10 Questions I have About Social Media

Social media is everywhere now a days. It’s in every area of my life, from college assignments, to talking to friends and family, and even my main source for world news. Since it’s such a prominent part of our society, here are 10 questions I have about social media and social change, and some tenative answers.

1. What IS social change?                                                                                                                                     First, we should define what social change means. It’s a change in society’s behavior patterns over time, and it can be positive or negative.

2.What are the positives of using social media, such as twitter, facebook, etc., as a news source, over more conventional sources such as Fox and CNN?                                            There are many positives of using social media for news over something like CNN. More people are straying away from cable TV, in favor of Netflix, Hulu, and YouTube, so a news source that uses that as a platform probably won’t be that used in the near future. On the contrary, more people are joining social media every day, and a wider variety of ages are on social media than watching the news, so world and local issues will reach a more diverse pool of people. Also, news channels are heavily influenced by politics and therefore biased. While you’re still going to encounter bias on twitter, you’ll have many more voices and opinions to read to give you a better look at issues.

3.How has social media changed the discussion of social issues?                                                            There’s no denying social media has changed the game in regards to how we hear about, and how much we hear about social issues. We used to wait for the daily newspaper to hear about news, then we would watch our morning news before our work day and not hear anything else until the evening news. Now, we can constantly check our phones and here about social events happening in essentially real time. Also, we are more connected to the rest of the world, so we hear more about global issues.                                                                        

4.How has social media impacted the way we communicate with the rest of the world?

Check out this article by David Glenn, on not only how it’s impacted the way we communicate, but also the importance. http://www.business2community.com/social-media/importance-staying-connected-social-media-0600521#UYQYUgdBss2fDZHG.97

5.Who is effected by social change?

    I would argue we are ALL affected by social change, just in different ways. Ex: all genders are probably going to be affected by feminism, but very differently. Social change, as definded above, is a change within our society. So if you’re part of that society, I can bet you’ll feel the effects.

6.What are the positives of social media? and 7. What are the negatives of social media?

I put these two together, because I found a handy little gragh that highlights some of the major positives and negatives of social media. Obviously, theres many more we could add to both sides, but I think this is a good start.

 

8. How has social media brought younger people into the discussion of social issues?

Social media has done incredible things for bringing younger people into the discussion of social issues. The reason why social media brings more young adults into the discussion is simple. Social issues are widely talked about on social media, and check out below how many young adults are on social media!

9.Can social media actually make us isolate ourselves from our outside lives?

Yes! I’m seen it happen to a few of my personal friends, so be careful and conscious of how you use social media. Social media can be a wonderful and community building platform if used correctly, but it isn’t always used correctly. Here is a TedTalk that delves in deeper on the issue. 

10.How do I build a better social media prescense?

Now that we’ve talked about all the ways social media can, and has, changed our society, lets talk about how you can get more attention on your own accounts. First, do what you love; don’t try and force content. If you’re not writing/posting about what you’re interested in, chances are you wont write an interesting piece. Also, keep in mind what large demographics of people like, that you also like. 

check out 31 Days to Build a Better blog for more ideas!