The internet and online social networking theory elaborates on how rapidly it transformed our traditional understanding of relationships, culture and information, making it easier for people to not have to physically communicate. In developed countries the internet has expedited globalization, and it has a significant role in linking people. It allows people in different countries around the world to directly contact each another through email, Facebook and video calls, Etc. This instant form communication has reformed how business and social lives operate on a daily basis. In addition to the internet, cell phones, and text messaging allows instant communication through the United States and other countries, via social media apps and websites.
Being an emotionally healthy person requires that you create meaningful relationships outside of your family circle. Like most millennials, social media is the instrument you use for making new personal networks. Social media has become a platform for the youth and young adults in todays society. People mostly use social media sites like Facebook because it meets the basic demand of connecting to others. In addition to connections, it allows users to make new friends, keep tabs on their everyday lives, and update your friends on life status. Facebook was originally created for people who already knew each other, offline, but most millennials have successfully formed connections with individuals who they weren’t acquainted with outside of Facebook. This is a form of cultural convergence because people are becoming more alike when it comes to the way they are making connections. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Snapchat have become the most popular social networking sites in the US, Canada, and Australia. It is the global nature of many social media sites, and the capability of people throughout the world to partake in these sites, which in essence make them a global phenomenon. Having social media isn’t all positivity there are down sides as well. The need for recognition via comments or likes can quickly become addictive and cause controversy between friends. Sites like Instagram turns into a popularity contest and it’s all about the followers and likes you have. Once upon a time you would have to tell someone you liked whatever he or she did in person, now all you have to do is log onto one of your social media sites and do it.
It’s also important to keep in mind that a great amount of millennials are able to use social media in ways without suffering any negative effects on their relationships. The younger generation have the tendency to care about the popularity of social media and the older generation takes it with a grain of salt. When utilizing social media, the key is to set healthy boundaries, be very honest, and pursue online relationships with carefulness. Not all social relationships are personal some companies and organizations rely on it to expand and promote their businesses. “Some of these groups grew to thousands of members who share key details on new studies, conferences or other relevant news. He credits the growth to Facebook’s ability to host longer posts and allow easy searching of old content. Also, compared with Twitter, more people already use Facebook personally” (Hutchins, 2017). Companies that have friends and followers can turn them into future customers while simultaneously promoting their businesses. One of the ways I find information about new companies and organizations is through Instagram. On their feed whatever they are advertising, or whatever they have that’s new and is coming out you can see it before it becomes popular.
The internet, social media, and cell phones can be used to quickly spread information for all purposes. For example, if there was an unlawful police shooting someone can use their phone to record the incident, and then upload it to social media cites to make it go viral. Social media has the muscle to affect a social change on culture. It has given thousands of people, if not millions, a voice and ability to spread the information that the user feels are relevant and significant. Social media has successfully changed the way that the new generation of society gets access to newsworthy material from reliable and un-reliable sources. The days are gone waiting to hear, read, or see a news story in the newspaper or television news program. Social media makes accessible information available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. The time is over waiting for a news channel to broadcast their stories, now you can just browse on Facebook or Twitter for the same information, quicker.
The Internet has turned our reality upside down. It has changed the way we communicate to the extent that it is now our preferred method of everyday communication. In almost everything we do, we use the Internet. For example, you have to have it to even utilize social media sites. A while ago, it was a static network intended to disperse a small load of bytes or a short message between two workstations; it was a storeroom of information where content was distributed and maintained only by professional coders. Today, an immense amount of data is uploaded and downloaded over this electronic beast, and the content is vastly our own, for now we are all critics, producers, and inventors. The world wouldn’t be the same without the internet and by far it is the best creation to mankind. The growth of the Internet has ignited an argument about how online interaction affects social relationships. The internet has made the world lighter in a sense. For example, Amazon is a prime example of this, when you go shopping you no longer have to go to the store to purchase anything. You can buy your items on their website or mobile application, a lighter and weightless way of living.
As in the scope of culture, the maturity of information and contact technologies and the widespread effects of globalization are replacing what we are, and the importance of cultural identity. Ours is a multifaceted world in which cultural flows across boundaries are always improving. The ideas of space, time, and distance are losing their normal meanings. Cultural globalization is effective, and a global movement of cultural processes is happening. The Internet is conveying culture closer to more people, making it more accessible and easy; it is also nurturing the growth of new forms of expression and the spread of knowledge. In addition to its impact on culture itself, the Internet is extremely helpful for innovation, which brings development in all fields of endeavor the creation of new goods, services, and concepts, the advance of awareness and humanity, and increasing well-being.
When you have something that is as successful as social media and the internet, you’ll get negative flows and people trying to interfere with your progress. The internet and social media world is so broad and power it attracts spammers, hackers and computer viruses. The spread of computer viruses can be an epidemic and very harmful to businesses and the economy. “Epidemics on the Internet are even more diverse. At the most general level, there is a distinction between computer viruses, which ‘piggyback’ on data exchanged between users, and computer worms, which more actively direct their own transmission through a network” (Kleinberg, 2007). Although spam has decreased in the last few years there is still potential for individuals and corporations to be spammed and hacked. The hackers and spammers rely on each other because most of the malicious activities are recycled and used again. In order to prevent this from surfacing users should use programs that erase all emails from unfamiliar sources, or they can sign up for an anti-spam service. Furth more, users should not open any fraudulent links that are sent by unknown people, and they must not download any pictures or documents that are sent to their email. If they download any of the spam or virus infected files, they would attract viruses that are within the documents.
In conclusion, the future of the internet and social media is unclear. Although, it is safe to assume it’s not going anywhere its always growing with new users across the globe. Social media is a billion-dollar industry in our current society. This billion-dollar industry provides a security blanket to users who voice an opinion through the use of a keyboard.