Social Media And Our Society

Social Media And The Influence On Our Media Driven Society

The term “social media” refers to the integration of technology into the social scene. Without even realizing it, you contribute to society and how we perceive events just by participating in services like message boards, wikis, and social networking. By using a message board, you express opinions about topics that may or may not have an important impact on social situations in the world. However, there is something of a butterfly effect here. By suggesting something in a web forum somewhere, you may in turn influence someone to write a Wikipedia entry. This could then cause someone on Youtube to post a rant about whatever topic you chose to comment on, and so on so forth. This type of domino effect creates an extremely interesting and interactive social scene. Just think - one little contribution on your part could theoretically have a major impact on society!

Social media differs from traditional media, such as newspapers, books, radio and television, because it relies on input from users. This means that the end product may be wildly different then what may appear in a newspaper or on a television show. Passive observers may take a blog post or video comment much more seriously than intended and may misinterpret the meaning behind the story. This reveals an inherent problem with the idea of social media when using the Internet. The truth of a statement online is very hard to gauge. This is because of the inherent anonymity in the Internet. I can post a thought on my blog that is clearly false or misinformed; however, there is no consequence for me because I am virtually untouchable by readers.

There is a silver lining there, however, because it removes an element of fear from reporting. By posting something online anonymously, you protect yourself from people who might disagree. This can lead to much more free expression than would be found in a face to face discussion. The impact that the social media has on the world is quite astounding. We have seen how something as simple as a Youtube clip can lead to in depth coverage of a story by traditional media. It’s also impressive how fast a statement that is made on television can ignite something on the Internet. Take, for example, a comedian such as Stephen Colbert. Colbert made a statement saying that, “anything found on Wikipedia is true” and encouraged viewers to edit the entry on the African Elephant to say that their numbers are booming and that they are now back to their optimal population level. This of course, was not true, however the entry was changed to say this in a matter of an hour or two after the episode aired. In this act, Stephen Colbert demonstrated the power of social media, and how quickly a story can spread and grow.

So while there is some danger in exploiting the power that comes with being able to comment on a news story or argue over an article from thousands of miles away, it is also leading to a much more integrated society - and extensive good can come from that.