Background
Social media is a platform to raise and discuss issues affecting an individual or the community. Social media allows people to exchange ideas, share videos, images, and information through a network. Social media networks have become an everyday part of our life and have greatly changed how people carry out their day-to-day activities. Businesses have not been left behind and have taken advantage of social networks to promote their operations (Siddiqui and Singh 72). Social media plays a significant role in online shopping, business, education, and information. Therefore, the discussion will explore and explain the positive impact social media has had on the society and to the world
Social media has greatly benefited the society. Through social media, people can easily connect with each other regardless of the distance or cultural diversity. The emergence of social media platforms such as Instagram, MySpace, Pinterest, Facebook, and Twitter have played a significant role for news, journalists, and other organizations.
Social media is a great source of knowledge, as the flow of information is unrestricted. The social media has brought unlimited opportunities, especially in the business world and created a wider market for products and services (Farooq and Jan 628). People from different countries can interact with each other and share ideas, positively impacting other people’s culture. Through the social networks, the young people are able to exchange ideas, relate, connect, and offer guidance. Social media has removed most communication barriers (Vural 1159). People are able to communicate in an open channel that is unrestricted
Education
A substantial number of students in institutions of higher learning use social networks. Advancements in technology have seen the use of small handheld gadgets to access social media through the internet. The students have taken advantage of these social platforms to raise and discuss issues they had in class. Students who may not be able to participate actively in the classroom have an opportunity to present their thoughts on the platform. Additionally, the students use the platform to conduct academic research, as they can reach more people quickly and get the desired results (Vural 1160). Students are also able to reach out and help each other on assignments, thus ensuring quality work and diverse discussions. Teachers and school administrators take advantage of the social media and post-school events, assignments, and activities where students are able to access such information promptly. Lastly, social media is widely used to advertise jobs, thus making students aware of what the job market requires (Siddiqui and Singh 71). Therefore, it is clear that social media significantly impacts the education sector.
Business
Businesses worldwide have taken advantage of the huge number of people in the social media, and they are using the platform to market their products and services. According to Amedie, the social media have played a key role in helping businesses create a wider market. Most businesses have now taken their customer service to social media since they can interact with their clients, thus helping them enhance their performance and accomplish their goals (5). Businesses use the social media to promote their products by creating advertisements, which in turn attract more customers and users. The social media has led to the growth of online markets, which is one of the emerging trends in business that uses the social media platforms to reach their customers. In addition, the social media has enabled most enterprises to be creative since they can copy or come up with new ideas, which may be significant in assisting the company in achieving its goals. Platforms such as LinkedIn have played a significant role in assisting companies to connect with experts who assist the businesses in strategic planning (Siddiqui and Singh 72). Lastly, the use of professional networking sites can be a useful tool in reaching the target market, thus ensuring business development. Therefore, the social networking has played a crucial role in helping the businesses reach out to new customers.
Impact on Society
The social media have had a major impact on the society. Most of the social media sites are popular and easily accessible on the web. Therefore, this helps many people to access the social media sites. The social media help get information to people faster than the previous mode of communication. It is, therefore, a quick mode of transferring information from one source to another hence keeping people informed. Through the social networks, people have changed how they socialize and communicate on the internet (Vural 1159). Social media has turned the world into a global village since people are able to communicate and interact with family and friends who are miles away. People can easily share photos, videos, and, most important, information with friends and family. Through the social media, people are able to share ideas despite their geographic or cultural differences. The social media have been used to unite people in order to achieve a specific goal for the greater good of the society. People also learn about campaigns, promotions, and advertisements through the social media, thus keeping the society up to date with the current affairs (Siddiqui and Singh 74). It is evident that the social media have positively influenced the society, as people are able to interact easily and get information in real time.
Impact on the Youth
Social media has become part of the life of the young people. The social media usually modify the daily activities of the youth. The young people constantly communicate with their peers through different social networking platforms. Sometime back, the young people could only communicate with their friends only when they were in school, but nowadays, they can communicate and engage with new people and make friends through the online platforms (Khurana 2). The social media has enabled young people to meet, find relationships, and sometimes become real friends, or in some cases, they get married after meeting on social media. Young people often use the web to interact with friends through their phones or laptops. The interactions have greatly improved the youths’ behavioral health. Through the social media, the teens can get answers to questions related to their career choices, thus helping them make the right choice. Teenagers are able to find the support they need over the social media, which they might lack in traditional engagements. Lastly, the social media helps the teens stay connected with each other, engage, and share useful information over the networks (Siddiqui and Singh 74). It is clear that the social media plays a critical role in the development and growth of the young generation since they can access the much-needed information and advice with a click of a button.
Visual Rhetoric
The advancement in technology led to the growth of the internet, which gave rise to social media. The social media platforms are emerging daily, with new users. Facebook is one of the most popular social media platforms, which is widely used all over the world. The social media platforms have had major positive impacts on how people carry out their daily activities. The society is now appreciating the presence of social media since it plays a critical role in easing communication and interactions. Social media have had positive impacts on education as it helps students engage even when they are outside their classrooms.
From the discussion above, it is evident that the business community is one of the biggest beneficiaries of the social media. Businesses have been able to market their products by reaching a wider market at a low or no cost. The primary goal of the social media is to enable interactions among people. This has been possible as people can now communicate and connect with friends and family who are far despite the geographical distance. Worth noting is that the social media have greatly benefited the society, thus positively affecting the world. It has proven to be a necessary tool that people must embrace.
Works Cited
Amedie, Jacob. The Impact of Social Media on Society. Advance Writing: Pop Culture Intersection. (2015). http://scholarcommons.scu.edu/engl_176 Accessed: 30 Nov 2017.
Guyman, Dave. Using Social to Teach Visual Literacy in the 21st Century Classroom. Pinterest. (2014). https://www.pinterest.com/pin/233131718185154047/ Accessed 30 Nov 2017.
Farooq Faraz and Jan Zohaib. The Impact of Social Networking to Influence Marketing through Product Reviews. International Journal of Information Technology Research, vol. 2, no. 8, 2012, pp. 627-637.
Namrata, Khurana. The Impact of Social Networking Sites on the Youth. Mass Communication Journalism (2015). http://dx.doi.org/10.4172/2165-7912.1000285 Accessed 30 Nov 2017.
Vural, Omar. Positive and Negative Aspects of Using Social Networks in Higher Education: A focus group Study. Academic Journals, vol. 10, no. 8, 2015, pp. 1147-1166.
Siddiqui Shabnoor and Singh Tajinder. Social Media Its Impact with Positive and Negative Aspects. International Journal of Computer Applications Technology and Research, vol. 5, no. 2, 2016, pp, 71-75.