The
impact that social media has on societal and individual relations
INTRODUCTION
This assignment will explore
the positive impact that social media has on the societal and individual
relations in modern western society. It will also, through deductive reasoning,
explain the reasons why the individual has become the most important basic unit
of society.
The network society is a
“social structure based on networks operated by information and communication
technologies based in microelectronics and digital computer networks that
generate, process, and distribute information on the basis of the knowledge
accumulated in the nodes of networks” (Castells & Cardoso; 2005:52). In basic terms it means that because our
society has become more technologically advanced, modern western societies are
merely moving into the virtual communities of the World Wide Web by utilizing
new tools of technology- social media- to improve and increase communication in
interpersonal relationships. This combination of social and media networks has
turned communication into a social dialogue, and dominates the younger
generation and its culture. And according to van Dijk (2006) this justifies
social media as being the so called “nervous system” of advanced high-tech
societies.
The defining characteristics
of social media are what make the impact felt throughout societies so profound
(Levinson; 2013:6).The basic level of entry in most social networking sites is
the setting up of a 'profile' - a personalised page developed by the user in which
he/she presents him/herself to peers, through text, photos, music and videos
amongst other functionalities. This allows the user to mobilise and organise
their social contacts and profiles the way they want. It has an impact on how
we view ourselves and the people around us and is essentially, through the
theory about the development of self-concept- looking-glass self-(Steinberg;
2007: 143), a tool that we associate with on an intra- and inter-personal
level. Examples of common social media sites that have millions of users
include Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and YouTube.
The social media landscape
provides user generated content, which can be described as content developed
and published by users of these social media sites. This puts social inclusion-
the empowerment and participation of every individual in the network society, irrespective
of age, gender, socio-economic status or ethnic background (Castells &
Cardoso; 2005:58) - as one of the defining reasons why we communicate as
supported by Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (Steinberg; 2007:22) which describes
people’s desire to fulfil a sense of belonging through support from
relationships with others. By communicating online, it allows people to see
past physical differences and focus on a deeper connection by discovering
similarities that may have been previously disregarded. It creates a sense of unity and
belonging in people who might have previously felt alienated in society because
of an inability to relate to people in the traditional communication process.
Social media is an
interactive media while at the same time transcending time and space (Levinson;
2013:9). The sequence of action and reaction is so fast that the physical
presence of the person communication is occurring with is not necessary. It is
just as fast and efficient as it would occur if it were happening in a
face-to-face situation. It also provides those who would otherwise be isolated
by disability or environment with a rich and fulfilling social life that is
available to them on their timetables through the form of support groups to
discover and communicate with others who have similar problems or health
issues. This has been found to benefit people in these situations as they find
comfort in knowing they are not alone in what they are dealing with. An example
of the benefits of this form of online support is dubbed “Health 2.0”. The
results of a study conducted to evaluate the relationship between social media
use and relationship satisfaction between people who did not get to see each
other physically or in face-to-face situations showed that the use of social
media helped to maintain and in other cases make stronger the relationship
between the individuals (http://journals.chapman.edu/ojs/index.php/mc/article/view/340).
Another benefit of social media
is the impact it has on intercultural dialogue. Intercultural dialogue is
critical today in our globalized and blended world, where different cultures
encounter each other daily, especially through social media such as Facebook,
Tumblr, YouTube, and Twitter. With the active promotion and communication
competence to achieve harmony and understanding, turmoil and violence would
cease to exist (Georgetown University, 2010). Social media essentially promotes
the tolerance of people of different ethnicities, backgrounds, languages,
opinions, and ideas. A popular example of this is the social network Facebook
where there are more than 70 translations available on the site, and about 70%
of users are outside the United States of America (http://journals.chapman.edu/ojs/index.php/mc/article/view/340). According to Mark Zuckerberg, “If Facebook
were a country, it would be the 6th most populated country in the world.”
In a study funded by the
European Commission that explored the social impacts of ICT (information and
communications technologies) in Germany (2007) yielded results that shows some
benefits of social media. It concluded that social media affords the
opportunity of lifelong learning, both for the job, in formal education and in
leisure time. This new way of learning through the easy access of innumerable sources
provided by the ICT/social media in workplace and in school setting has shown
to bring about different ways of thinking to traditional and new ideas. This
has seen a stepping up of the education and training drive in the European
Union to successfully absorb digital technologies into traditional ways of
teaching and use them to best effect as per the preconditions of the Lisbon
European Council’s goals.
Social media contributed to the
distribution of social capital and the strength of social cohesion in society.
Social capital being “the sum of the actual and potential resources embedded
within, available through, and derived from the network of relationships
possessed by an individual or social unit” (Neelamalar & Chitra ; 2009:19).
The digital natives, in this case the users of social media, see these
technologies as a logical extension of traditional communication methods, and
perceive social networking sites as often a much quicker and more convenient way
to interact with their “friends” wherever and whenever they choose. With that
said they are also aware of the dangers and risks involved in using social
media as a go-between when communicating with others. This shows that the user possess
a social consciousness towards the world at large.
CONCLUSION
Social media has in the
words of Weiser (1991) disappeared and weaved itself into the fabric of
everyday life and is now virtually indistinguishable from the more traditional
methods of communication (http://www.jrc.ec.europa.eu; 2008: 13). Its positive
effect on the individual and society has led to its overwhelming usage the
world over.
REFERENCES
Castells, M. & Cardoso,
G (ed). 2005. The Network Society: From
Knowledge to Policy. Washington: The Johns Hopkins University
Dr. Neelamalar, M. & Chitra,
P. 2009.
New media and society: A Study on the impact of social networking sites
on Indian youth. Research thesis. Anna University Chennai
European Communities. 2008. IPTS Exploratory Research on the
Socio-economic Impact of Social Computing. Available http://www.jrc.ec.europa.eu
[Accessed 10 March 2014]
Levinson, P. 2013. New New Media 2nd edition.
New York: Pearson
Porter, Mitchell, Grace, et
al. A Study of the Effects of Social
Media Use and Addiction on Relationship Satisfaction. Chapman University.
Available http://journals.chapman.edu/ojs/index.php/mc/article/view/340 [Accessed
10 March 2014]
Steinberg, S. 2007. An Introduction to Communication Studies.
Cape Town: Juta
