benefits and concerns about the affects of using social media

1. Emily Myers
First Year Seminar
November 19, 2015
Concerns and Benefits of Social Media
The main concerns in this article are that of people’s privacy and if businesses and
government are abusing their ability to gain access to people’s personal information. There are
also concerns with people’s ability to participate in face-to-face interactions. Experts question if
people who rely on written message will be able to understand nonverbal cues and tone of voice
accurately when they do have to participate in conversations (Clemmitt).
There seems to be multiple benefits that come from social media. One of those benefits is
the potential for more people to become engaged in politics by making information more readily
available. News articles and other such information is also passed on through Tweeting or
forwarding articles. Social media allows people to encourage and influence their peers into
becoming involved in causes. An example of positive involvement in social media is the London
riots in August 2011. People used a hashtag to spread the word and rallied up people to clean up
after the riots. Social media makes it easier to bring people together and it makes it possible for
people to participate in thongs like debates from the comfort of their own homes. There are also
studies showing that having Facebook friends helps those who are suffering from depression.
One of the worries about this generation’s use of social media is that they are not concerned with
privacy because they would rather post their doings to their social media audience. This,
however, is not the case. People are using sites like Twitter, that allow the use of pseudonyms, to

2. be more playful with what they post because they know it will not be connected with their
Facebook. Surveys show that more teens are looking for sites where what they post can be
limited to only being viewed by friends and they are making accounts on other sites, such as
Twitter, blocked to public viewing. The use of pseudonyms also allows people to openly discuss
topics that before they may have considered embarrassing or delicate. By doing this they are
protected from exposing who they are and avoid being harassed. Analysts say that taking on a
character in a game or other virtual world can be a valuable learning experience for young
people. Virtual environments are protected so that children are prevented from sharing personal
information such as their real names, ages, or where they live. Being able to anonymously role
play in an online environment frees people from their everyday roles and allows them to be who
they want to be without the worry of people they know judging them. The problem with these
benefits is that there is always something negative that accompanies them (Clemmitt).
Even though people had hoped social media would encourage more people to get
involved in politics, it seems that those who are involved are the people who would have been
involved anyways instead of a new audience. Social media can also spread information that
people believe to be true but is in fact not true. Twitter makes it easier for people to spread lies
and false information. The tons of information available through social networks makes it
possible for political campaigns to target specific audiences that they believe can be persuaded.
This means that when in office, the small target audience will be the only ones represented.
Teenagers that participate mostly in online communication are not forming intimate
relationships. These teenagers are not as vulnerable but they are missing out on forming strong
relationships. Teenagers are also not being true to themselves; they are conforming to what they
believe is deemed socially acceptable on social media and they are avoiding posting certain

3. pictures and personal interests. A study shows that people are developing “checking habits”. This
means people frequently check their phones which is evidence of an obsession and a need to
check with social groups. The major concern with social media is privacy. Date-analysis
companies have access to just about everything you do on the internet. This information is then
used by businesses and political campaigns to form target ads for specific groups of people.
Companies even sell data to employers who wish to use the information to determine who they
should hire. Supporters of using real names on social media sites say that the use of pseudonyms
allows people to be mean or hurtful on sites because they do not need to take responsibility for
their actions. When real names are required, it often results in a friendlier better quality
community. People had believed that the age of technology would also be the age of
multitasking, this is not the case however. People are giving partial attention to everything they
do and full attention to almost nothing. The brain is capable of switching from task to task but
this increases the amount of time it takes to do the task. People’s sleep is frequently interrupted
in order for them to check their phones; research shows that by doing this it is harder for the
brain to consolidate the day’s learning and memories (Clemmitt).
Social media has effected many aspects of life. Businesses are depending on personal
information gathered from these social networks to determine what ads should be shown to
which people. Political campaigns use it to determine which audience is the most persuadable
and will be most affected by their message. It has changed the way people communicate; instead
of face-to-face being the most favorable form of communication people now want to
communicate through written text. Face-to-face has actually become the least favorable. Illinois
and California have even passed a law stating employers cannot ask workers or potential

4. employees for their social media information. Social media has become a major part of everyday
life (Clemmitt).
Is Social Media Beneficial?
There are always upsides and downsides to everything; it is the job of the individual to
properly investigate into all sides of a situation. The stance that this paper represents is that of the
helpful side of social media. Social media has become a big part of life; people use it for many
different things. People can use it as a more convenient way to communicate with physicians and
to educate themselves on health conditions or other questions they may have (Meghan
Mahoney). Social media can be used as a tool to get the opinions of focus groups; it is easy
access to a variety of people’s input on products and services. The more people seem to use
social media the better their opinions of it seems to be (Rolland).
According to one article, people are quick to turn to the internet for health information;
80% of people who use the internet use it to obtain health information. Social media is a more
efficient means of communication between physicians and patients; some doctors feel the most
useful tool for communication is Skype. Skype can give that face-to-face interaction without
even having to leave the comfort of their home. People are able to go online and talk about their
personal experiences and concerns; they can get feedback from other patients and have a better
idea of which physicians they should go to. People have easier access to information so that they
can be overall better informed (Meghan Mahoney).
Market researches can use social media as a tool to gather information on products and
services; social media makes it easy to reach a wide range of people. With access to focus
groups, researchers can post qualitative research surveys and get tons of feedback. The

5. information of participants is secure so they can feel free to post the truth about how they feel.
The researches can easily update any questions they have and get immediate feedback (Rolland).
Social media’s best attribute seems to be the instant gratification that users get. When
someone has a question, they simply message a doctor and they are able to get a response within
moments. It makes it easier for people to share information and get multiple opinions on topics.
Social media may be thought of as a way to post about every aspect of someone’s life, but it also
a good tool to get information when you really need it.

6. Work Cited
Belangee, Susan, Marina Bluvshtein, and Daniel Haugen. "Cybersocial Connectedness: A
Survey Of Perceived Benefits And Disadvantages Of Social Media Use." Journal Of
Individual Psychology 71.2 (2015): 122-134. Academic Search Premier. Web. 19 Nov.
2015.
Clemmitt, M. (2013, January 25). Social media explosion. CQ Researcher, 23, 81-104. Retrieved
from http://library.cqpress.com/
Meghan Mahoney, L. "Social Media Health Communication: A Cross-Cultural Investigation On
The Motivations And Challenges Of Using Participatory Technology To Communicate
With Patients." Online Journal Of Communication & Media Technologies 5.3 (2015):
141-161. Communication & Mass Media Complete. Web. 19 Nov. 2015.
Rolland, Sylvie E., and Guy Parmentier. "The Benefit Of Social Media." International Journal
Of Market Research 55.6 (2013): 809-827. Business Source Premier. Web. 19 Nov.
2015.