Blog Project Assignment
Description
Social Media
New Media has many positive and
negative effects on people around the world. New Media consists of present ways
to find news, communicate with other people, share ideas and much more. Social
Media sites tend to have the largest impact on people whether it is in a good
way or not. Here is a list of the 10 ways social media has both positive and
negative effects and why people should be aware of these effects.
1.
Much of the way the news is spread is through
social media sites, which makes getting the news is much faster and easier than
ever before. According the facts on social networking over 50% of people learn
about the news on social media and some 65% of traditional media
reporters/editors use sites like Facebook for story research along with 52% of
reporters use Twitter. The facts on social networking also state that Social
Media sites are the top news source for some 27.8% of Americans, which brings it
close to newspapers at 28.8% and Twitter/YouTube users reported that the July
20, 2012 Aurora, CO theater shooting before the news could arrive on scene. The
Red Cross urged witnesses to tell family members they were safe through social
media outlets.
2.
Law enforcement
agencies in the US use social networking sites to catch and prosecute criminals
and this is very important by making it more difficult for criminals to
commit crimes. According to Social Networking some 67% of
federal, state, and local law enforcement professionals surveyed believe social
media can help solve crime more quickly. In 2011 the NYPD added a Twitter
tracking unit and has used social networking to arrest criminals who have
talked about their crimes online. One incident according to social networking
claims that when the Vancouver Canucks lost the 2011 Stanley Cup in Vancouver,
the city burst into riots. Social media was used to catch vandals and rioters
as social media site users tagged people they knew in over 2,000 photos posted
to the online.
3.
Social networking
sites help people to improve their relationships and make new friends
throughout the world. Before social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter
many people were not able to makes friends in other states or parts of the
world. Social Networking states that some 70% of adult social networking
users visit the sites to connect with friends and family and increased online
communication can help relationships. Almost 52% of teens using social media
say that using the sites has helped their relationships with friends and 88%
report that social media helps them stay in touch with friends that they do not
see regularly. Social Networking also says that 69% report getting to know students
at their school better and 57% make new friends at their school or surrounding
area.
4.
Social media helps
with political change and social media sites can give social
movements a fast no-cost way to organize/spread information and mobilize
people. According to the facts on Social Networking the 2011 Egyptian uprising,
organized mainly by social media, motivated thousands of protestors for eighteen
days of and ultimately led to the resignation of Egyptian President Mubarak on
Feb. 11, 2011. “A July 4, 2011 tweet from @Adbusters with the hashtag
#occupywallstreet started the American Occupy movement, which gained traction
in Sep. 2011 when protesters gathered at New York City's Zuccotti Park and
remained there until Nov. 15, 2011.”
5.
Many Colleges and
universities use social media to recruit and keep students enrolled. Also
Colleges and universities create social media
accounts, such as Facebook pages, twitter and youtube to keep students
updated in a way that more relates to the younger generation. This is a way
that students can find information in a more fun/easy way. Social Networking
states that 87% of colleges and universities use Facebook to recruit
students, 76% use Twitter, and 73% use YouTube. Colleges and universities also
use Facebook to increase student retention according to Social networking, sites
are also being used to give students a support system at community colleges
that which tend to be commuter based. Many students would otherwise not have a
support system or not about about one.
6.
Students who use
social media sites will tend to have lower grades compared to students who
don’t. These sites can cause students to put off studying and or homework.
According to Social Networking Students who used social media had an average
GPA of 3.06 while students who didn’t had an average GPA of 3.82. Another fact
from Social Networking students who used social networking sites while studying
scored some 20% lower on tests. Social Networking states that college students
grades went down 0.12 points for every 93 minutes above the average 106 minutes
spent on Facebook per day. This is very important because students whether in
college or in high school need to realize that social media sites can be
detrimental to there high school/college GPA. This may effect their ability to
be accepted or transfer.
7.
Social networking states
that social media sites can cause people to waste time and be less productive.
Social Networking shows that 40% of 8 to 18 year olds spend some
54 minutes a day on social media sites and 36% of people surveyed listed social
media as the "biggest waste of time," above fantasy sports (25%), watching
TV (23%), and shopping (9%). Social Networking shows that when a person gets a
notification from a new social media site, the user can take 20 to 25 minutes
on average to return to what they were originally doing. This can cause a
serious decline in productivity and our youth needs to be aware of this
statistic so they realize what they’re doing.
8.
Social media can be
dangerous to the military and journalists throughout the world. Social
Networking shows that the US Army notes that checking in with location based
services on social networking sites without the location disabled could show
where military personnel and operations are. Social Networking states in its
cons list that in 2011 a Mexican journalist was murdered by the Zetas drug
cartel because she used Twitter to report on cartel crime and also in 2011 a
blogger was found murdered by a Mexican cartel with the note "this
happened to me for not understanding that I shouldn’t report things on the
social networks." Many of these social networking sites are very dangerous
if someone doesn’t have the correct understanding of how to use these sites
without giving out their location.
9.
Social networking
sites and apps are one of the leading causes in cyberbullying. Social
Networking explains that 49.5% of students reported being the victims of
bullying online and 33.7% reported committing bullying behavior online. Social
Networking had also stated that middle school students who were victims of
cyberbullying were almost twice as likely to attempt suicide. According to ABC
News The two girls were arrested and
charged Monday night with felony aggravated stalking in the death of
12-year-old Rebecca Sedwick, who had leaped from a concrete silo tower to her
death on September, 9 2013. Theses sites and apps can play a major role in
someone being bullied and many youth believe that this cyberbullying is okay.
10. Many
times people will share music on social media sites which can hurt has hurt the
music industry. In some other cases photographers that post their pictures on
social media sites can have there pictures stolen which in turn can hurt them
financially. According to Social Networking Vogue Spain was
accused of stealing New York street photographer Sion Fullana's Instagram
photos and posting them to their own Instagram feed without acknowledging the
source. This is an reoccurring hazard from social media sites and apps. Many
people don’t realize that they are breaking the law when they post these
pictures and or music.
Works Cited
Newcomb,
Alyssa. "Teen Charged in Fatal Cyberbullying Case of Rebecca Sedwick to
Remain in Jail." ABC News. N.p., 15 Oct. 2013. Web. 10 Apr. 2014.
"Social
Networking ProCon.org." ProConorg Headlines. N.p., 12 Dec. 2012.
Web. 10 Apr. 2014.
