Human ingenuity and technology have evolved into a symbiotic relationship, resulting in perpetual advancement and co-dependency. And this statement holds true with the growing ubiquity of the Internet and the explosion of social media today. The advent of readily available access to the Internet through cell phones, wireless Internet locations, and high speed Internet has allowed for the development of Internet devices that have now seemed to integrate themselves seamlessly into our lives. So in this article we will discuss what social media is and what it offers, how we got to where we are today, and how social media affects our daily lives.
I. THE DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIAL MEDIA
The development of social media didn’t happen overnight. There was an evolutionary process in the way the Internet delivered various information into our lives. So from the original BBS to blogging sites, social networking sites, and the ubiquity of niche social media, we’ll guide you through how we got here.
Social media is technically a means for social interaction through the web. The ideological purpose is that it allows a free-flowing exchange of ideas and generate relevant user-based content. Many websites offer various methods of interaction with its members, and there are a variety of niches.
Individuals today have grown accustomed to accessing various avenues of social media on a daily basis. The reasons for doing so are to network, share your thoughts with the world, and keep up to date on the latest news. Social media is very much ingrained into daily life. Listed are various resources discussing social media sites, what they offer on a small (individual) and large (society as a whole) scale, and how this is rapidly changing our culture and the way we interact with one another.
Social media is continually transforming society, and its impact has benefits and downfalls. Here are some resources that details the enormous ways social media has changed and will continue to change society as a whole.
A video of the impact social media had on the New York City Mayor’s Race in 2009:
A look at the future and the possible positive impact of social media:
http://articles.sfgate.com/2010-07-03/business/21936680_1_social-networking-social-media-internet-society
Below is a video on the psychology of social media: The Psychology of Social Media
Sam Gosling, Kate Niederhoffer
2 videos
