The Pros & Cons of Social Media

Over the past few years, the use of social media has become an ongoing and controversial topic. Some parents only see social media as a bad thing and try to keep children away from them because of the excessive “cyber bullying” and predators. People also see things like ‘Craigslist’ and get anxious because of all the bad things that they hear on the news. Other people use Craigslist to find things like cars, apartments and houses and never had any problems.

Cons:

As previously stated, parents are very skeptical of their younger children having access to the Internet period. According to the Journal of Adolescent Health, only 18% of youth use chat rooms, however, the majority of Internet-initiated sex crimes against children are initiated in chat rooms. Also that 82% of online sex crimes against minors, the offender used the victim’s social networking site to gain information about the victim’s likes and dislikes. Parent’s Television Council says one in seven kids received a sexual solicitation online.

A lot of adults are not aware of the term “cyber bulling” but it refers to Internet bullying and is a form of teen violence that can do long-term harm to young people and affects them on a daily basis. Cyber bullying consists of:

• Sending mean messages or threats to a person's email account or cell phone
• Spreading rumors online or through text
• Posting hurtful or threatening messages on social networking sites or web pages
• Stealing a person's account information to break into their account and send damaging messages
• Pretending to me someone else online to hurt another person
• Taking unflatering pictures of a person and spreading them through cell phones or the Internet
• Sexting, or circulating sexually suggestice pictures or messages about a person

 

According to bullying statistics, cyber bullies do not realize the consequences for themselves of cyber bullying and that their actions have lead their victims  to anxiety, depression and even suicide.

The things teens post online now may reflect badly on them later when they apply for college or a job. If you are looking for a job, you need to be aware of your digital footprint – the information connected with your name online. Companies and recruiters routinely check search engine results to learn more about potential employees. According to Forbes, up to 70% of employers who have used LinkedIn say they’ve chosen not to hire a person based on what they’ve found out about them online. However, only 27% of employers give job seekers the opportunity to discuss the online content that is associated with their name, such as social media profiles, blog posts and photos.

A professional con of social networking sites is that people depend on it so much for communication, that they lack the skills of holding a conversation face to face. According to a study, 10% of people younger than 25 years old respond to social media and text messages during sex.

Pros:

As a public relations major, I am taught the benefits of having social media. From promoting businesses to keeping up with family members to following a campaign trail, social media can also be used for a lot of good things. Social networking sites are a top news source for 27.8% of Americans, ranking below newspapers (28.8%) and above radio (18.8%) and print publications (6%) and also spreads information faster than any other media.

Just like social media can hurt your career or college opportunities, it could also help. 96.6% of four-year institutions use Facebook to recruit students, 83.4% use Twitter, and 79.3% use YouTube. Also, there are different sites, such as Blackboard, offers teachers a platform for collaboration with other teachers and communication with students outside the classroom.

With politics, social networking increases voter participation. Facebook users reported they are more likely to vote if they see on social networking sites that their friends did. During the Nov. 2010 elections, Facebook users who visit the site more than once a day were 2.5 times more likely to attend a political rally or meeting, 57% more likely to persuade someone about a vote, and 43% more likely to say they will vote. During the 2012 presidential election, 22% of registered voters posted about how they voted on Facebook or Twitter, 30% were encouraged to vote by posts on social media, and 20% encouraged others to vote via social networking sites. It can also lead to facilitating political change.

Even up and coming musicians use social media to build up their audience even if they don’t have a record deal. The best example I can think of is Justin Beiber. He was discovered on YouTube when he was 12 years old and in 2012, when he was 18, his net worth was estimated at $80 million.

If you don’t know how to use social media, it can be a bad thing. Social media offers a lot of privacy selections along with the option to block people you want to keep away. Having Internet Etiquette is not popular but very necessary to have.