Negative Side Of Social Media Term Paper Assignment

Digital Media
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Digital Media
Social media platforms fall under digital media category of communication, and they enable people from different regions to interact through sharing of pictures, stories, messages, and experiences, among other things (Van der Bank & Van der Bank, 2014). The social media sector is growing rapidly throughout the world, and more adults, as well as teenagers, are joining platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, MySpace, and SnapChat. The advent of social media has transformed the world in several ways, some of which are beneficial to society, whereas others are harmful. Social media sites allow individuals to easily share pictures, ideas, links, and messages, which is a huge improvement compared to the traditional mass media and other forms of communication such as letters, telephone, and fax. Now, it is possible for individuals who are miles apart to communicate within a matter of seconds using social media platforms (Van der Bank & van der Bank, 2014). Through a combination of simplicity, intuitive design, and accessibility, these services promote positive social behavior by encouraging interaction among friends, workmates, and relatives. By facilitating communication between various parties, social media fosters a great sense of community. Apart from promoting interaction among the users, social media is also being used for other purposes such as learning and advertisement. Nevertheless, social media has significant limitations that have led to serious consequences for users. Some of the common-cited problems include promoting antisocial behavior, cyberbullying, spending too much time on these platforms, and spreading propaganda. Therefore, if misused, social media could have severe effects on users (Van der Bank & Van der Bank, 2014). The current essay examines the benefits and negative effects of using social media. Real-life examples are provided to help understand the various concepts of social media discussed in the paper.
Negative Side of Social Media
While social media has been praised for easing and promoting interaction among users all over the world, it has resulted in severe repercussions in some instances. One area where social media is not doing well is the promotion of bullying among teens and even adults in various online platforms such as Facebook. Modern tools such as social media and the Internet may help students in their education, as a platform for conducting research or getting homework tutoring. Nevertheless, these platforms have created a channel for bullies to propagate their bully behavior against innocent individuals. Since cyberbullying occurs online, it presents a special problem for teenagers because they can be taunted anywhere and anytime (Vaillancourt et al., 2017). Cyberbullying involves one individual teasing, threatening, taunting, and humiliating another individual using web means such as social media. Some of these acts include spreading lies or rumors about another person, posting private photographs or information without the permission of the victim. Bullies manage this by tricking other users into disclosing private information or posting malicious messages to other people. While cyberbullying can occur through various ways such as text messages, online message board, chat rooms, and emails, it is more common in social media because the objective of the bully is to ensure a negative message about the victim reaches as many people as possible (Vaillancourt et al., 2017). With social media, the size of the audience is massive, which helps the bully to accomplish their mission effectively. This presents a more complex issue because geographical distance or location does not hinder one from bullying or being bullied.
Cyberbullying presents adverse effects on the victims and their close relatives (Vaillancourt et al., 2017). With easy access to the internet and social media, a victim feels trapped in a situation without a way out. The pervasive and constant nature of cyberbullying often leads to victims suffering from low self-esteem and depression, frequently resulting in a drop in grades and in severe cases, committing suicide. Moreover, cyberbullying could result in victims skipping classes, retaliating against the bullies, and engaging in self-medication, which could lead to substance abuse (Vaillancourt et al., 2017).
One of the perfect examples showing the negative effects of social media is the famous case of Amanda Michelle Todd, who committed suicide after being cyberbullied. At the time of her demise, Amanda was 15 years old (Christina, 2012). At the age of 12, a male adult blackmailed her into posting her breasts on an online webcam group chat. The unknown individual screenshotted and shared her nude pictures on Facebook, which created an online buzz, leading to a wide sharing of the pictures on social media platforms. From disclosure of the pictures, she st...