How social media has shaped modern society

¶ … Social Media Has Had on Society

Social Media has had a particularly influential power over society during recent years as more and more individuals start to guide themselves in accordance with principles put across by such devices. However, it is difficult to determine whether social media has had a positive influence or a negative influence on the social order, taking into account that many are unable to filter information they are bombarded with and end up having a distorted understanding of the world as a whole.

Internet has revolutionized the way information is being sent across the world and this means that it would be impossible for particular events happening in the past to happen in the contemporary society. By simply looking at how the radio and the television have brought significant change to particular environments, one is more likely to understand the degree to which internet can bring change to the world. Websites such as Wikileaks have damaged the reputation of certain communities and have enabled the masses to look at international relations from a whole different perspective. It would have been impossible for the world to have access to such information several decades ago when the internet was still in its incipient stages.

Blogging and social networks have been identified as new tools that can be used for public communication and political activism. As a consequence, a great deal of individuals who were unable to express themselves freely through traditional devices resorted to using social media as a strategy to raise public awareness. Blogging and social networks have proved to be particularly effective in restrictive political conditions as members of the opposition have taken advantage of these concepts with the purpose of criticizing particular politicians and in order to have the masses learn information that was hidden from them.

The 2011 Egyptian revolution is probably one of the most significant events demonstrating the power of social media. The event could not have taken place the way it did if it were not for media devices that directly contributed to starting it. Even with the fact that its causes were deep-rooted, the public lacked the resources and the feeling of unity it needed in order to embark on a journey to fight for their rights. "The turning moment had come -- but it was the instant and widespread nature of the new media that made it possible to recognize the moment and to push it into such an effective manifestation" (Nunns & Idle 9).

In spite of the fact that there news channels documented the Egyptian revolution 24/7, people came to live directly through the event as a result of social media devices. The fact that information on Twitter and similar sites came directly from the people in the Tahrir Square meant that readers would experience a first-person perspective and that their understanding of the event was not altered. This was fresh information coming directly from the source -- a group of people who were well-acquainted with the causes why it was right for them to fight and who needed to be heard by the whole world (Nunns & Idle 13).

Trust and social ties presently need to be addressed from a whole different perspective, taking into account that social media devices have gotten actively involved in altering these mediums. "E-mail, instant messaging, and blogging have emerged as new ways to initiate weak ties with others; these weak ties serve as key links between social actors" (Duhe 100). Weak ties can rapidly transform into strong connections as individuals can learn a great deal about each-other without even interacting directly.

Although it is a product of the internet, social media has also had a severe effect on Internet itself. The fact that social media has experienced rapid progress during recent years means that people have been provided with access to new opportunities and that the world in general experienced reform. Society today contains a great deal of connections ranging from simple friendships to significant business associations as a result of social media devices. Individuals can practically perform business via social media devices without even meeting their interlocutors. "The social media gave rise to more opportunities for the business entrepreneurs to explore their choices in terms of building business, this time in another dimension -- the virtual world" (Brown 14).