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The Psychological Effects of Social Networking

Social networking is a revolution that rocked the 21st century. Given its current popularity, it is impossible to understand that some 15 years ago, it was almost non-existent. Social networking, at least in the modern context, is fuelled by an internet component. That is social networking involves the usage of websites designed to serve as networking hubs. In recent years, several websites have been designed to meet the ever growing need of ‘social networking’ among the modern men. Some have gained their current popularity; others remain unknown and therefore rarely used. Currently, Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Instagram lead the list of the most popular social networking sites in the world. However, although it has gained much popularity, it has taken its toll on psychological wellbeing of individuals.
Previously, it was thought that social networking was meant for teenagers. However, with the evolution of an all-inclusive digital world, all ages have been catered for by the most recent social media technology. In fact, it is reported that there was a rapid increase of social media usage among people aged 50 and over. This implies that, in the modern society, even the elderly are joining social media platforms. Given that they are also affected by any changes there, the issues addressed in this paper relate to all ages and races and are generally diverse in all terms and regards.
Social networking has totally changed communication and relationships in the modern world. At just a click of a button, ideas are spread among individuals almost instantly regardless of the involved distance. In this regard, social networking has changed the way the modern society communicates. Unlike in the past when it could take quite long to get in touch with individuals separated by distance, currently, the technology and creativity involved in social networking have entirely changed communication trends among people in different parts of the world.
To begin with, social networking somehow exaggerates what humanity has always known for years before its inception. In this case, people have always communicated even long before they learnt the art of speaking. It is queer that, in modern days, most individuals seem obsessed with social networking sites in their quest to communicate. In fact, social networking has enabled individuals to cross the boundaries of time and distance to communicate in the ways that were unthinkable just a few years ago. Taking into account that communication among individuals plays a very important role, social networking has had quite a resounding effect on this front. Communication involves quite a great deal of individual personality. In this regard, individuals have scaled up to streamline their online personas to meet the threshold social networking calls for. This has influenced not only the way online social networkers started to communicate but also their personality.
Thus, from a psychological viewpoint, social networking has eliminated some previously common forms of interaction. Clearly, modern human interaction is different from the one known in the years before social networking grew in popularity. Unlike in the past when interaction was physical, nowadays, interaction is in most cases virtual and Internet driven. Individuals make friends directly through their social networking portals and develop relationships in a way that was never thought of. Similarly, social networking has led to a situation where there is a limited amount of time spent on face to face interaction among people known to each other. It is rare to find related people physically mingling today as it was the case a few years ago. It has an immense psychological impact on relationships among individuals in the modern setting.
Another social networking psychological effect revolves around the mobility of individuals and their willingness to attend to social causes. Given that social networking has eased all common forms of communication and interaction, it is very rare to find people moving from one place to another at least to attend to social issues. Unlike in the past, when everything called for a physical presence of all those involved in a cause, in the modern times, things have been changed. For instance, if it is a business meeting, now it is possible to attend to it via audio-visual links availed as one of the social networking features. It is possible to imagine that some individuals might be born in a specific location, live there their entire life making friends and interacting with them only virtually, without actually moving out of that location. This is also a psychological issue that needs to be addressed in regard to social networking.
Obviously, social networking affects the spread of ideas and information in the modern world. For instance, once an idea has been posted on some social media site anywhere around the world, the same idea will reach all the parts of the world within just a few seconds. In this regard, social networking can be termed to be very influential in matters pertaining to the modern society. For instance, it was reported that the success of the recent Arabic Uprisings can be partially attributed to social media. The uprisings that started in Tunisia had spread to almost all North Africa’s Arabic nations within just a few days. Given the effects of such undertakings, the psychological effects involved are immense. Hence it is argued that social networking greatly influences societal dynamics.
Social networking has also transformed adoption of behaviors in the modern world. Considering that social networking is very popular, all businesses have started using social networking platforms to promote their services and products. Influential personalities have also chosen social networking to further strengthen their influence in the world. Under these circumstances, depending on the message relayed by businesses and certain individuals, factual behaviors of people can be influenced in different ways. In this regard, some individuals have been frequenting social media platforms to learn how some issues are undertaken. Similarly, other individuals have taken up the social media platforms to exert their influence. Given the freedom associated with social media, uninformed individuals may get harmed and end up choosing the ways of life that may negatively impact them or others.
Social media may perpetuate illegal as well as legitimate causes with almost an equal measure of effectiveness. Specific examples are given to illustrate the logic behind this claim. To start with, social media perpetuates legitimate causes if legitimate entities have chosen social media platforms to advance their ideas among individuals. Thus, social media has helped to curb some societal challenges. For example, environmental conservation idea has been introduced to social media platforms and many individuals have now been sensitized on the need to conserve the environment. Similarly, other good causes such as peace initiatives and proper health campaigns have had immense success. Through such efforts, people have come to understand the need of choosing such positive lifestyles.
Illegal causes have also been very rampant on social media platforms. In this regard, illegal causes involve all campaigns available on social media platforms that are abhorred or banned by authorities. In recent years, there have been instances of criminal outfits infiltrating the public through social media platforms. It has now been fund that criminal entities are using the freedom of social media to campaign and recruit the public to their membership. In regard to this, the largely uninformed public falls prey to these criminal tactics, thus ending up venturing into illegal activities. Although some authorities have chosen to keenly monitor social networking activities, it is hard to determine the origins of illegal and illegitimate content on such platforms. Thus, social media has played its role in perpetuating law-breaking ventures currently experienced all around the world.
Social networking has also contributed to maintaining societal ills among its users. For instance, ethical and moral groups claim that since its inception, social networking has led to a continued growth of pornographic content among internet users. Such growth has translated to the increased amounts of time spent viewing such content and an increase in the number of addicts to such content. Similarly, cases of other kinds of internet addiction have tremendously grown in the years that saw the popularity of social networking. In this regard, social networking is not helping in developing a responsible humanity but rather creates an irresponsible group of individuals who can rarely take part in any beneficial activities.
In conclusion, while social networking has been identified to be very influential in the modern age, its effects have to be regulated given how life-changing they are. Unless authorities educate the public on how to responsibly use social networking platforms, there is a risk of experiencing growth of ills in society. However, if responsibly used, social networking can be identified as one of the best revolutions in the modern world. Therefore, while celebrating this revolution, it is imperative to address all the negatives that are associated with it.
Jessica is a blogger and freelance writer on https://perfectwritings.com/. This service has years of experience writing original papers. They help students to complete assignments.
2019-10-23 21:27:10, views: 78, Comments: 0
   
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