How has media affected us?
In my opinion, social media has affected our society in a good, but majority of a bad way. The clinical report “The Impact of Social Media on Children, Adolescents, and Families, American Academy of Pediatrics,” made various points on how social media plays a huge part on children and teens alike.
The pros of social media are:
1. That we can network with people all over the world with just the click of a button.
2. That we can stay in touch with family and friends through pictures and videos without having to travel miles.
3. Certain technology has allowed us to become smarter and allowed us to complete more tasks than we might have without it.
4. You can see people who might be going thorough whatever issues you may have and learn how to overcome them by following their paths.
The cons of social media are:
1. Cyber bullying, sexting,and low self esteem
2. The fact that children and teens are more tech savvy than
their parents, lets them get away with more.
3. It allows children access to restricted sites, sometimes without their parents knowledge.
4. It takes away the art of conversation and human contact.
5. The younger generation no longer uses books or hardcover material.
6. You can be anyone you want to be on the internet. People hide behind the screen and ridicule or judge for the same things they are probably going through
I believe all of this technology has broken down the barriers of communication. Have you recently tried to talk to a 14yr old or a 21yr old? They cant look you in the eye, they panic if they are away from their phones or devices for 5 minutes. They look up to internet stars and images of people who have nothing on the inside. I understand that it is a new way of learning, but why can’t we instill our old traditions as well. Mathematics has changed, students no longer need books, even in this class we barely need paper/pen due to posting on blogs and websites, or typing notes on our tablets/phones. I guess it’s nice that we are in the “technology” age, because we have come a long way from typewriters and horses, but i would enjoy it if we had a little bit more integrity as people.
In “How Facebook Is Changing the Way Its Users Consume Journalism,” I learned that the different news feeds and advertisements that come across our timeline are purposely put there to assist in establishing what we as a consumer want to read or see. I’ve always wondered if hitting the like button actually made a difference. In this article it’s clear that it does and that our personal preferences are taken into consideration way more than we think about. I like the idea of a computer code filtering out what I deem unnecessary. I personally don’t watch the news, or read newspapers. I usually only know what is happening because of what is on my feed that is shared by followers or friends, or if a family member calls to update me on current events.
I agree with Mr. Marra when he says, “We try to explicitly view ourselves as not editors. We don’t want to have editorial judgment over the content that’s in your feed. You’ve made your friends, you’ve connected to the pages that you want to connect to and you’re the best decider for the things that you care about.” He wants it to be less about you reading an actual newspaper, and more about you enjoying what you read on your feed coupled with you getting your fill of what YOU deem important.
