Mercado 1

Victor Mercado
Professor Derohanessian
English 114A
20 October 2014
The Effect Of Social Media On Our Society
The advancement of social media in society has drastically changed our everyday
lifestyles within the past couple of years. The nature of our society seems to be guided by what is
said on social media and the social networking sites that we have made our latest obsessions.
Most of us have made these sites such as Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr (see Fig.1) have
become somewhat of an addiction where we have to be constantly checking our feeds or
updating our timelines just to find out what is happening with those around us. It almost seems as
though social media is creating more networks to keep us interconnected but we abuse these
networks and media to where it becomes a daily addiction that runs our lives. Society is
practically ran by what is said or trending on social media and from what I can tell is that it is not
a good idea especially since not everything on social media is suitable for all audiences.
Accessibility to these social media sites or networks are found almost anywhere now
ranging from Televisions and Magazines to Cellular Devices and Laptops. No matter where we
go we seem to be surrounded by networks and the media wether we choose to be or not.
Unfortunately this is the world we live in now where the social networks are Cool and if you
do not have any type of social networking account then you are totally in the dark and are not
considered Cool. These networks as well as the media have shaped the way we see and judge
someone or something, yes at times they are very helpful for researching for a future purchase

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but once you past everything that is helpful and you get to what is being said about everybody
although it might not be true, you begin to judge and assume as well participate in spreading
rumors about you saw, although you do not know the whole truth of the subject matter. This is
where everybody is attracted to the media since they want to know whats going on between two
other people although it is nothing of their business but the accusations of them are posted and
made public just to be viewed as a good or bad person.
Apart from spreading rumors and starting drama, those with social apps have the drama
of not being able to stay off their phones because of the public networking apps that are installed
onto their phones. This is another major problem considering that one can put so much
information on the app, and it could lead to the retaliation of friends/followers or some people
who dislike that person and could possibly lead to Cyberbullying. In the online article, Impact
of Social Media in the last paragraph Amna Altaf states It may increase the sleep deprivation,
Facebook depression(related to extensive time spent on social media sites)and internet
addiction". This quote of the article explains that the more time you spend on these sites the
more you begin to develop some types of minor disorders and you may lose self confidence.
These networks can have a beautiful woman thinking that she is either too skinny or fat and
when you ask her way and compliment her, she will tell you that she wants to look like a skinny
model and not a naturally thickly curved beauty that she is. Society has the networks to make
someone feel like they are the odd one out just because they do not have a certain characteristic
that others on that network have, and if they do not develop that characteristic, then they are
somewhat pushed aside. Networks play a huge role in the way somebody looks at themselves or
the way they view something or someone else around them, and it could lead to very multiple
situations but

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possibly in the way that they are not gay with themselves or pleased with their surroundings,
including their own physical bodies and that could terribly ruin somebody's mindset and their
mental well being.
Now, some people believe that there are no disadvantages of the social media networks
and that they are only made to help us and they are always good all of the time when we are
using them. I have found a source that does support their argument but not completely since at
the beginning of the article it states the bad of the social media. The article named Twitter can
be Real Help by Jennifer Scott, it proves the point of a counter argument that the networks can
be used for good. But, the first this thats said is From the trolling of Rebecca Adlington about
the size of her nose on Twitter through to 'revenge porn' posted by angry exes on Facebook, it is
the latest trend for society to pin its flaws on. This is just a small fraction of what disturbing
posts and images are put onto these site that effect those who have accounts on these sites. Even
a positive article cannot avoid what the problems are with social media and how it is seen by
mostly everyone with accounts as well as how the intentions to hurt someone are extremely high.
The social media and networking that allows us to connect with others is not as positive
as we all make it seem to be. It is nothing but potential problems and is sometimes the source of
many suicide crimes or even worse crimes. It controls our daily routines and how we function on
a daily basis and for the most part it is certainly an addiction that we totally hooked on, also the
amount of inappropriate content on social media that is accessible to any one of the users
regardless of age or gender is extremely high and is can be a disturbing view for most. These
factors impact society through the way the users respond to the content they see and that these
networks are not good for the general public and disturb Society in the examples I provided.

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Works Cited
Scott, Jennifer. Twitter Can Be Real Help: It is Easy to See the Negative Impact of Social
Networking on Society. but Crime Correspondent Jennifer Scott Argues for the Positives
Twitter and Facebook Bring OUR SHOUT. Nottingham Evening Post 31 July
2014: 17. Print.
Altaf, Amna. "Impact of Social Media." Pakistan Observer Oct 09 2014. ProQuest. Web.

Figure 1.