Week 2- Internet as media; impact and strategy

Before we discuss about the impacts of social media, lets see what happens if we do not have them.

“Social media is a bad idea- the rise of social media has more and more problems like internet addiction, social isolation, and invasion of privacy- especially with the young generation. “

This quote sparks my interest in digging deeper on the issues about the use of social media. I totally agree that social media is bad but I cannot deny that social media changed many peoples’ life. A lot of us has become dependent on the social media and could not live without it.

We gain a lot due to the invention of the social media but we have also lost things that we cannot get back.

What we have lost:

1. Power & rights

When we decide to post something in social media, we are empowering others to comment and judge. Even if we receive negative comments, we have lost the rights to fight back. 

 If you do not want people to judge, then do not post. Simple as that. However, why is it so difficult for us to not post? Because….. Addiction towards the social media is a huge cause that invokes so many problems. Massive research about the issue of addiction yet it could not bring stop to the usage of social media.

2. Connecting to disconnect 

Yes! Social media is not just about technology. It has the power to disconnect people in real-life interactions. This disconnecting people will gradually become ostracize. 

The problem now is how we portray ourselves in social media platforms. Problems can be serious when you do not do it well. Singapore is the Second Highest Nation of Cyber bullies.  It has become such a stressful environment to be in. I would not be surprised if we have a course on how to portray ourselves in the social media as a course in university.

If you look closely into these problems, they are all related.

Couldn’t resist postingà allowing others to criticiseà allowing others to access your information.

Social media is a powerful tool. If we misuse it, it becomes a weapon of destruction. If we use it well, it becomes a weapon for reform.