Social media brings benefits

Krys Shahin, Staff Writer

It’s easy to see that as time goes on, society evolves along with new technology, but is this a good or a bad thing? Are we too dependent on technology? As technology advances, people are always looking for the newest and “most trendy” thing of the time. With this comes different forms of media. Whether this media is news, social media used for entertainment or forms of media to learn, it’s good for society and has many benefits. The recent events of the Christchurch shooting and Notre Dame Cathedral burning down are good examples of why connection and media are so important.

The many forms of media matters because while it appears people are spending more time on their devices, it does not necessarily translate to being lazy or simply in it for the entertainment value.

Not only is technology good for entertainment, but it is good for the economy, advancements in the mental health industry and connecting people to parts of the world that they would have never experienced before these advancements.

 “When natural disaster strikes and causes devastating destruction, social media is the ideal vehicle to deliver messages asking for support. This helps stories that begin locally to gain national or global attention,” said AJ Agrawal, the founder of Verma Media, a marketing agency that focuses on emerging tech, like blockchain and AI.

Technology allows those old American ideals of starting fresh and becoming a successful entrepreneur to stay alive.

“[Social media] has allowed smaller brands to gain a foothold in the market much easier… that is often the result of harnessing social media platforms to build a following in a cost effective way,” said Jeff Desjardins, founder and Editor-in-Chief at Visual Capitalist.

Anyone and everyone is a billboard to advertise however and whatever they want today. That means anyone can become a business owner or an entrepreneur and advertise for cheap or even free. Small or new businesses now have a chance to gain traction and even compete with the major corporations that may be dominating the market.

Apps that we all know about, like Instagram or Snapchat, are some of the most predominant social media that people use today. Having resources like these push people to connect with others worldwide.

 A study conducted in 2018 by Griffith University and the University of Queensland in Australia found that, “although American teens have fewer friends than their historical counterparts, they are less lonely than teens in past decades. They report feeling less isolated and have actually become more socially adept, partly due to an increase in technology use. Suicidal teens can get immediate access to quality support online. One example occurred on a Minecraft forum on Reddit when an entire online community used voice-conferencing software to talk a teen out of his decision to commit suicide.”

Without technology and media, there is no telling where these teens would be emotionally or what types of relationships they would have.

A study done by Nielsen called Total Audience Report in 2018 found, “young adults 18-34 spend 43% of their time-consuming media on digital platforms. Almost a third of their time spent with media (29%) comes from apps/web on a smartphone.”

These findings have important consequences for the broader discussion of media and its full effect on current youths and the future of America’s society as a whole. In other words, people are already addicted to media, both kids and adults, but when they are connecting to events worldwide, it is hard to see it as a negative. It is said about 2.6 billion people were using social media in 2018 with an estimated 2.77 billion for 2019 according to Statista, a website that collects data from thousands of sources and puts findings together.

There are many reasons why media is so important in America and ultimately the world. Without the advancements and use of media, our world would not be as connected as it is today. Technology and media are important for future growth for society as a whole to improve as much as possible.