Essay 3
Social Media: The downfall of American
Culture Richard W. Runski
ENGL 101-D07 LUO
Homeland Security / Criminal Justice
Social media and networks were originally created in a positive mindset. It was designed
as a platform to unite people from all over the world and as a place for people to exchange
information, ideas, career interests and other forms of expression through virtual communities
and networks. Throughout the years, people started becoming obsessed with them and it has
become the main source in which people communicate and share information. It has also become
the “go to” thing that people use to pass the time. In order to stop the downhill trend, everyone
from government agencies, business owners, and the individual people must fight and create
change amongst us before we become a society full of distant and closed off individuals.
What is Social Media and Social Networking?
Social media is a platform used to broadcast information. The broadcasting of the
information is a one-way type of communication. Social networking is a communications
platform where the communication has a two-way nature. It is possible for social media and
social networking to overlap in a single platform such as in Facebook, Instagram, and a others.
Leading Factors and Their Effects
Several factors leading to the negative impacts of social media exist; the viral spread of
false information, the ease of its use, and the fact that addiction can cause relationship problems
are just a few of them.
Viral Spread of False Information.
In an article from the University of Arkansas Little Rock, it states, “Social media has the
power to affect a social change on society. Social media has allowed thousands of people, if not
millions, to have a voice and spread the information that the user feels is relevant and important.
Unfortunately, a side effect of giving so many people a voice is the spread of false information
disguised as truth. Information passed by social media can change the belief of an individual or a
group.” (Riddle, 2017) When false information is virally spread through social media, it can
have negative outcomes, including impacting the success of police officers doing their jobs. Just
look at the “Red Flag” incident that took place in New York on 23 November 2019. A veteran
who was under investigation for domestic violence posted videos through social media
spreading false information on why the police were at his house in a standoff. That information
spread and hundreds of misled gun owners and veterans were starting to group up in the area
with the possibility of going toe to toe with the police officers, who were just trying to stop a bad
situation. If Things would have progressed even further that night, it could have turned into a
massacre caused solely by the spread of false information over a social media/network platform.
Lazy Society.
Today we live in a “fast food” type society. By that I mean, people want to do things as
easy and as fast as possible. Social media/networks have created a way for people to
communicate solely as a virtual experience over the internet. Communication is constantly
changing and becoming much lazier. Today it is more common for people to share information
and photos with people you barely know rather than sharing experiences and making memories
with friends and family. Social skills are being demolished because people simply do not feel
the need to interact face to face but rather us the ease of a social networking platform. Social
networking does have negative impact on our daily lives, and we cannot allow it to become our
main tool for communication. A professor from RJSPM-ACS College stated, “The access that
people have on the internet and social media specifically has become too easy. It has made the
language lazy and thus resulting people uninterested in meeting others in person, which
eliminates any chance of deep and meaningful conversation. People have started losing their
ability to communicate efficiently, which is a testament, to what kind of total control social
media has over their lives.” (Bhamare, 2018) He believes that social networking platforms can
be good for society if used correctly, but the negative impacts still outweigh the benefits.
(Bhamare, 2018)
Drugs Are Not the Only Addictions That Damage Relationships.
There are many people out there that rely on social media and networking platforms as a
way to cope with life and get through the day. Those people are addicted to these platforms just
as someone can get addicted to a drug. Doctor Sonja Bethune of Ashford University wrote an
article titled Causes of Social Media Addiction & Illness. In the article she states, “One part of
being a social media addict is the inability to stop checking social media sites throughout the
day.” (Bethune, 2017) In society, we see how people have their faces buried in their phone more
often than not. Addicted behaviors can include the difficulty in controlling the use of a platform
and withdrawal can result in craving, anxiety, feeling antsy, and depression. (Nauert, 2010)
Social media and networks are merely a distraction from focusing on interactions that make a
relationship personable. Far too often, parents sit on the couch scrolling through Facebook or
Instagram and neglect the time that they have with their children. As a result of that, children are
then either becoming addicted to these platforms themselves or not getting the nurturing they
need in order to fully develop into their potential. People also usually share only their “best
lives” on social platforms, which can lead to destructive comparisons in relationships. When
people compare their life to someone else’s “perfect” internet life, it can cause arguments and
issues in a relationship. An example is how a couple acts. On social media, a couple might be
the perfect couple and always sharing photos and posts full of romance and love, but in real life
they could be having more issues than any of the ones that compare themselves.
Fixing the Issue
Social media negative effects are a major issue in society. Like all issues, you can stop
them from getting worse and you can cause a change in order to better the problem. Some of
these ways can be as simple as monitoring the issues by agencies, people simply taking a stand,
or partners/parents monitoring screen time.
Monitoring Information.
Any one can be a “arm chair quarterback” when it comes to events such as the “red flag”
event in New York. One thing that could have helped issue was the monitoring of the veterans
social media during the event. Police could have responded during the issue and put out correct
information in order to deter misled groups from acting and moving towards confrontation with
the police force. The tricky part here is there needs to be a fine line between when to worry about
social media and when to compete the task at hand. The police force did release a statement after
the issue was resolved and thankfully it was not too late.
Take a Stand.
When it comes to our “fast food” society, people need to start taking a stand against
solely using social networks for communication. Instead of using the internet to search for
significant other, people need to get out there and socialize. If we do not start using interpersonal
communication skills again then they might become a lost skill in our society. People will no
longer know how to communicate face to face with others and body language will also start to
take a backseat. Before you know it, we will just become a bunch of monotone robots.
Monitor Your Screen Time.
In order to keep our relationships from falling victim to social platforms we need to start
monitoring screen time. Start paying more attention to your spouse or children rather than
worrying about posting a picture of your food and seeing how man likes you can get from total
strangers.
Conclusion
The negative impacts of social media such as the viral spread of false information, the
ease of its use, and the addiction have a great effect on the world we live in. If we no longer want
to see our interpersonal skill diminish or our relationships falter then we need to take a stand and
create change. It starts with you.
Work Cited
Riddle, J. (2017, March 1). All Too Easy: Spreading Information Through Social Media. Retrieved
December 14, 2019, from https://ualr.edu/socialchange/2017/03/01/blog-riddle-social-media/.
Bhamare, C. R. (2018, February 28). Effects of Social Media on Communication Skills. Retrieved
December 15, 2019, from https://theknowledgereview.com/effects-social-media-
communication-skills/.
Bethune, S. (2017, December 14). Causes of Social Media Addiction & Illness. Retrieved
December 16, 2019, from https:// www.ashford.edu/online-degrees/student-lifestyle/causes-of-
social-media-addiction-illness.
Nauert, R. (2010, April 23). College Students Addicted to Social Media, Study Finds. Retrieved
December 16, 2019, from https:// www.livescience.com/9888-college-students-addicted-social-
media-study-finds.html.
