Mass Communication Slides needed on New Media creating and reflecting culture.

New Media; Social Media 1

Reflection and Creation of Culture in New Media; Social Media

Brittany Fitzhugh

Southern New Hampshire University

New Media; Social Media 2

Reflection and Creation of Culture in Social Media

Introduction

Over the years, new technologies have had a very great impact on culture. Despite the

fact that in the early years, the impacts of technological inventions were less understood, they

are evident in all sectors in the recent years. Social media has been one of the greatest

technological inventions that are tied to communication. With the enablement of online

communication that is solely dedicated to interaction, collaboration, community-based input

and content sharing, social media has made the world a better place. Consequently, it is very

important to study the impact the platforms have on culture. A question that the paper seeks

to answer is if social media platforms reflect on culture and their impact on culture creation.

How Social Media reflects culture

The recording of data from Facebook users and the opportunity to share cultural

related content by Facebook users is a clear example of how Facebook as a social media

platform reflects on culture. A community that consists of individuals who love to share and

link with new people is well displayed through Facebook as a social media platform.

Facebook is one of the largest social media platforms hosting around 1.2 billion users

globally (Fuchs, 2015). With the advantage of no territorial or geographical limitations,

Facebook has been a channel for individuals who enjoy meeting and sharing with individuals

from different backgrounds. The platform has acted as a reflection of a culture that loves to

socialize without any bias.

Social media platforms have become an important data source for academics,

governments, and corporations with the aim of studying the human society. Data mining from

individuals using Facebook to socialize has been a strategy used to know a certain population

or people. Activities of individuals on the site are monitored over a period and used to make

New Media; Social Media 3

important business decisions. The monitoring of individuals' activities has brought about the

concept of Big Data where data scientists grab every piece of data and try to derive meaning

out of it. The practice is a clear indication that Facebook as a social media platform reflects

the people's culture.

Facebook as a social media platform provides individuals with the opportunity to

share content ranging from written materials to videos and images. Through this, individuals

have been able to post images that share their culture to rest of the world. Individuals are also

able to share videos of cultural dances and other cultural practices being performed. Another

instance of social media as a reflection of culture is where individuals are requested to give

details of their religion and such voluntarily (Jenkins & Green, 2013). In line with that,

Facebook reminds its users of special occasions that are in line with the details provided by

the users. Therefore, Facebook reflects the culture of a community.

How Social Media creates culture

The rise of certain behavioral trends due to social media platforms like Facebook is an

example of culture creation due to social media. Considering the definition of culture as the

belief and customs of a particular group of people, social media has great impact on culture

creation. Facebook has been used for various reasons by various individuals before. Some

individuals use it to network and link with others while others use it for enjoyment purposes

(Hodkinson, 2016). The effect of the social media platform on culture creation has been

greatly felt over the past decade. One of the cultures created by Facebook as a social media

platform is the isolation culture. In addition to that, individuals have been offered an

opportunity to connect romantically via Facebook thus creating the online dating culture.

The social isolation culture can well be illustrated by instances when families are

gathered at the dining table to share a meal, and some are busy conversing with individuals

New Media; Social Media 4

via Facebook. Another instance of the social isolation culture is the situation in which an

individual converse with another individual via Facebook while in the company of their

family members during a family car trip (Hodkinson, 2016). Individuals are presented with

an opportunity to isolate themselves from the group and dive into the technological trap.

Facebook facilitates culture creation by providing an online dating platform. By

availing the platform for individuals to link socially and end up being romantically involved,

Facebook has been able to bring a change to social institutions. Away from conversing face

to face, the social media platform has influenced different cultures and brought about the use

of devices to facilitate communication (Fuchs, 2015). Along with the incorporation of devices

is the introduction of a new experience to individuals. Individuals experience a different

environment where there is security when they chat rather than talking face to face.

Consequently, the social media platform has brought about the creation of a new culture.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the impacts of social media on culture are undeniable. One of the

greatest impacts on culture that is associated with Facebook is that it broke individuals out of

email jail. Despite the fact that such platforms have brought about spawning of negative

habits where oversharing tops the list, they have also made communication easy, efficient and

effective. In recent years, some relationships faded due to lack of proper communication

channels. However, Facebook has made maintaining such relationships easy. The platform

has broken geographical barriers and enabled the world to grow together.

New Media; Social Media 5

References

1. Fuchs, C. (2017). Social media: A critical introduction. Sage.

The source offers information that is fundamental in understanding social media. In

relation to the justification paper, one needs to understand the basics of social media in

order to understand how it reflects on culture and how it facilitates the creation of culture.

The source lays it clear that social media has undeniable impact to the community and

large and therefore has effects on the people's culture.

2. Fuchs, C. (2015). Culture and economy in the age of social media. Routledge.

Culture and economy in the age of social media is a source that illustrates that before the

coming of social media, there were other factors that affected culture. The source points

out that social media has caused a new era due to the change in so many things. The

importance of the book in the work is to understand the different eras that have existed

and what characterizes them. The source supports the thesis by stating that the social

media era has impacts on the culture and economy of people.

3. Hodkinson, P. (2016). Media, culture, and society: An introduction. Sage.

It is essential to understand the correlation between media, the culture, and the society.

Consequently, the source illustrates the co-dependence of the three and how each affects

the other. The source supports the thesis by illustrating that not only does media affect a

culture but the society at large.

4. Jenkins, H., Ford, S., & Green, J. (2013). Spreadable media: Creating value and

meaning in a networked culture. NYU press.

New Media; Social Media 6

Social media has brought about the connectivity of individuals which in turn has brought

about a networked culture. The source gives details on how a networked culture has been

created due to social media which is essential in understanding the thesis. The existence

of a networked culture supports the thesis by showing that social media leads to the

creation of a culture and later on reflecting it.

5. Kehbuma, L., & Tia T. (2016). Social Media: Culture and Identity

The source gives important information on the identity of a community and their culture

and how social media affects them. The source supports the thesis by illustrating how

social media affects the identity of people of a certain culture.

New Media; Social Media 7

Outline- Reflection and Creation of Culture in Social Media

1. Introduction

1.1. History background

1.2. Thesis statement

2. Reflects of Social Media on Culture

2.1. How Facebook reflects on culture

2.2. Data Mining on Facebook

2.3. Opportunities provided by Facebook

3. Creation of Culture through Social Media

3.1. Meaning of culture

3.2. Use of Facebook to create culture

3.2.1. Social Isolation Culture

3.2.2. Online dating platform

4. Conclusion