The Impact of Social Media on Culture Change

The Impact of Social Media on Culture Change
Social media has proliferated over the past few years, providing a solid platform for people to connect, share material, and express themselves regardless of their geographic separation (Chatyoka, 2018). It is thought that social media websites first appeared in 1994. Since then, they have grown significantly, inspiring the creation of several networking websites, including Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, Skype, Tumblr, and LinkedIn. As a result, new cultural paradigms have emerged, influencing business, technology, and changes in how people interact (Engel & Lee-Davies, 2019). However, numerous studies have demonstrated that social media is a double-edged sword that has many positive and dangerous adverse effects. The complex whole that encompasses knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom, and other skills and habits a person develops as a part of a society has been described as culture (Acar, 2014). Furthermore, social media is thought to have altered most people's behavioral patterns, leading them to emotional, spiritual and psychological dilemmas.
First of all, it has robbed many people worldwide of the security and faith they had in one another in previous years. As a result, many people are turning to online relationships for assistance in their physical, emotional, and social lives. As a result, many people have become antisocial (Amedie, 2015). Most individuals today like texting on their phones and internet chatting over face-to-face interactions. Because of this, many people have found themselves in emotionally demanding circumstances. For instance, a medical student from Zambia was detained for making fraudulent accounts on Facebook with a profile photo of a white man to defraud married ladies (Chatyoka, 2018). He would ask women to send them their naked pictures, which the student would use to threaten them through a different Facebook account with a female profile picture stating that it is her wife. Based on this scenario, it is clear that people have turned their trust to strangers, which is opposed to the traditional cultures where people trusted people who were physically close to them.
On the other hand, it is trespassing domestic life since the lines between work and home are getting blurred (Chatyoka, 2018). Studies have shown that many workers globally are now finishing most of their work at home hours, such as checking emails and other electronic duties that they did not manage to finish and their workplace. This has played a significant role in destroying the traditional human contact and personal relationships between the parents and their children or spouses. Recent studies have shown that increased use of social media leads to social media addiction which is affecting many family relationships (Mondal, 2018). Some factors such as jealousy have risen by more social media usage. Partners become upset when they see their partners liking or commenting on other people's posts on Facebook, Instagram, or Snapchat, making it look like they are cheating them with that person (Bouffard et al., 2021). Also, its high distraction makes the couples and parents have less time to spend together. Although the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders has not considered internet addiction a mental disorder. Many researchers indicate that high dependence on social media disrupts one quality of life.
Second, through media television and other social media platforms, many people are getting information that is reshaping their minds and giving them certain stereotypes (Purvis, 2006). This is because people believe more in the message they get from these platforms, making them rely much on it. For instance, social media platforms have developed some ideas related to masculinity and feminism. In most television programs and movies, men are portrayed as brave and with no emotions, while women are portrayed as emotional and fearful. But, on the other hand, they portray a real man in the Society as financially stable and aggressive, while women as housekeepers (Bouffard et al., 2021). Therefore, this is disrupting many countries and community norms and values, leading to cultural conflicts as children grow up embracing what they find on these social media platforms.
Furthermore, social media has dramatically impacted cultural practices in many regions worldwide. Traditional cultural practices are fading away as most people are open to embracing the western or modern culture (Chatyoka, 2018). For example, in most regions, a long time ago, it was an offensive for a woman to wear trousers, which were believed to be men's clothing. However, social media, where other modern women are seen wearing it, has turned the issue from shame to modern fashion. These cultural practice shifts are evident in many nations, such as Zambia, where women have turned to high alcohol consumption, as revealed by the World Health Organization, which is contrary to traditional values and norms expected of a woman (Chatyoka, 2018). Also, some practices, such as online marriage, are things that social media has initiated against traditional arranged marriages.
On the other hand, social media is changing people's traditional beliefs on the issue of a beauty of a woman. For example, some countries such as Kenya indicate that in most of their community, the beauty of a woman is not defined by their body shape or weight (The National Museum of Kenya, 2019). Instead, in some communities, the beauty of women was gained through applying henna on their hands and legs, while others were stretching their earlobes to wear ear adornments (The National Museum of Kenya, 2019). However, with the current high growth of social media platforms definition of beauty for many women across the globe I s changing. This is because it constructs a new image of beauty in women associated with slim figures and light skin color (Purvis, 2006). Therefore, this has changed most young women and girls' behaviors, embracing weight control mechanisms through changing their diets and plastic surgery to change their skin colors.
Third, the existence of social media has disrupted traditional cultures in a significant way. Most studies show that it was taboo in most traditional cultures to speak about sexuality publicly or with young children (Siapera, 2010). However, social media platforms have changed this as people post messages, memes, and internet pictures about sexuality. Therefore, this has made teens, and other people find it easy to speak boldly about their sexual identities. For instance, in the United States, many types of sexual and gender diversity such as queer, transgender, bisexual, gay and lesbian have been embraced, contrary to the traditional cultures that condemned such people (Manago et al., 2020). This cultural shift has made many people across the globe reveal their sexual identities since it has given them the needed confidence. For instance, it has been noted that they are people who use social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook to create awareness about how one can be injected with testosterone and become the man he had wished to become (Manago et al., 2020). Thus, this is changing the attitudes and behaviors of youths related to sexuality, which are blowing them out of the traditional community anatomy.
Forth, the rapid growth of social media has changed the traditional forms of entertainment such as books and theatres to fade away. Studies indicate that with the current digital technology, most entertainment consumers have moved from the tradition...