"Social Media uses tools such as video-sharing websites, RSS feeds, Blogs, Podcasts and even virtual worlds to publish or broadcast information and ideas. Despite the fact that some people would argue that tools such as Widgets and RSS feeds do not produce new content, but merely broadcast information that has been produced elsewhere. It can therefore be argued that these are not 'social' tools at all, but merely conduits for content produced with other 'social media' methods, such as blogs or social networks. However, in terms of your question, I do not believe this argument to matter greatly; although it is important to keep it in mind, especially the root question of this topic, what is social media and how can we define it.
One of the most widely reported problems created by social media is the constant advertising of the 'perfect' body type for both men and women. The media implies that all of us should be striving to reach these un-natural and often unhealthy body styles- the so-called 'size zero' for women, and the, perhaps less harmful, muscular and athletic body men should be aiming for. This is clearly one of the biggest problems with social media that relates to the individual. It can amplify certain opinions and view-points until they become distorted to such an extent that the reasons behind the opinions are lost or forgotten, and this viewpoints begin to become, to an extent, 'common knowledge', i.e. It is believed that this is the opinion that everyone should have.
Social Media has also become a hot-bed for the marketing of brands and products. The issue here is that social media was not, and is not designed for this, but is as a medium through which to communicate ideas, opinions and perhaps even more generally, simply with other people. It was intended to be a device to be used socially, hence the name- 'Social Media'. There are so many adverts on social networking sites that they have affectively become 'overloaded' with this placing of so many brands on their pages. This advertising, it seems, is also of little benefit to the companies or products that are being advertised. There are so many of these online billboards out there, that they affectively cancel each other out, as no one product or company can stand out in this overcrowded medium. I realise that websites must make money somehow, and adverts are a good way of doing this, but we must not forget the purpose of social media, and become distracted by the corporate marketplace that it has slowly become. We must remember social media's original and underlying purpose, to allow us to communicate with friends and people we may never meet by other means, in a word, everyone.
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One of the most widely reported problems created by social media is the constant advertising of the 'perfect' body type for both men and women. The media implies that all of us should be striving to reach these un-natural and often unhealthy body styles- the so-called 'size zero' for women, and the, perhaps less harmful, muscular and athletic body men should be aiming for. This is clearly one of the biggest problems with social media that relates to the individual. It can amplify certain opinions and view-points until they become distorted to such an extent that the reasons behind the opinions are lost or forgotten, and this viewpoints begin to become, to an extent, 'common knowledge', i.e. It is believed that this is the opinion that everyone should have.
Social Media has also become a hot-bed for the marketing of brands and products. The issue here is that social media was not, and is not designed for this, but is as a medium through which to communicate ideas, opinions and perhaps even more generally, simply with other people. It was intended to be a device to be used socially, hence the name- 'Social Media'. There are so many adverts on social networking sites that they have affectively become 'overloaded' with this placing of so many brands on their pages. This advertising, it seems, is also of little benefit to the companies or products that are being advertised. There are so many of these online billboards out there, that they affectively cancel each other out, as no one product or company can stand out in this overcrowded medium. I realise that websites must make money somehow, and adverts are a good way of doing this, but we must not forget the purpose of social media, and become distracted by the corporate marketplace that it has slowly become. We must remember social media's original and underlying purpose, to allow us to communicate with friends and people we may never meet by other means, in a word, everyone.
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