The Role of Social Media in Our Lives

Recent times have witnessed an increase in the use of social media. Platforms such as Twitter and Facebook facilitate communication and interaction between individuals from different parts of the world. Social sites act as a meeting point for people with different backgrounds and goals in life. Primarily, social media sites changed the ways in which we communicate and interact with one another. Human lives have changed significantly as a result of social media. Social media has drastically changed the way individuals interact and communicate by three ways. The three ways are social networks, texting and smartphones.  

            The development of social network platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn become the host of social media. The identified platforms allow people to communicate more readily. People can communicate on the platforms using the texting option, messaging and the face to face interaction method (Van Dijck and Poell 4). Primarily, social media sites have re-defined the customization of messages and content during interactions. Both Facebook and Twitter allow users the freedom to customize their messages according to their preferences, and conveys the intended message (Kaplan and Haenlein 61). Some of the customization tools include the picture editing options that are available in both Twitter and Facebook. The personalization of messages as a result of social media platforms augments communication between the users. The customized message acts as a sense of identity where people are able to infer the characteristics or interests of the sender from their customized messages. Customization of messages facilitates improves relations in between individuals in the same social circle. The augmentation of relations in the community is realized through successful interactions between divergent parties involved in subject conflicts. As a tool that enables the transmission of customized messages, social media transcends the limitations that are posed by language and cultural barriers. Without proper regulation, social media platforms may also exacerbate hostilities between different individuals.

            Alternatively, the use of social media facilitates the quick transmission of news across the world through messaging. Information is spread at an accelerated rate as a result of the use of social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. The messaging option is critical to the realization of efficient communication because anybody can apply the framework and from any location. News on social media is brief and customized, and hence increasingly appealing to the identified group of individuals. Previously, people used to communicate only through the mail, land line and in person (Salgur 22). Messaging eases the communication process by ensuring information is easily passed to and from the involved parties. Platforms such as Twitter contain slots for the trending news. From the platform, people are able to acquire information on various disciplines in the society. The news offered by social media platforms tend to be relevant because they are customized to reflect the needs of different individuals and geographical situation. Still, it is necessary to note that social media platforms may also lead to the transmission of false information. In examining the influence of social media on the society, kern argued that the platform may encourage individuals to share false information about themselves.           Additionally, social media platforms encourage face-to-face interactions. Consequently, social media acts as an educational tool. The platform provides people with an opportunity to acquire knowledge on various aspects of life (Wade). The face-to face interaction interactions between educators and students, Eased communication between individuals from different backgrounds attests to the social media’s educational values. Social media platforms provide a medium through which real time interactions can be achieved. Subsequently, communication is no longer limited to the textual form. Individuals can engage verbally on platforms such as Facebook. Real time interactions augment the relationships between different individuals. The initiative also promotes accountability. In the knowledge that their actions will be exposed on social media platforms, individuals tend to act more responsibly. Still, without regulation, social media platforms, in the application of real time broadcasting, may jeopardize and individual’s security. It is not uncommon to hear that criminals make use of information derived from Facebook to single out their victims. Still, social media can also lead to retrogression with regards to the educational value. The shortened forms of words used in the platforms may negate an individual’s concept of a language. For instance, the educational value in face-to-face interactions on social media is impeded when the educators do not share the same language as their students. Equally, face-to-face interactions depend on the stability of the network.

            Conclusively, social media has greatly revolutionized the ways in which we communicate and interact. Primarily, the tool has facilitated the quick, costless and efficient dissemination of information and news. Such initiatives promote accountability and cohesion in the community. Still, the use of social media may hinder communication between different individuals given the possibility of customization. Learning and language acquisition may also be jeopardized after using social media as a source of information. Social networks, messages and face-to-face interactions are strengthened by the presence of social media.

Works Cited

Kaplan, Andreas M., and Michael Haenlein. “Users of the world, unite! The challenges and opportunities of Social Media.” Business horizons, vol. 53, no. 1, 2010, pp. 59-68.

Kern, peggy. ”Is Social Media Good For You?” Pursuit, 2016, https://pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/articles/is-social-media-good-for-you. Accessed July 9, 2018.

Salgur, S. ”How Does the Use of Social Networking Affect Family Communication of Teenagers?” Euromentor Journal, vol. 7, no. 1, pp. 21-23.

Van Dijck, José, and Thomas Poell. ”Understanding social media logic.” Media and Communication, vol. 1, no. 1, 2013, pp. 2-14.  

Wade, Lori. ”How Social Media is reshaping Today’s Education System.” Georgetown University, 2018, http://csic.georgetown.edu/magazine/social-media-reshaping-todays-education-system/. Accessed July 9, 2018.