Influence of Social Media and Development of the Technology on the Society

Over the years, technology has changed people’s lives all over the world. This is evident in the way social media, which encompasses the World Wide Web, SMS, Twitter, telephone networks, and Facebook, now runs (Park et al. 732). Inventions and inventions, particularly in computer hardware and software platforms, are increasingly becoming socially oriented as they are created. Businesses that have frequent and clear contact with consumers, as well as service and product suppliers, must stay current on technology and its effect on social media. They also need to make optimal use of the merits that come along with it and be eloquent in the use of available social technologies (Bjker 15).

The several social media platforms available contain all means of communication as well as the interaction that have social elements. These include; social networking, emails, video conferencing, blogs, telecommunications, instant messaging and even face to face conversations (Cloudry 19). Social media is an essential element of life as people have to communicate in one way or another. Interactions on social media are increasingly becoming crucial as technology is reshaping to embrace a more people-friendly element such as the inclusion of social-based operating systems and communication oriented computer programs (Quan-Haase 353).

The constant progress in technology has revolutionized the way people relate and communicate. Technology confers well to social media, and its effects on social media have been most beneficial to various aspects of life. For instance, internet-enabled telecommunication technologies have provided a crucial platform for businesses and customers as they can communicate in real time. This has dramatically improved responsiveness and reliability as well as consumer experience (Park et al. 730). Technology has broken geographical barriers like distance and time zones as people or businesses can now seamlessly communicate by use of technology. There has been a great impact on business, culture and the society at large by social media. It is difficult even to imagine that just a few years ago there was no Twitter or Facebook. Social media has transformed human interactions and communication on the internet (Bijker 29).

In what ways have social media and development of technology influenced life and the society in general? What are some significant pros and cons can we attribute to Social media on the society? In general, social media and technology have to a great extent been beneficial. Nonetheless, this paper seeks to see the backside of the coin. Therefore, the essay will delve into the influence of social media and development in technology on society.

Advantages of Social Media and advancement in technology

With the emergence of social media, social scientists, as well as social media experts, are concerned about the advantages of social networking to communication. While some of the benefits are obvious, some others have only become evident as social media users have become well known to social networking (Bertot et al. 265). The availability of technology, the ability to optimize the social networks’ potential avails new approaches to doing business regardless of the distance. Also, the idea of staying in constant communication with relations and friends allows us to keep closer ties with our loved ones in different parts of the world (Valenzuela et al. 876).

Some of the advantages of social media and technology development Include:

Communication

In the 21st century, the world is very open due to the vast spread of globalization across the seven continents. The world has rendered all obstacles to communication and interaction insignificant. Communication can be done at any time to any part of the world. Social networks have enhanced relationships among people as it provides a platform for reconnection of old friends and acquaintances, sharing of ideas and content among other activities with just a few keystrokes and clicks of the mouse (Lin et al. 1153).

Social media users can stay abeam of the international and domestic developments as well as take part in maneuvers and personal activities. Professionals also make use of social sites such as LinkedIn to network and expand their business and career objectives. Social media has also enhanced academic proficiency and communication skills among students. It has also had a positive impact on different cultures and communities as it enhances intercultural interactions (Burgatti et al. 893).

Businesses

Companies are using social media and development in technology to promote their products and services, build a strong consumer base among other activities. Interactions and excellent customer service help firms to understand the market better and improve their product and service delivery which enhances the consumer experience. Businesses now prefer online advertisements to Television promotions since social media is relatively cheap and it’s also a more efficient way of selling the brand image as well as popularity (Berotot et al. 265).

Businesses and other types of professional firms can easily keep in touch with current customers, vend their products and even expand by use of social media. There are lots of businesses and entrepreneurs that flourish solely on social networks (Lin et al. 1155).

Keeping in Touch with Family

It would be a challenge to stay in touch with family through the phone or email. Social networking has made it easier for families to bond as they can keep in touch with each other anytime. Social media platforms present an opportunity for an individual to share their day to day experience. For instance, Facebook allows people to share images, events and even thoughts in real time (Drexler et al. 77). Therefore, family and friends can share experiences rather than just being informed about the experiences.

Staying enlightened about the World

If a person wants to know what is happening around the world, all he or she needs to do is access the social networking sites. More interestingly, people can customize their news and information discovery by choosing to follow their preferred sites. Individuals share their areas of interest such as news on current events on social media sites. Social networking offers individuals the opportunity to share those interests and those who just want to get knowledgeable can read the stories and stay up to date with the happenings around the world (Valenzuela et al. 878).

Assured Meeting places

The access to social networking platforms broadens the available locations as well as times in which gatherings can occur. People can meet each and chat or talk to each other on social platforms such as Facebook or Skype instead of having to travel to some specific places given that this may be cumbersome (Bertot et al. 270).

General fun and Enjoyment

It is common knowledge that social media and technology is just fun. Some people turn to it when they get some free time or when they just want to relax. Given that human beings are naturally social, it’s very easy to see them react to posts on social media by liking, commenting on the said posts or sharing the same. Social media provides the platform to keep track of friends and family activities without having to inquire in person (Burgatti et al. 894).

Disadvantages of Social Media and Development in Technology

Impact on offline interactions

There is some negativity associated with both social media and technology advancements. People no longer have face to face interactions as before. It is much easier to get connected to friends or family which has substituted face to face interaction. Some experts in human behavior argue that social media and improved technology enhances antisocial human behavior (Lin et al. 1159). People hide behind screens as socially reclusive users. Also, introverts place excess emphasis on virtual interactions. It has made people withdraw to themselves as they get the feeling of being active socially without actual interactions as they are always glued to their phones or laptops. Most virtual relations do not have a strong foundation and human beings are social beings who are meant to interact with one another not only virtually but physically as well (Subrahmanyam et al. 425).

Privacy and Security concerns

The Privacy issue will always be a significant concern with so much sharing going on social networks. Oversharing on social media can be risky since it sometimes can put someone in a situation of vulnerability and issues once shared cannot be undone. Given that most social media platforms encourage sharing of personal information should be worrying. Even well-intentioned people or companies can provide the information they should not. Workers may not be informed of how their online actions may compromise the security of the company (Drexler et al. 84).

Information Overwhelm

It may be pretty noisy with so many individuals on social media posting selfies and sharing videos and tweeting links. Keeping up with friends on Facebook can be an overwhelming task since it is not uncommon to keep up with browsing too many Instagram photos. More often, people tend to agonize a lot of friends and followers which can result into full news feed with too much unnecessary content that a majority of people may not be interested in (Valenzuela et al. 890).

Social Peer Pressure and Cyber bullying

There is the concern about cyber bullying and online harassment. Unscrupulous people may target other people for cyber bullying and harassment on social networks. Social media can aggravate the situation for people who feel like outcasts and can further stigmatize and make them feel more unloved. This is more evident in teenagers and young adults (Lin et al. 1161). The pressure to conform to popular standards and behaving in a certain manner is more on social media that it is in real life say at school or at home.. In some isolated cases, too much pressure can lead to acute anxiety, depression and even stress (Borgatti et al. 895).

Distraction and Procrastination

Individuals get sidetracked by all social media apps, messages, news and the notifications they receive from time to time. The disturbances come with all manner of problems such as lack of getting a person’s undivided attention during a dialogue (Subrahmanyam et al. 429). In some worse incidents, people have caused accidents or died due to simple mistakes like driving or crossing the road while glued on their social media platforms which shows a severe problem of addiction among social media users in the contemporary setting. Low Productivity can be attributed to social media as workers spend so much time on social media during working hours. Browsing can also feed delaying tactics habits as it gradually turns out to be something people turn to keep away from specific responsibilities or tasks (Bertot et al. 271).

Sedentary lifestyles characters and sleep disruption

Social media and advances in technology sometimes promote laziness as it encourages immobility as people tend to sit for prolonged periods without movement glued to their devices. Similarly, the light emanating from the phone screens or computers may pose a health challenge to social media users as it affects the ability for one to get a proper night sleep (Drexler et al. 89).

Conclusion

The influence of social media and technology is to some extent balanced. There are many benefits and some adverse and ugly effects. How social media affects people is their choice. It is in the hands of social media users to choose how social media and technology will influence their lives. Social media and technology when used wisely can improve professional as well as social experiences.

Social media and development in technology have changed the lifestyle of people from the way they communicate to doing business as well as how they get their daily news and so much more. The influence that social media and technology development can have in a society depends on how the social networks are being used. For example, online sites can provide platforms to promote ventures such as businesses but it can also serve as a platform for bullying which has a negative impact on some lives. In life, there are pros and cons to everything, and our social interactions norms are also inclusive.

Work Cited

Drexler, Wolfgang, and James G. Fujimoto. Optical coherence tomography: technology and

applications. Springer, 2015.

Couldry, Nick. Media, society, world: Social theory and digital media practice. Polity, 2012.

Bijker, Wiebe E., et al. The social construction of technological systems: New directions in the

sociology and history of technology. MIT press, 2012.

Lin, Kuan-Yu, and Hsi-Peng Lu. “Why people use social networking sites: An empirical study

integrating network externalities and motivation theory.” Computers in human behavior 27.3 (2011): 1152-1161.

Bertot, John C., Paul T. Jaeger, and Justin M. Grimes. “Using ICTs to create a culture of

transparency: E-government and social media as openness and anti-corruption tools for societies.” Government information quarterly 27.3 (2010): 264-271.

Quan-Haase, Anabel, and Alyson L. Young. “Uses and gratifications of social media: A

comparison of Facebook and instant messaging.” Bulletin of Science, Technology & Society 30.5 (2010): 350-361.

Park, Namsu, Kerk F. Kee, and Sebastián Valenzuela. “Being immersed in social networking

environment: Facebook groups, uses and gratifications, and social outcomes.” CyberPsychology & Behavior 12.6 (2009): 729-733.

Borgatti, Stephen P., et al. “Network analysis in the social sciences.” science 323.5916 (2009):

892-895.

Valenzuela, Sebastián, Namsu Park, and Kerk F. Kee. “Is there social capital in a social network

site?: Facebook use and college students’ life satisfaction, trust, and participation.” Journal of Computer‐Mediated Communication 14.4 (2009): 875-901.

Subrahmanyam, Kaveri, et al. “Online and offline social networks: Use of social networking

sites by emerging adults.” Journal of applied developmental psychology 29.6 (2008): 420-433.