Social and Internet Media

In society today there are an almost unlimited amount of sources to gather information one may want or need using the internet. However, there are many advantages and disadvantages in gathering information from a public platform such as the internet. An advantage to easily obtainable information is that you may not have to spend hours searching through books looking for a particular topic, a search preformed through sites like Google or Bing can find information on any topic in just a few seconds. A disadvantage to easily obtainable information; as such found on the internet, anyone can post information there, they could be an expert on the topic or they could be bored person blogging their views, thoughts, and ideas on a topic they may hardly know anything about.

Social media is a growing form of communication; despite its many disadvantages, it has more advantages to the use of social media. Some of the disadvantages are public humiliation, ruined friendships, and ruined reputations. Users post thing on such sites as Facebook and Twitter that are not always appropriate for children, but with children’s knowledge of today’s internet devices this information is easily viewed by many. Social media allows anyone to post derogatory comments about any particular person and make it public knowledge; this form of bullying is capable of ending long time friendships. Regardless of the disadvantages, social media brings families and friends together that are always apart. Through the use of social media mass messages of upcoming events such as: weddings, birthdays, funerals, family reunions, graduations, and anniversaries can be spread at the touch of a button with ease. You can keep up with old classmates and military comrades to see how everyone is doing in life; this enables long term friendships over long distances.

Being aware of the different advantages and disadvantages of social media places a lot of responsibility on society as a whole; many people view social media in different ways due this. People using social media sites in the wrong manner has swayed some of the population to either not start using this form of media or deleting their profiles. Other ways a person may alter their use of social media is to only view things from news media to stay current with what is going on in the news but not with particular family and friends who could potentially cause problems. Some may say that certain individuals use social media just for the purpose of debate and causing problems; particularly among the younger generations. It would be wise for parents to observe how their children use this sites to prevent bullying or to keep children away from obscene content.