Since the dawn of the new digital era of media has come it has had its lasting effects on society. These effects have stemmed from both positive as well as negative roots that have become more apparent as media continues to gain popularity. The articles (from this week’s reading) “Clinical Report-The Impact of Social Media on Children, Adolescents, and Families” released by the American Academy of Pediatrics [Article 1] and “How Facebook Is Changing the Way Its Users Consume Journalism” by Ravi Somaiya [Article 2] elaborate on the advantages the users of media outlets have along with the negative issues it can create. The overall theme that media today brings to the table is the focus on personalization; expressing one’s self online through the sharing of interests, pictures, and important events. Nonetheless media offers individuals the oppurtunity to access and manipulate a vast amount of information. How individuals use that power determines the effect that media has on it’s users and ultimately society.
Social media, one of the main forms of media outlets present today, provides its users with a more selective perspective of the world today. Adults and more commonly adolescents spend the majority of their time on some form of media. According to article 2, “1.3 billion people log into Facebook monthly” which is close to a fifth of the world’s population. In article 1, there are several examples of the positives that users can gain from participating and engaging on social media outlets. Some of these positives include “enhanced communication, social connection and technical skills” with those who share the same interests, as well as a personal perspective of “self, community, and of the world”. The benefits of social media are also present through the business and health perspective. Health-wise, media bridges the gap between medical information and the potential patient who’s in distress and is need of the info. Business-wise, media allows companies to thrive on advertisement and through online purchases. Article 2 touches on media’s effect on the business of news and news publication; how media has caused newspapers and magazines to transition from printed issues to online individual articles being published by the reader’s demand. This article speaks on how media is one of the main outlets for news nowadays, one of the specific ones is Facebook; article 2 states that “30% of adults get their news through Facebook. Media generally has helped put society on the fast track to receiving personalized and instant information,
As great as social media can be, it still poses several issues. These issues can vary between things like privacy/safety concerns, health issues, and online conflicts. Children and teenagers are the groups of individuals that are at most risk to endure any of the negative issues that media brings. Article 1 brings to light how adolescents are experiencing their “social and emotional development through the internet and cellphones” rather than face to face. The issue of lacking self regulation along with being easily influenced by peer pressure, and the troubles that follow such behavior are also touched in the first article. Article 2 dives deeper into what is the main issue with media is; which is the temptation to shut out any opinions or arguments that differ or go against your own. The case with most media outlets is that it give its users the power of controlling who they can engage with and whom they do not wish to do so. This sort of habitual behavior can easily detach some individuals from the true world that lies beyond their cellphone screen.
The introduction of media has turned our society into an extremely demand-favored society in terms of outlet. On the bright side of media, people now have access to any piece of information that they could possibly need. Through media, individuals are able to express themselves in any way, shape, or form with almost no limitations; media basically gives every person a voice and an opportunity for them to network. Personalization is as much a curse as it is a blessing. The idea that fillers, essentially unimportant pieces of information, that are irrelevant to an individual can be easily hidden or overlooked has in a sense clouded the judgement of society as a whole. While having a personalized feed of information and news can be comfortable, it can cause individuals to detach themselves from what they don’t relate to or agree to. It can be great and beneficial for “engagement” for business, companies, and corporations who have ties to various media outlets; who essentially want users to spend as much time as possible on their sites. In the end, personalization can lead an individual to develop a false sense of superiority that only exists online and disappears when they log off of the “perfect” virtual life that they have created for themselves.
