Social Media and Society

Social media has become a giant part of today’s society. Apps such as Twitter, Snapchat, Facebook, and Instagram are a major part in communicating. People like the idea of being behind a screen because they are able to create a version of themselves that they can broadcast to the world. Social media however invades the privacy of its users. They sell the data collected from each person to third parties.  Hefernan stated “These were troll operations with a wide range of phony ads designed to fan the flames of American racism, anti-LGBT sentiment, and fervor for guns­—as well as to build opposition to Clinton.” It shows how dangerous social media really is. Ads like those make the wrong people connect and act on these beliefs. It was discovered that Facebook took money from the trolls and posted ads about Trump. Facebook realized that they were in the wrong for persuading the votes of the country. Zuckerberg states “For the ways my work was used to divide people rather than bring us together, I ask forgiveness and I will work to do better”.  I found it weird that Zuckerberg wrote “us” because he was grouping himself with the rest of society and his own creation divided his relationships. Social media has too much of an influence on society. It is not surprising that the troll ads made people vote for Trump. People look towards social media for approval and the more ads that they see, the more they want that product. The fact that ads can persuade the vote of a country says a lot, that society shifted toward a world of social media. In all of the articles, they are trying to put the blame on someone when the blame should be on society as a whole. We voluntarily make our choices based off of the influence of social media. It has effected our society both positively and negatively. It helps people connect with other people who share a common interest, it helps a person network their brand, allows people to keep in touch with old friends, follow celebrities, and it gives a voice to people who are too shy to speak up. It however puts pressure on people’s social status, can hurt a person’s self esteem, and cyber bullying can occur. We are so glued to our phone screens that we miss out on the world around us. Do you think society could last a day with no service?

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