The growth of the internet in the early 1990s has seen an increase in the network population from the low millions to low billions in the last two decades. During this time, social media has played a critical role for society. Social media provides opportunities for users to engage in self-presentation of identity, talk to families, friends, and colleagues. Unlike the traditional network research, examining face-to-face relationships, the focus of social media research remains on individual-to-individual communications rather than on relationships or connections (Kevlson, 2007). However, is it true that most people treat social media as a channel of communication for social interaction rather than a place to make critical connections? I would argue that contrary to conventional wisdom, social media such as Facebook is playing a critical in the development of communication that in turn affects people’s relationships. As such, concrete friendships and mutual relationships are formed, and common values as well as opinions are expressed. I am one of the beneficiaries of the Facebook revolution. As far as I can tell, I am as affected as the rest of the population.
According to Savan Leslie (2005), online social media provide users means of to express their personalities and views on a public forum. Social media provides many ways for users to express their personalities and views including applications and applications and views including applications and posting of photographs. According to Facebook Statistics, “more than 30 billion pieces of content (web links, new stories, blog posts, notes, photo albums etc are shared each month (p.36). People on Facebook install 30 million applications every day. Given their prominence, this study found that Facebook plays a critical role in the daily lives of people. Perhaps one area of social media that is worth of exploration is on its influence of communication and language. Users join social media like Facebook by creating a homepage that typically provides basic details about the user’s identity as well as likes and dislikes. When creating a homepage, the new user is asked a series of standard questions as a way of composing the homepage. After answering the initial questions, users can then personalize their pages. Personalizing pages allows users to display identity and users to modify the content of their pages anytime. After creating a page, users can add friends by their searching them using name or email address. Friends can talk to the new user by chat, post or the walls or send them a message in the box.
One may find it problematic to abstain from the ambitious claim that technology has changed the world. The Internet became the last of the major inventions in the field of communications, drawing a line under two extremely productive in this context centuries, which saw the rise of telegraph (in this case – the fall, too), telephone, radio, personal computer and mobile phone. In the voting for the most important inventions since 1800 conducted by BBC (2005), the Internet occupied honorable 7th place, trailing only to radio in the communication ‘division’ (notably, bicycle prevailed overwhelmingly having collected 59% of votes) (Luke, 2012). Has the Internet changed the world or not, it definitely made it more convenient and contributed to the process of globalization? Communication as well as easy access to information is two of most important trigger words of the present generation. Perhaps the most realistic question to ask at this moment concerns the idea of addiction to technology especially the internet and other communication gadgets. Are humans getting increasing dependent on technology? Let us use the example of New York City, also known as the big apple. It is arguable that I- phone was made for fast pace city like New York. This is the reason the phone takes care of business at the right time. The I-phone has played a major role in the transformation of memory. First, with its features, New Yorkers do not have to remember important information. The I-phone’s remainder sections always aid one to remember important information such as phone numbers, meetings, and a lot of do list. In addition, one has not to remember the phone numbers of bosses, customers, or teachers; it is all set up on the fingertips. The repercussions for this are two. One, it aids with the acquisition of information at the time one needs it. However, the other side is that without the phone, human memory becomes dysfunctional. It is almost possible for one to make the argument that without the I-phone, many New Yorkers will find it really hard to live ( Hearzog, 2012). It would dependent on the side that one takes, is it better for people to have less memory or to have the convenience of not having to think through hard for small details?
Technologically savvy’s argument is that the advancement of technology has made human life by increasing the amount of time available for activities that could have spent more time on. They give the example of typing instead of writing, use of Smartphone to keep off boredom as well the idea that technology facilitates finding solutions for human problems. Perhaps the problem with such an outlook would be to what cost? While we enjoy the use of technology as humans, how does it destroy the fabric of social relationship? How much do we talk to each other, and if we do, is it in the way that fosters the humanity’s advancement?
One can correctly argue that the social media is a requirement for a fast pace life of the 21ct century. This is the reason the social media takes care of business at the right time. Social media has played a major role in the transformation of memory. First, with its features, young people do not have to remember important information. Social media has remainder sections always aid one to remember important information such as phone numbers, meetings, and a lot of do list. In addition, one has not to remember the phone numbers of bosses, customers, or teachers; it is all set up on the fingertips. The repercussions for this are two. One, it aids with the acquisition of information at the time one needs it. However, the other side is that without the phone, human memory becomes dysfunctional. It is almost possible for one to make the argument that without social media, many people of this generation will find it really hard to live. This also goes to the mastery of spellings, grammar, and general rules of language.
Works Cited
Arthur, Luke. "The IPhone 4 & Its Impact on Society | EHow." EHow. Demand Media, 12 Oct. 2011. Web. 05 Dec. 2013.
"A Functional Analysis of the Apple IPhone & How It Has Changed Mass Media & Our Culture." HubPages. N.p., 4 Aug. 2011. Web. 05 Dec. 2013.
Kevelson, Roberta. The Inverted Pyramid: An Introduction to a Semiotics of Media Language. Indiana: Indiana University Press, 2007. Print.
Zourou, Katerina. "Language Learning, Social Media and Development of Language Resources | Open Education Europa." Language Learning, Social Media and Development of Language Resources | Open Education Europa. N.p., 5 May 2009. Web. 05 Dec. 2013.
