrimental impact on what people purchase, how they act, and what they think. Personal Data and Behavior
With social media platforms being a part of evolving technology, they have the capacity
to forecast human personalities and have access to more information about a user than their relatives and friends do. Social media sites like Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, TikTok, and other major corporations gather information from users' posts, likes, and searches on Google, as well as from their devices, which is used to deduce hidden traits (Wake, 2017). Big data firms gather the information and create personas for each user to ascertain the individual's preferences, gender, age, and other details. Once businesses have all the data, they develop a computer-based personality and sell it to advertisers, who can tailor their ads to the user's preferences
(Wake, 2017)
. In turn, users are influenced to make purchases or do certain things based on their tailored ads. Privacy Issues
The main method platforms endanger users' privacy is through the gathering and usage of
personal data on social media. Platforms collect a lot of information on their users, which may provide for a better user experience, but can expose individuals to dangers and drawbacks. An illustration of this is the consulting firm Cambridge Analytica, which used the personal data of more than 50 million Facebook users to impact the 2016 United States Presidential election
(Tulane University, 2023)
. Many users were alarmed by this, which made them reevaluate their interactions with social media and wonder if they still had control over their own data. The repercussions of sensitive data getting into the wrong hands can be disastrous. Impact on Social Media
Over the past ten years, social media's influence on society has exploded. Only five percent of American people were said to use social media platforms in 2005; today, that percentage is closer to 70% (A
llen, 2019). Historically, communication was mostly one-to-one or one-to-many, with information spread by media outlets like television and newspaper. Communication has become more engaging and faster thanks to social media. People can now instantly obtain feedback after expressing their ideas and experiences to a global audience in real time
(New York University, 2023)
. This has enabled interactions between individuals to an extent that previously was not feasible. Benefits and Disadvantages
When social media initially became popular, it transformed connection and communication. Social media now helps people broaden their social networks and stay in contact with distant friends and relatives. Social media has allowed users to access and share quality information on education, by allowing people ask questions, find articles, discuss topics, and much more to gain a better understanding of a subject
(Allen, 2019)
. Platforms can also help people learn about themselves, meet new people, feel a sense of belonging, and gain an appreciation of different perspectives. The benefits to social media are endless and allow everyone’s creative minds come together and create an amazing environment. Despite social medias many benefits, it has also negatively impacted people’s lives. Some of these implications stem from mental health, physical health, personal privacy, and
democratic setup. Social media can lead to a distorted view of reality since people only post the best moments of their lives, which can lead to mental health issues. In the same respects, overuse of social media can lead to a sedentary life which increases chances for eye strain, obesity, and poor posture
(Brainpulse Technologies, 2023)
. As previously indicated in this article, one of the primary downsides of social media is the influence on personal privacy, whether through data theft or online frauds. Finally, social media may undermine democracy by propagating false information that might impact public opinion
(Brainpulse Technologies, 2023)
.
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References
Allen, S. (2019). Social media's growing impact on our lives
. Retrieved from American Psychological Association: https://www.apa.org/members/content/social-media-
research
Brainpulse Technologies. (2023). Disadvantages of Social Media
. Retrieved from LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/disadvantages-social-media-brainpulsetechnologies/
New York University. (2023). The Influence of Social Media on Modern Society
. Retrieved from The NYU Dispatch : https://wp.nyu.edu/dispatch/the-influence-of-social-media-on-
modern-society/
Tulane University. (2023). Key Social Media Privacy Issues of 2020
. Retrieved from Tulane University: https://sopa.tulane.edu/blog/key-social-media-privacy-issues-2020
Wake, C. (2017). 3 Ways that Social Media Knows You Better Than Your Friends and Family Do
. Retrieved from Loyola University Maryland: https://www.loyola.edu/academics/emerging-media/blog/2017/3-ways-that-social-
media-knows-you-better-than-your-friends-and-family-do