Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Blog Project

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.

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