Essay Sample on Social Media as a Rising Trend and the Role That Social Media Plays in Communication

Introduction

Social media refers to applications and websites that are designed to assist people in the quick, efficient, and real-time sharing of content virtually. Most individuals view social media as the applications in their tablets or smartphones, but the communication tool began with computers (Hudson, 2018). The trend is increasingly prevalent in America, and around the world, today. According to Pew Research, out of the 99% of the young adults in the US that used the internet in 2016, 90% of them used a social networking site (Villanti et al., 2017). The increasing proliferation of smartphones in the global market has fuelled the use of social media by increasing the level of access even in the less developed nations. It has created a platform where people can exchange multimedia content, ideas, and it is free for anyone to join and use. Social media has enhanced communication by making it simple, quick, and cheap to send and receive visual and audio messages.

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What Is the Importance of Social Media?

Social media is important because it enhances communication and helps to connect people all over the world. The use of social media is prevalent in developed countries due to their well-established internet connectivity. Wealthy nations have a high rate of internet use compared to poor economies, and this has had an impact on social media penetration (Poulshter et al., 2018). The ability to share events, opinions, photos, and videos in real-time have transformed the way people live and communicate, and hence social media is a very critical tool for today's generation.

The influence of social media has been experienced in business circles. The rate of competition has called for businesses to be dynamic in their efforts to attract customers. One of the requirements of every business today, whether small or big, is a social media presence. The platform has been a vital marketing strategy that has allowed business organizations to reach out to a large number of consumers. Social media is free, and hence it gives organizations the opportunity to advertise at no cost when using their pages and profiles. These social platforms, apart from increasing connectivity with the customers, help to boost lead sales and increase brand awareness (Schmid, 2018). A strong presence on social media also increases the authenticity of a business.

Accessibility and the Internet as a Continual Source of News, Entertainment, and Education

A massive portion of young adults are active on various social media platforms, and this is crucial because social media is a learning space. The ability to connect with people from all around the world presents an opportunity for learning other cultures and their people. Social media transforms individuals into global citizens by giving an inside perspective on faraway places and cultural trends (Willis, 2017).

Social media is also a crucial news source, especially for millennials. Roughly 40% rely on digital outlets to receive their news, while 23% primarily receive their news from social media sites (Willis, 2017). Most media houses are on social media, and they regularly update their ages to show trending news and other articles. Many individuals will get all the news information they need by clicking on the links in their social media.

More people are using social media for entertainment purposes instead of watching movies or television shows. The ability to access via smartphones increases the entertainment value since many people have these devices. Individuals are entertained by watching videos, sharing memes, playing online games, following celebrity pages, and a variety of other things that are found on the social media platforms. The social sites support all manner of content, and hence they are increasingly becoming multimedia entertainment platforms.

Productive Use of Social Media

One of the productive uses of social media is to keep in touch with childhood and school friends. People grow up and leave childhood friends, travel away from work, or join new relationships. These platforms help in keeping touch with people who you do not get to see regularly, yet they are important to one's social circle.

Another productive use of social media is networking. It is crucial to build networks if you intend to be successful in a career or business endeavor. Social media grants direct access to many people and some of these are important to an individual in some way. They may operate in the same industry, have similar preferences, or require a skill that one can offer.

Social media can be an excellent tool for getting answers and opinions from people. The broad range of people offers a valuable pool of experience and information. One can post questions on social media, and people can provide their answers and opinions. The diversity of the responses may offer solutions that one was not expecting.

What Are the Challenges That Social Media Face in Today’s Society?

One of the foremost challenges facing social media is cyberbullying (Hurley, 2018). The ease of connectivity and lack of restriction in opening accounts means that anybody can have a social media page. However, some people use these platforms to bully and belittle other people, and it mostly affects young people.

The other challenge of social media is that it contributes to depression among its users (Hurley, 2018). Platforms like Facebook and Instagram allow people to post pictures and stories about their life. Some people will look at pictures of others who appear to be living the 'good' life and feel jealous or worthless. People engage in popularity contests to see who has the most likes or comments, and this may leave some feeling disillusioned.

There a high number of people on social media, and numerous platforms mean that there is a massive number of posts. Everyone is free to update any multimedia content at any time, and this combination leads to an excess of information. It is challenging to sift through the information without getting overwhelmed.

References

Hudson, M. (2018). What is Social Media?. Retrieved from https://www.thebalancesmb.com/what-is-social-media-2890301

Hurley, K. (2018). Social Media and Teens: How Does Social Media Affect Teenagers' Mental Health?. Retrieved from https://www.psycom.net/social-media-teen-mental-health

Poulshter, J., Bishop, C., & Chwe, H. (2018). Social Media Use Continues to Rise in Developing Countries. Retrieved from http://www.pewglobal.org/2018/06/19/social-media-use-continues-to-rise-in-developing-countries-but-plateaus-across-developed-ones/

Schmid, V. (2018). Why Social Media Is Important for Business Marketing. Retrieved from https://bsquared.media/social-media-for-business-marketing/

Villanti, A., Johnson, A., Ilakkuvan, V., Jacobs, M., Graham, A., & Rath, J. (2017). Social Media Use and Access to Digital Technology in US Young Adults in 2016. Journal Of Medical Internet Research, 19(6), e196. doi: 10.2196/jmir.7303

Willis, A. (2017). 6 Ways Social Media Changed the Way We Communicate. Retrieved from http://circaedu.com/hemj/how-social-media-changed-the-way-we-communicate/