Social Media - Advantages & Disadvantages

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Over the past 20 years, information and communication technologies have undergone fast transformation, with the introduction of social media being a significant advance.

Change is occurring faster than ever. An important factor in determining the impact of social media, for instance, has been the advancement of mobile technology. When it comes to the overall number of internet minutes worldwide, mobile devices rule. Everybody now has access to the means to connect at any time, from any location, via any device.

Why do people Share Information?

Participants in a fascinating study by the New York Times Consumer Insight Group identified several reasons for sharing information on social media. To name a few, these include the need to define oneself, build and nurture relationships, and spread the word about products and causes they find appealing or worthy.

Due to these elements, social media platforms have changed from being a convenient way to stay in touch with friends and family to being utilised in ways that have a meaningful impact on society.

Politics, business, global culture, education, jobs, and innovation are just a few of the areas that social media use is affecting.

Top 7 Impact Of Social Media –

Political Impact of Social-Media – A recent Pew Research study found that social media is the main source of political news for about one in five Americans. The survey also shows that people who primarily rely on social media for political news are frequently less informed and more likely to encounter unsubstantiated allegations than people who get their news from existing sources.

The impact of social media on political campaigns has grown significantly when compared to conventional media. Social networks are playing a bigger and bigger part in electoral politics, first with Howard Dean’s ultimately unsuccessful 2003 run, then with the election of the first African-American president in 2008, and now with Donald Trump’s Twitter-driven campaign.

2. Social-Media’s Effect on Society –

Currently, Facebook is used by around 25% of the world’s population. This platform is used by around 80% of internet users in the US. Social networks gain power as they expand because they rely on human connections for sustenance.

Each individual with dissenting opinions can now see that others share them thanks to the internet. These people may create publications, memes, and entire online universes that promote their position before it is widely accepted when they connect with one another on social media.

Without social media, political, ethical, and social injustices wouldn’t be as widely known. The majority now holds the majority of the power, shifting the power balance from the hands of a select minority.

3. The Impact of Social-Media on Businesses –

Due to social-media’s widespread use, it is rare to find a business that does not communicate with customers and potential customers on at least one social media platform. Businesses are aware of how crucial social media is for communicating with clients and boosting revenue. Businesses have realised that social media can be used to gather information, increase demand, and develop specialised product offerings. Both traditional brick-and-mortar businesses and, obviously, the world of e-commerce value these functions.

According to numerous research, establishing social networks at work can improve information exchange. As a result, project management processes are enhanced, and specialised information may be shared. When social technologies are completely adopted, boundaries and silos are eliminated in the workplace. As a result, there is greater interaction and more highly skilled and knowledgeable employees are being developed.

On the other hand, a small number of social “shares” might result in poor social proof and undermine the legitimacy of a firm –

It’s interesting to note that despite the fact that social sharing is now more commonplace than not in business, some organisations have gone against the flow and removed the social sharing buttons from their websites after personally experiencing some negative social media repercussions.

4. The Effect of Social-Media on the Workplace –

Social-media has a significant impact on hiring and recruiting. Use of business social networks like LinkedIn is advised for anyone looking to establish a reputation for themselves in their industry. They make it possible for personal brands to grow and be promoted.

19% of recruiting managers base their hiring decisions on data they have seen on social-media. Seventy percent of employers study job candidates on social networking platforms, according to CareerBuilder’s 2018 social media recruitment survey.

5. The Effect of Social-Media on Training & Development –

Job candidates are much more employable when they get knowledge of the most cutting-edge social media strategies.

In order to better understand the “new normal” of high school, Pearson and Connections Academy commissioned OnePoll to conduct a study of 2,000 American parents and their high school-aged children in 2020. According to 68% of students and 65% of their parents, social-media will be a useful tool and a component of the new high school standard.

In many educational institutions nowadays, learning resources including blogs, wikis, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and podcasts are commonplace. The rise of long-distance online learning is partly due to social media. Despite concerns about a lack of privacy and a few cases of cheating among long-distance learners, social platforms are nonetheless used in education.

6. Social media’s challenges –

Social media is a relatively newer form of technology, making it a little more challenging to determine both its positive and negative long-term effects. But numerous studies have found a clear link between extensive usage of social media platforms and a rise in the risk of depression, self-harm, anxiety, and loneliness.

Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) – Regular usage of social networking sites causes you to get dependent on seeing what other people are up to. A worsened perception that others are having a better time or enjoying better lives than you is known as FOMO. You find yourself constantly checking your notifications in an effort to alleviate this discomfort.

Cyber-bullying:

Teenagers feel the need to fit in, be popular, and excel. Prior to the development of social-media, this process was difficult. Teenagers are suddenly under pressure to mature too quickly in the online world when Facebook, Twitter, Snap-chat, and Instagram are added to the mix.

According to the Cyberbullying Institute’s 2019 poll of middle and high school students in the United States, more than 36% of respondents say they have experienced cyberbullying at some time in their lives, with 30% reporting being a victim twice or more. Additionally, it was shown that about 15% of respondents admitted to cyberbullying someone at least once, while nearly 11% of respondents admitted to doing it twice or more. Teenagers can abuse social media sites to extort people, disseminate movies that damage people’s reputations, and spread rumours.

Lack of privacy –

Users of social-media are at risk of being stalked, having their identities stolen, being attacked personally, and having their information misused. Users themselves are typically too responsible since they reveal information that shouldn’t be made public. Confusion results from a lack of understanding of how an online profile’s private and public sections actually function.

Unfortunately, it’s frequently already too late when private stuff is destroyed. challenges in both peoples’ personal and professional life as a result of the content.

7. The Effect of Social Media on Relationships –

One of the effects of social media is to encourage people to prioritise “social media connections” over real friendships, which they then value. The word “friend” as it is used on social media is a weak substitute for genuine friendship. Real friends have a personal connection, are acquainted, and frequently communicate in person.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Social Media –

If the internet is an essential component of modern life, social-media is an essential component of communication that cannot be avoided, especially for those who lead busy lives and rely on it for even the tiniest updates. On a variety of platforms, people can keep in touch with friends, family, and the outside world. Social media use is one of the most popular online hobbies, and 82% of Americans had a profile on one or more social networking sites in 2021, up 2% from the 80% usage rate the year before. By 2020, there will be about 223 million social-media users in the US.

Social media has experienced meteoric growth during the last ten years.

In 2005, there was very little activity in the sector. The majority of them were not aware at the time, and among those that were, having a MySpace page usually meant complex backdrops and distinctive playlists rather than a direct connection. If individuals could go back in time just a little bit, the genuine beginnings of social-media may be found in blogging, where the first accounts appeared somewhere in the 1980s. After that, more social opportunities were produced by the development of free platforms and chat rooms. Later, it was revolutionized by Facebook, Twitter, and others.

Advantages of Social-Media –

Connectivity – One of the biggest advantages of social-media is connectivity. It can connect numerous users anywhere, at any time. Through social-media and its connectivity, information could be disseminated internationally, facilitating human interaction. Global ties are the result.

Education – The use of social media in education is commendable. Learners and educators can enrol in global collaborative platforms to facilitate constructive learning. It also aids in skill improvement by fostering knowledge and creativity.

Information and Updates –

Stay informed about events happening across the globe or in other people’s lives using social-media. In contrast to television, radio, or newspapers, social media lets everyone convey information accurately by presenting the real picture. It aids in showcasing real-world news across the globe.

Awareness – People have become more conscious thanks to social media. It serves as a channel for information, thus paving the way to innovation and success via developing their knowledge and abilities. Social media well-covers global events, making people more aware of their surroundings.

Share Anything With Others –

Social-media is the best platform to convey feelings and opinions – a song, a poem, a work of art, a decadent dessert, or anything else. Anyone can let their creativity shine through the platform for it to be shared by millions of others. Sharing the artistic works with others could open the door to achievement and several milestones.

Helps in Building Communities – Live in a diverse world where individuals from different cultures, beliefs, and backgrounds exist. Social media brings these people together by linking them on a common platform. Thus, fostering a sense of unity facilitates the development of community links. For instance, food lovers can join the community of food bloggers, while gamers can join communities focused on gaming, etc.

Mental Health – Social media serves as an excellent stress reliever. Several groups can support people battling against stress, depression, and loneliness. By creating a feeling of elation, these communities can bestow a brighter attitude while also helping develop healthy relationships with others, thus enhancing mental health.

Advantages of Social Media for Business

Brand Reputation – Social-media improves company relationships by fostering goodwill among users; its promotion increases sales, which in turn increases profitability. The comments and feedback left by customers are a fantastic resource for businesses. Due to the user likes garnered, companies can experience enhanced popularity and a boost in revenue.

Brand Awareness – Networking platforms contribute to greater brand recognition. Visually appealing products and information capture users’ attention, which increases brand visibility and raises customer knowledge about certain goods and services.

Customer Interaction –

Social-media enhances customer engagement by providing goods and services and soliciting comments on them. Users from across communities leave various feedback and suggestions, which can assist in improving areas of focus and satisfy them.

Promotion – Social-media is a great supporter of internet commerce and marketing. Posts and promotions facilitate effective user connections and contribute to the profitability of a business. It fosters user relationships and endorses customer loyalty, which is crucial for any company’s expansion.

Disadvantages of Social Media –

Affects Social-Emotional Connection – Social-media hampers emotional bonds. Everything is conveyed through texts digitally, which can stunt expressions. Ingenuity is lost when people who would ideally visit one another to convey greetings only send text messages instead of hugs.

Decreases Quick-witted Skill – With the decrease in real face-to-face conversations and in-person chats, quick-wittedness is rare. Sense of humor and sporty tête-à-têtes have been compromised – the sense of love, friendship, fun, and enjoyment have all disappeared due to the effects of social-media on human mental health.

Causing Distress to Someone’s Feelings – People who use social-media to communicate lack empathy and do not wink an eyelid when they have to hurt someone. The latest trolls, negative comments, and feedback are all witnesses to the hard-heartedness that has evolved due to the invisible nature of social media.

Present Physically Not Mentally –

Spending time with each other is about being ‘present’ and in the moment. As friends and family gather, create memories by speaking to one another about times past, present and future. Unfortunately, today with social-media being made available on the mobile phone, people spend time with each other ‘scrolling’ through posts.

Lack of Quality Family Time – Social-media has been the cause of many disrupted relationships simply because families cannot spend quality time with each other. Family time has taken a hit with ‘me’ and privacy taking precedence (due to the quality of texts that appear on social media).

Cyberbullying – People, particularly children, have been victims of cyber-bullying where threats, cons, and other negative activities easily ensnare them. Fake news and rumors spread effortlessly, leading to depression and suicide.

Hacking – The vulnerability of social-media has also thrown light on how easy it is to gather a person’s data. Privacy settings must be constantly updated and profile locked to avoid such situations.

Distracted Mind

– Social-media is impulsive. New messages, notifications, and updates are the impetus to constantly checking the phone, resulting in distraction. The individual wastes time even ignoring important work to only look at the menial update.

Addiction – A serious issue among youth social media addiction has led to disastrous consequences. While checking social media and using the smartphone in moderation is not bad, productive time and energy are wasted due to overuse.

Cheating and Relationship Issues – Individuals are now using social media as a platform for dating and marriage. However, chances are that the information provided on the profile is false, eventually leading to a toxic relationship or even divorce.

Conclusion –

Information, it has been said, is a powerful thing. People cannot use the power of information if it cannot be shared. Social media has a favorable effect on how knowledge is shared in the modern world. Through the use of platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and others, information is now easily accessible.

In the end, sharing is all about getting people to view and interact with material. Any organisation should always use social media to continue publishing as long as the content is still pertinent and there is a demand for information.

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Social Media – Advantages & Disadvantages