9.1.2: Social media
- Page ID
- 261535
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\(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)Other than communicating face-to-face, one of the primary ways most of us create, share, gather, and consume information in our daily lives is on social media. According to data journalist Katharina Buchholz, “on average, global internet users spend 2 hours and 27 minutes on social media per day” (Buchholz). Take a look at the Pew Research Center’s Social Media Fact Sheet for more information about our engagement with social media (click the image below to view the original detailed content):
Clearly social media is a huge part of most of our lives. It has a major effect on everything from politics, to the economy, to globalization of culture, to education, to individual identities, and much more. We’ll discuss this in module 9 when we look at big data, but it is important to be aware that the information we post on social media, and where we post it, is tracked in some capacity, somewhere. The impact of social media in our lives can be both positive and negative, from connecting people with friends and family, to the tragic outcomes of cases of cyberbullying.
One benefit of having social media in our lives, though, is that it makes it very simple for people with internet access to interact with other people no matter where they are, and vast amounts of information. Unfortunately, having this seemingly infinite access means that our engagement with people and information doesn’t go as deep as it did in the past. The Pew Research Center observed in 2020 that one in five American adults were getting their political news primarily through social media; they also observed that this group tended to be less politically engaged or knowledgeable (Mitchell, et al.).
You are most likely already aware of many of these, but here are some of the pros and cons related to using social media:
|
Pros |
Cons |
|
Social connections, peer support |
Encourages the spread of mis- and disinformation |
|
Encourages and facilitates civic, political, and social responsibility and action |
Increases risk of sleep loss, isolation, anxiety and depression |
|
Amplifies voices and facilitates inclusivity and diversity on- and offline |
Increases risk of cyberbullying |
|
Allows (some) freedom of self-expression |
Increases risk of engaging in addictive behaviors |
|
Ease of access to (some) information (for some people) |
Increases personal privacy risks |
When you’re interacting with social media, just as with people in-person, keep in mind that you are still dealing with information sources, just as you would be with books, articles, and other content. Being responsible users of online information means keeping in mind that you are part of a much larger conversation; even though it’s a casual and informal space that you’re occupying, it’s especially important to carefully evaluate and verify information on social media, read laterally, and reference your sources. See Purdue OWL for guidance on how to cite electronic sources including websites, Wikipedia, eBooks, blogs, podcasts, and social media posts.