Social Media does more harm than good.
As technology advances, so does mankind's means
of communicating and socializing. Social networking has increased the ability
of people to communicate and socialize, whether city, state, nation and even
worldwide, social networking sites have clearly had a positive impact on
society. In fact, social media can be a powerful tool for social change and an
alternative to more traditional methods of communication. The power of internet in making Democracy
transparency, strengthening of relation, balancing of child’s privacy and parent’s
right and benefit of social media to the students will be as follows.
Social networking sites play a role in shaping the
political landscape. More than a quarter of US voters younger than age 30
(including 37% of those aged 18-24) said they obtained information about the
political campaigns from social networking sites. In May 2009, the White House
announced that it was joining Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace to meet President
Barack Obama's call one week earlier "to reform our government so that it
is more efficient, more transparent, and more creative." (ProCon.org, August 10, 2012.). Social Media
in many ways is doing a great deal to advance and develop a democratic culture.
For instance, the Chief Election Commissioner who heads a prestigious and
powerful institution interacts on a daily basis with ordinary citizens on the
social media. Another example is the Prime Minister who along with dollops of
praise and unsolicited advice also tolerates the occasional criticism from some
of his 5,000 ‘friends’ on face book. Social media in one sense is an
alternative medium apart from the media that allows the voices of ordinary
citizens to reach the powerful. (The Bhutanese, September 12, 2012). Internet
was also used as a tool to organize pro-democracy protest in a number of
Middle-Eastern countries including Tunisia, Egypt and Syria. ( Wright,n.d,2012)
The Internet not only helps to bring communities and the world closer
together but also distribute information. With the ability for anybody to
easily and quickly share rich information online, via a whole host of tools,
the Internet serves bring people together. Firstly take for instance social
networks. Friends can remain connected to each other when miles apart. People
can maintain and even create friendships without the barrier of geography.
Additionally, social networks have a capacity to distribute news in a timely
and targeted manner, directed at the people whom it mostly concerns, that is
far greater than that of traditional media cannot compete. Secondly there are many instances of
hyper-local news communities springing up online in which people can truly
engage in their community, and help improve it. This model can and is extended
to bigger areas, helping to engage society for its greater good. For example
Fillthathole.org.uk, provides a nationwide portal for U.K. citizens to report
road potholes. Thirdly the Internet brings the world together by not only
encouraging direct communication with people from other countries, but also by
being able to share and distribute information in a way which traditional forms
of communication could not do.( Wright,n.d,2012).
On the other hand, social networking sites balance a child's privacy and
a parent's right to know. A classic clash always happens when pitting the right
to privacy of a child against the right to know of a parent. However, social
networking sites find a good medium, so that neither side is overlooked. For
instance, on Facebook, teenagers may have private conversations with friends
over the private messaging system, but the parents of these teenagers will
still be able to keep track of things such as posts made to other friends'
walls and pictures posted. Social networking sites give parents the ability to
keep tabs on many of their child's online postings, such as pictures and
personal information, but without having to directly invade on their child's
privacy; this again proves that social networking sites have had a positive
effect on society.( debate.org,n.d,2012).
Social networking sites bring people with common interests’ together, offer
exposure to new ideas from around the world and lower inhibitions to overcome
social anxiety. On top of above advantages, 59% of students with access to the
Internet report that students use social networking sites to discuss
educational topics including career and college planning and 50% use the sites
to talk about school assignments. It is said that using these sites helps students improve
their reading, writing, and conflict resolution skills, learn to express
themselves more clearly, and meet new and different kinds of students from
around the world.( ProCon.org, August 10, 2012)
In many ways social media has become the ‘citizen’s media’ where ordinary
citizens with varying levels of content become instant citizen journalists
either reporting on an event or sharing their opinion. Facebook reports
approximately 90 million users in the US and 300 million active users worldwide
(Sep. 15, 2009), MySpace reports more than 32 million US users and 130 million
worldwide (Aug. 4, 2009), and Twitter has an estimated 54 million users
worldwide (Oct. 13, 2009).(ProCon.org,Aug 10,2012). It signifies that the
social media is doing more good than harm. Social networking sites become more
integrated in modern culture and the benefits outweigh any downsides
Bibliography
Roebuck/digital-and-social-
media-recruitment/social-media-doing-more-harm-
good-your- compa
ProCon.org. (Aug 10,2012). Social Networking.
Retrieved from
The Bhutanese. (Sept 12, 2012). Social Media dose
greater good. Retrieved from
Wright,R. This
House believes the Internet brings more harm than good. Retrieved from
internet-brings-more-harm-good.
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