The Growth of Social Media Usage in Modern Society

Interpersonal Dynamics
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The growth of social media usage in modern society has been facilitated by the general population's increased access to the internet. Billions of people worldwide are using different social media platforms, and the number is expected to increase. Social media has been associated with various pros and cons depending on its outcomes on the general population. One of the pros of social media has been the ability to mobilize people towards a common cause. On the other hand, one of the cons of social media is the increased surveillance by governments.
In 2010, the Arab Spring started in Tunisia and soon spread into other Middle East countries where citizens toppled governments and leadership changed. The beginning and rise of Arab Spring were possible using social media platforms where protestors planned their activities remotely and later met on the streets. People positively used social media in the Arab Spring to raise the voices of the suppressed populations, and they were given a voice that they had been denied for long (Meral, K. & Meral, Y., 2017). Mobilization through social media platforms was also evident in the rescue of schoolgirls abducted by the Boko Haram militant sect in Nigeria. Activists took to social media to call for foreign nations and other agencies to intervene and save the girls through the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls. Thr...