Is Social Media Good for Society?

1. Which social networking/media platforms are you a member of? "I’m a member of several social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. I use Facebook mostly to keep in touch with family and old friends. Instagram is where I share photos and follow people who inspire me, like artists and chefs. Twitter is where I stay updated on news and trends, although I don’t post much there. I also have a LinkedIn account for professional networking, but I’m not very active on it." 2. What are some good points about social media / social networking? "Social media has several good points, like connecting people across the world. It’s easy to stay in touch with friends and family, even if they live far away. Social media is also a great place to share ideas and learn from others. For example, you can join groups with similar interests or follow experts in a field you’re interested in. It’s also useful for spreading information quickly, like in emergencies or for promoting events." 3. What are some bad points about social media / social networking? "One bad point about social media is that it can be very addictive. People often spend too much time scrolling through their feeds, which can affect their productivity. Another issue is the spread of misinformation, which can lead to confusion or even harm. Cyberbullying is also a problem, as people can be very cruel online, sometimes more than in person. Finally, social media can make people feel lonely or depressed if they start comparing themselves to others." 4. Have you ever changed someone else’s mind on social media? How? "Yes, I once changed a friend’s mind about climate change on social media. He wasn’t very convinced that it was a serious issue, so I shared some articles and videos that explained the science behind it. We had a few discussions in the comments, and over time, he started to see that climate change is real and important. I think the key was being respectful and providing reliable information. It wasn’t easy, but eventually, he acknowledged that he had learned something new." 5. Have you ever gotten angry at someone on social media? Why? "Yes, I have gotten angry at someone on social media before. It happened when a person I know posted something very offensive about a sensitive topic. I felt that their comment was disrespectful and hurtful to a lot of people. I responded to their post, trying to explain why it was wrong, but the conversation quickly became heated. It’s hard to keep calm in these situations, especially when you feel strongly about an issue." 6. Do you have online friendships or relationships with people you’ve never met in real life? "Yes, I have a few online friendships with people I’ve never met in real life. We connected through shared interests, like gaming and music. We chat regularly and sometimes play games together online. Even though we’ve never met in person, I feel like we have a real connection. It’s interesting how social media allows us to make friends with people from different parts of the world." 7. Has a conflict on social media affected you offline, in “real life”? How? "Yes, a conflict on social media once affected me in real life. I had a disagreement with a close friend about a political issue, and it got pretty intense online. When we met in person, there was still some tension between us, and it was hard to talk about other things. We eventually had to discuss it face-to-face to clear the air. It taught me that online arguments can have real-life consequences, and it’s important to handle them carefully." 8. Have you lost friendships over things said and done on social media? "Yes, I have lost a friendship because of something that happened on social media. We had a big argument about a controversial topic, and things got out of hand. We both said things we regretted, and after that, we stopped talking to each other. It was sad to lose a friend over something like that, but it showed me how powerful words can be online. Sometimes, it’s better to discuss serious matters in person rather than through social media." 9. Have you ever been publicly shamed on social media? If so, please describe. If not, why not? "No, I’ve never been publicly shamed on social media. I think it’s because I’m careful about what I post and try not to engage in controversial topics too much. I avoid making strong statements or getting into heated debates online. I prefer to keep my social media presence positive and neutral. I’ve seen how harsh people can be when they disagree with something, so I try to stay out of those situations." 10. Have you ever joined in a public shaming of someone else? "No, I’ve never joined in a public shaming of someone else. I don’t think it’s right to attack people online, even if they’ve done something wrong. Public shaming can be very harmful, and it often doesn’t lead to any real solutions. If I see something that bothers me, I prefer to address it privately or report it to the platform if it’s really serious. Everyone makes mistakes, and it’s better to handle things in a more constructive way." 11. Have you ever witnessed a social media public shaming? Did you say anything? Why or why not? "Yes, I have witnessed a public shaming on social media. Someone made a mistake, and people started attacking them in the comments. It was uncomfortable to watch, but I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want to get involved. I felt that adding my voice wouldn’t help the situation and might make it worse. Sometimes, it’s hard to know what to do in those situations, but I usually prefer to stay out of it unless I can really make a difference." 12. Have you ever reported a tweet or post? Why? What happened? "Yes, I’ve reported a post on social media that was spreading false information about a health issue. I felt that the post was dangerous because it could lead people to make bad decisions about their health. After I reported it, the platform reviewed the post and eventually removed it. I think it’s important to report things like that because they can cause real harm if they’re not dealt with. The reporting system is there for a reason, and it’s good to use it when necessary." 13. Have you ever been reported? "As far as I know, I haven’t been reported on social media. I try to be careful about what I post and avoid saying things that could be offensive or harmful. I also try to follow the rules of the platform to make sure I don’t get into trouble. I think being respectful and mindful of others is key to staying out of trouble on social media. It’s important to remember that what you say online can have consequences." 14. Do you say things on social media you’re afraid to say in real life? "Sometimes, yes. It’s easier to express certain opinions online because you don’t have to face the person directly. For example, I might share my thoughts on a controversial issue on social media, but I would be hesitant to bring it up in a conversation with someone in real life. The distance that social media creates can make it easier to say what you really think. However, I still try to be careful about what I say, because words can have a big impact." 15. Do you say things in real life you’re afraid to say on social media? "Yes, there are some things I feel more comfortable saying in person than on social media. In real life, it’s easier to explain what you mean and make sure the other person understands your tone. On social media, things can be taken out of context, and it’s harder to have a nuanced conversation. For example, I might discuss a sensitive topic with a friend in person, but I wouldn’t post about it online because I wouldn’t want it to be misunderstood." 16. Have you ever lied on social media? Why? "Yes, I’ve lied on social media a couple of times, but they were mostly small lies. For example, I’ve exaggerated how much fun I was having at an event or how successful a project was. I did it because I wanted to present a better image of myself to others. Social media can create a lot of pressure to look perfect, and sometimes it feels easier to lie than to be honest. But I know it’s not a good habit, and I try to be more truthful now." 17. Do you “like” things you don’t actually like, and refrain from “liking” things you do like? Why? "Yes, sometimes I ‘like’ posts even if I don’t really like them, just to be polite. For example, if a friend posts something, I might like it even if I’m not interested, because I don’t want to hurt their feelings. On the other hand, I sometimes don’t like things that I actually agree with because I don’t want to be seen as taking sides in a controversial issue. Social media can be complicated, and I think a lot of people feel pressure to act a certain way."

Around seven out of ten Americans (72%) use social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest, up from 26% in 2008. On social media sites, users may develop biographical profiles, communicate with friends and strangers, do research, and share thoughts, photos, music, links, and more. Proponents* of social networking sites say that the online communities promote increased interaction with friends and family; offer teachers, librarians, and facilitate* students' valuable access to educational support and materials; social and political change; and disseminate* useful information rapidly. Opponents of social networking say that the sites prevent face-to-face communication; waste time on frivolous* activity; alter children’s brains and behavior making them more prone to ADHD; expose users to predators like pedophiles and burglars*; and spread false and potentially dangerous information. VOCAB Proponent (prəˈpəʊnənt) : A supporter of an idea or project Facilitate (fəˈsɪləteɪt) : To make (an action or process) easier. Disseminate (dɪˈseməneɪt) : To spread widely. Frivolous (ˈfrɪvələs) : Not having serious purpose or value. Burglar (ˈbɜːglə) : Someone who illegally enters a building to steal.

“The term social media refers to a computer-based technology that facilitates the sharing of ideas, thoughts, and information through virtual networks and communities. Social media is internet-based and gives users quick electronic communication of content, such as personal information, documents, videos, and photos. Users engage with social media via a computer, tablet, or smartphone via web-based software or applications. While social media is ubiquitous in America and Europe, Asian countries like Indonesia lead the list of social media usage…. Social media originated as a way to interact with friends and family but was later adopted by businesses that wanted to take advantage of a popular new communication method to reach out to customers. The power of social media is the ability to connect and share information with anyone on Earth, or with many people simultaneously. There are more than 3.8 billion social media users around the world. Social media is an ever-changing and ever-evolving field, with new apps such as TikTok and Clubhouse coming out seemingly every year, joining the ranks of established social networks like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram. By 2023, the number of social media users in the United States is forecast to increase to approximately 257 million. According to the Pew Research Center, social media users tend to be younger. Nearly 90% of people between the ages of 18 and 29 used at least one form of social media. Further, these users tend to be better educated and relatively wealthy, or earning over $75,000 per year.” - Maya Dollarhide, “Social Media: Definition, Effects, and List of Top Apps,” investopedia.com, Aug. 31, 2021

“Social media is critically important in giving voice to communities who’ve been systemically excluded from media – people of color, women, LGBTQIA people, poor people. By giving people a chance to share their under-covered perspectives with broadcast media, social media has a possible role in making the media ecosystem more inclusive and fair… The power of social media to raise money for candidates, recruit people to participate in marches and rallies, to organize boycotts of products or the overthrow of governments is one of the best-documented – and most debated – powers of social media.” - Ethan Zuckerman, “Six or Seven Things Social Media Can Do for Democracy,” ethanzuckerman.com, May 30, 2018

“The manipulation of public opinion over social media platforms has emerged as a critical threat to public life. Around the world, a range of government agencies and political parties are exploiting social media platforms to spread junk news and disinformation, exercise censorship and control, and undermine trust in the media, public institutions, and science… We have found evidence of formally organized social media manipulation campaigns in 48 countries, up from 28 countries last year. In each country there is at least one political party or government agency using social media to manipulate public opinion domestically. Much of this growth comes from countries where political parties are spreading disinformation during elections.” - Samantha Bradshaw and Philip N. Howard, “Challenging Truth and Trust: A Global Inventory of Organized Social Media Manipulation,” comprop.oii.ox.ac.uk, 2018

“Social media is a platform for sharing ideas, information and points of view. This can have important educational value: it extends the information young people can access while also giving them insight into how others think about and use that information… For those children who feel marginalised in their local community, social media can help them connect with other people who share the same interests or outlook on life. In some cases, teenagers with critical problems can turn to social networks for fast support and guidance. There are plenty of groups that offer such help online. Social media is also an important platform for driving social issues, such as racial issues, to greater national and international attention.” - Joanne Orlando, “When It Comes to Kids and Social Media, It’s Not All Bad News,” theconversation.com, July 19, 2017

“I’ve spent the majority of my teenage life being addicted to social media, social approval, social status, and my physical appearance… [Social media] is contrived images and edited clips ranked against each other. It’s a system based on social approval, likes, validation, in views, success in followers. it’s perfectly orchestrated self-absorbed judgement… How can we see ourselves and our true purpose/talents if we are constantly viewing others?… Many of us are in so deep we don’t realize [social media’s] delusional powers and the impact it has on our lives… I can’t tell you how free I feel without social media. Never again will I let a number define me. IT SUFFOCATED ME.” - Kristina Rodulfo, “100 Shots, One Day of Not Eating: What Happens When You Say What Really Goes Into the Perfect Bikini Selfie?,” Elle, Oct. 27, 2015

Using social media, people can have friends with similar interests in multiple cities, states, and countries. Closer to home, social media can help people find each other in a busy world. “Most young people will say that social media and networked games are a lifeline to supportive connections with friends and loved ones. This was critical during the COVID-19 pandemic when schools and sports were off limits. Social media can also be a way for young people to connect with others with shared interests and identities, which can be a lifeline for youth with marginalized or stigmatized identities such as LBGTQ+ youth or racial and religious minority youth,” explained Mizuko Ito, Professor of Information and Computer Sciences at the University of California at Irvine. And the opposite is also true, While social media “does not substitute for in-person contact. Relationships that might previously have gone dormant now persist over time [online]. As such, social media users tend to report that they have access to more social support and have lower psychological distress,” offered Keith Hampton, Professor of Media and Information at Michigan State University. Studies have shown that not only does social media participation not completely obliterate in-person friendships as once feared, but that online relationships are a key supplement that add to one’s well-being. People are able to share more of their lives with friends and family and may receive crucial support from groups they do not have in offline life. 80% of teens felt more connected to friends, 67% felt they had people to support them, and 58% felt more accepted because of social media. Traditional barriers to friendships are reduced or completely removed for adults who are no longer in school or do not have a pool of coworkers, particularly when working from home. Shy, introverted, or socially reticent people can use social media to reach out to potential friends with lowered barriers and risks. Social media can also promote school and work communities. The platforms allow students and parents to connect to each other as well as teachers and other school staff outside of school hours to establish relationships as well as connect with outside community members and experts for internships, interviews, and other opportunities. For work, employees can connect with remote coworkers and other companies for what used to be “water cooler chats,” as well as for global project collaboration, advice, and career networking.

Social media users frequently collect in echo chambers, which are generally figurative but sometimes literal places where similarities among people greatly outnumber differences. Users may share biases, political affiliations, gender, race, sexual orientation, income, employment status, or any number of other demographic identifiers. Echo chambers allow misinformation to flourish because users are less likely to fact-check a post by someone with whom they identify and want to agree. Outside of an echo chamber, someone is more likely to fact-check and stem the misinformation before it goes viral. Further, within an echo chamber, extreme misinformation is more likely to go viral to encourage engagement on the social media platform among the echo chamber’s participants. Social media platforms exploit and manipulate the impulse for like-minded people to gather by programming algorithms to show more information of the same vein and by not controlling the bots and trolls that spread misinformation. “Human biases play an important role: Since we’re more likely to react to content that taps into our existing grievances and beliefs, inflammatory tweets will generate quick engagement. It’s only after that engagement happens that the technical side kicks in: If a tweet is retweeted, favorited, or replied to by enough of its first viewers, the newsfeed algorithm will show it to more users, at which point it will tap into the biases of those users too—prompting even more engagement, and so on. At its worst, this cycle can turn social media into a kind of confirmation bias machine, one perfectly tailored for the spread of misinformation,” explained Chris Meserole, Director of Research for the Brookings Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technology Initiative. According to a 2022 study, “disaster, health, and politics emerged as the three domains where misinformation [on social media] can cause severe harm, often leading to casualties or even irreversible effects…. [For example,] misinformation in these areas has higher potential to exacerbate the existing crisis in society.” Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, noted about the COVID-19 pandemic: “We are not just fighting an epidemic; we are fighting an infodemic,” referring to the misinformation populating social media feeds about the virus. The same might be said about any number of topics populating social media feeds. [321] [322]

Social media brings everyone together into one online space. With tools including hashtags and groups, people from diverse backgrounds who have similar identities, interests, or goals can find each other easily. For instance, “social media sites offer critical opportunities for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, and other sexual and/or gender minority (LGBTQ+) youth to enhance well-being through exploring their identities, accessing resources, and connecting with peers.“ Similarly, people can explore people, cultures and ideas with which they are unfamiliar without judgment from their offline communities. Pew Research Center found that in a “survey of adults in 11 nations across four global regions… in many key respects, smartphone users – and especially those who use social media – are more regularly exposed to people who have different backgrounds.” For example, in Lebanon, social media users are 76% more likely to interact with people of different religious groups, 58% more likely to interact with people of different races and ethnic groups, 68% more likely to interact with people of different political parties, and 81% more likely to interact with people of different income levels than Lebanese people who do not use social media. Further, many companies extend their Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies to online spaces, allowing not only employees but also diverse customers, clients, and others to be included equitably. For example, “bilingual social media content has emerged as a tool used to increase diversity and rights for minority groups. On Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, and other social platforms, organizations such as Tide Pods by Unilever have released bilingual images that support diverse communities. Nonprofits are currently producing bilingual content across the globe to increase equality further internationally. Bilingual social media content is now becoming a marketing tool for organizations to learn about other cultures worldwide. It can help them connect with their followers by using images that promote acceptance and understanding of cultural diversity,” according to Maria Ochoa, founder and CEO of Emprender Creative. Creating a diverse online space can translate into a diverse work environment as employees and customers of diverse backgrounds feel included and, in turn, interact with the company.

Social media is a hotbed of privacy risks including but not limited to phishing, data mining, malware sharing, and botnet attacks. Only 49% of Americans had any confidence that social media companies could protect their private information, the least amount of faith afforded the organizations and businesses that collect private data including the federal government, cell phone service providers, and retailers. Moreover, while 74% indicated that control over shared private information was “very important,” only 9% felt they had “a lot of control” over the information. The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) argued, “​​the extraordinary growth of social media has given platforms extraordinary access and influence into the lives of users. Social networking companies harvest sensitive data about individuals’ activities, interests, personal characteristics, political views, purchasing habits, and online behaviors. In many cases this data is used to algorithmically drive user engagement and to sell behavioral advertising—often with distortive and discriminatory impacts.” Further, as EPIC noted, “tracking and behavioral advertising by social media companies is not limited to the platforms themselves. Firms like Facebook use hard-to-detect tracking techniques to follow individuals across a variety of apps, websites, and devices. As a result, even those who intentionally opt out of social media platforms are affected by their data collection and advertising practices.” Thus, social media compromises everyone’s data across the Internet, including “location information, health information, religious identity, sexual orientation, facial recognition imagery, private messages, personal photos, and more.” Much of that information can be used for identity theft, in-person robbery, and any number of other crimes. And, as noted above in the argument about cyberbullying, the release of such information could also result in stalking, outing LGBTQ+ people, and religious intolerance online. The information could also be used to influence opinions and spread misinformation among vulnerable people. Additionally, information gathered from social media can be used by insurers to deny health coverage or home insurance, businesses to deny employment, and others to make decisions.