Free Essay Sample on Social Media Impact on American Culture

Introduction

Social media use has increased among American citizens over the past decade. Whereas only 5% of the adults in the United States were reported to use social media in 2005, the number has grown to 70%. This accounts for an increase in the number of people using Facebook, Instagram, as well as Twitter and Snapchat, as well as other social media platforms. The time spent on social media has become a significant concern as social media has been found to impact American culture. Research on social media use in the United States focuses on how it has impacted the citizens' day-to-day lives. Social networks have been found to feed off interactions among people. Therefore, each person in the society can relate with others as they one another via social media as they do publications as well as the creation of interactions. The entire online worlds, therefore, bolster the worldview, thus breaking it into the mainstream. Therefore, social media has impacted the American culture, ranging from the social to ethical and environmental and political. Although it has increased the visibility of issues in society, it is slowly killing the culture. Therefore, the study evaluates how social media has impacted the American culture both positively and negatively while bringing awareness about social issues in American culture.

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Background

Social media has brought various positive traits in American culture. It has also robbed the Americans of their culture. Social media has robbed the ability of American citizens in finding trust as well as comfort in one another. It has replaced the needs for warm as well as supportive interactions with the virtual and hollow connection. Social media has robbed the teens their ability to effectively interact physically and socially.

Amedie (2015), in the journal article, “The Impact of Social Media on Society,” claims that “each step forward in social media has made it easier, just a little, to avoid the emotional work of being present, to convey information rather than humanity.” (AMedie, 2015) According to Amedie, while social media has various positive influences, it has robbed individuals’ self-control and the ability to think independently. Amedie however, claims that “ironically, social media is in effect turning us into one of the most antisocial generations, yet” (AMedie, 2015).

O’Keeffe and Pearson (2011) revealed that social media robs individuals’ self-regulation and contributes to peer pressure. Although they agree that social media plays a significant impact on the modern generation, it is clear that the impacts depend on individuals (O'Keeffe and Kathleen, 2011). Therefore, it might end up bringing both positive and negative outcomes. Therefore, the impacts of social media on American culture are based on various aspects and entails careful observation of how it influences the societies and the opinions of the individuals and their understanding.

Evidence

Social media has both positive and negative impacts on American culture. Firstly, social media influences the behaviors of individuals. The article “Social Media and Young People's Mental Health" by Brayan Herrera (2016) reveals that social media impacts individuals' behaviors. According to Herrera, “social media is a powerful tool for young people; it provides a platform for our voices to be heard and enables us to become active citizens and voice our opinions on the matters that affect or interest us” (Herrera, 2016). Besides, Herrera argues that social media has contributed to the exploration of the culture of the society while building resilience as individuals acquire skills to manage risks. Although these are significant social media benefits, Herrera poses the question of how social media negatively impacts American culture.

The promise of social media with the emergence of technology platforms has brought a wave of optimism. The social networks, as well as smartphones, bring people together. Social sharing has contributed to the use of computers and mobile phones in expressing concerns on social issues (Tardanico, 2012). The reality of social media on the American culture is revealed through the emergence of dominant social platforms that shape the events in the real world.

Social media affects interpersonal communication and relationships in the United States of America. It plays a significant part in allowing individuals to form relationships and maintain them. In the article, “Is Social Media Sabotaging Real Communication?” by Tardanico (2012), “7% of communication is based on the written or verbal word. A whopping 93% is based on nonverbal body language.” Therefore, social media has broken the barriers of space and time as it enables individuals to interact.

Social media offers individuals various opportunities to remain connected, make new friends, and reconnect with the old ones and share new content and issues. As a result, social media users have contributed to global and local developments as they participate in their chosen activities. Besides, social media enhances career as well as business prospects. Students find the opportunity to improve their proficiency in academic as well as skills in communication as they can learn various cultures by connecting with others through social media platforms.

Refutation

Herrera (2016) claims that “heavy usage of social media contributes to low self-esteem, body dysmorphia as well as feeling of disconnection among peers and family” (Herrera, 2016, p. 13). Therefore, social media brings various negative impacts on society if not properly regulated. Although social media helps students expand their creativity and ideas, it affects their body image and behavior and mental health.

In the workplace, the use of social media has overtaken the face to face communication. As a result, there is a potential growth of misinterpretation and reliance conflicts due to miscommunication. Social media use at the workplace, therefore, affects the individuals' interpersonal relationships with one another.

Cyberbullying and online harassment has become rampant in American society due to the growth of social media use. Children, especially girls and women, have become vulnerable to online attacks, thus creating tension and distress. Besides, social media has impacted productivity in the United States, with many company employees becoming addicted to social media instead of focusing on work. The increased use of social media has impacted the citizens' privacy as most individuals reveal the individual information on social media platforms, making the users vulnerable to attacks.

Conclusion

Social media has both positive and negative impacts on American culture, as revealed in this paper. The American culture has been impacted by social media both negatively and positively, ranging from communication and relationships to issues of vulnerabilities and cyberbullying. Understanding the impacts of social media on the American culture has the potential of making people less addicted to it. From the impacts of social media, it is up to each individual to use social media appropriately for professional life while remaining cautious to ensure they do not fall victim to the online trap. Most Americans think that social media has negatively impacted their culture with significant platforms revealing a growing concern on how social media has been used to shape the United States' culture. Therefore, social media has impacted the culture of the United States tremendously while revolutionizing the way people communicate and socialize. However, it has both positive and negative impacts as it has allowed the community to forge on its future.

References

Amedie, J. (2015). The Impact of Social Media on Society. Santa Clara University, 1(1), 1-20.

Herrera, B. (2016). Social Media and Young People’s Mental Health. Mental Health Foundation, 1(2), 12-28.

O'Keeffe, G. S., & Kathleen, C. (2011). The Impact of Social Media on Children, Adolescents, and Families. American Academy of Pediatrics, 127(4), 800-80.

Tardanico, S. (2012). Is Social Media Sabotaging Real Communication? Forbes Magazine, 2(1), 117.