With new technology and the ability to have almost everything right at your fingertips, smart phones have become increasingly popular over the last ten years, along with the rapidly growing population of social media users. It continues to be the number one reason people go online. Whether it be for news, socializing, or controversial, online debates, the numbers continue to increase.
Reshaping The News
Many big news sites such as CBS, NBC, and ABC, as well as newspapers are losing viewers to social media and online news sources. Instead of waiting for a certain time to watch the news on television, it is easily accessible at anytime on a smart phone through different apps. According to a study on 2014, Facebook was the number one source of news for U.S. adults, compared to the twenty three percent of Americans who still have a subscription to a print newspaper.
Ad Age Content Strategy Studio. "Mad Tech: Digital Transforms Marketing,
Media in the '90s." Advertising Age, 7 May 2015, adage.com/article/adobe/mad-tech-digital-transforms-marketing- media-90s/298477/. Accessed 20 Nov. 2016. |
Staying Connected
Keeping in touch with old friends is almost impossible; calling or texting eventually deteriorates along with writing emails and sending other mail. With the use of social media, friends and family all over the world can stay connected by messaging, posts and pictures. Not only does it allow for friends across the world to keep in touch, social media lets families with deployed members talk to eachother. Letters have been used to write to families overseas since the 1800s. While handwritten is more heartfelt, emailing, direct messaging, facetime or skyping is more secure and instant. Other networks like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram create a virtual world to show love and support through humor.
The Murphy family who uses Skype and Facebook to stay connected to husband Thomas in Iraq.
Chalmers, Mike. "Social media allow military families a deeper connection." USA Today, 12 Nov. 2011,
usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/military/story/2011-11-28/military-deployment-social-media/51349158/1. Accessed 7 Jan. 2017.
usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/military/story/2011-11-28/military-deployment-social-media/51349158/1. Accessed 7 Jan. 2017.
Negative Effects of Social Media
Negative social media stories: |
Madison Holleran was a sophomore at the University of Pennsylvania on scholarship to run track. From her social media accounts, it is nearly impossible to see anything wrong. She looked happy with her friends, family, athletics and school. But on January 17, only nineteen years old, she took her life. No one could tell that she was putting immense pressure on herself and wasn't happy with her life. Her suicide was shocking for everyone close to her. No one could see the holes in her life from her media accounts. Stories like Madison's are happening all over the country with social media. It can be a great tool to share the best moments with friends and family, but by only showing the good parts in someone's life can be misleading. Someone seeing their profile could think their life is perfect and they don't have any problems because they only share their favorite, happy moments. |