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Dane Rape Writing II 31 August 2013 Does Social Media Really Enrich Your Life? I think that it is fair to assume that everyone is familiar with social media. However, the phrase social media has such breadth, that the essence of the phrase is difficult and elusive to define. Instead of attempting to find, or produce an explicit, infallible definition; I will focus solely on the differences between traditional and social media, thereby defining social media implicitly. Wikipedia demarcates traditional and social media by considering reach, frequency, usability, immediacy and permanence (1). Assuredly, the fundamentals of the phrase may be ascertained by analysis of each division. While a plethora of social media pathways exist in a categorical sense; it is my aim to analyze blogs, social networking sites and virtual social worlds specifically. Certainly, the majority of readers have had intimate experiences with one, or more of these social media outlets. Many assert that the advent of Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, Second World, or other social media sites has contributed to their quality of life. Users of the aforementioned sites or services utilize these virtual creations in unique ways. Some use them for business; others use them in a strictly social sense, while some may use them for both. Every year, the number of people using these types of sites and services is increasing at an incredible rate. Dont think for a second that it is just because a new generation has reached internet age. What was once thought of by many as a generational fad has quickly blossomed into a universal interest. While research shows that 83% of American internet users in the 18-29yo age group use

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social media, I was shocked to find that 52% of American internet users in the 50-64yo age group use social media. Further, in the 65+yo age group, 32% of American internet users use social media (2). Clearly, the younger among us are much more likely to use social media. However, the statistics show that large percentages of internet users from all age groups are currently utilizing these services. International statistics reflect the same pattern. With such a large and diverse group of users, it is difficult to reduce the use of social media to a simple pros and cons argument. However, it is my opinion that the use of social media has some drawbacks that are universal. When one considers their own privacy, productivity and mental health; does social media really enrich your life? Using web sites like Facebook or Myspace, or a virtual world like Second Life is a detriment to a persons privacy. Some claim that this assertion is false by citing the privacy settings provided by certain mediums. While it is true that in most cases one may assign the level of privacy they wish to attain, I believe the argument is generally flawed. It is not flawed in the sense that it is impossible to maintain your privacy while using social media, but in the sense that most people simply will not. To elaborate, consider Facebook. Most of us are content with allowing just friends to see the more intimate details of our channel (2). How many friends do you have? The average Facebook user has 262 friends (3)! I am inclined to question the likelihood that anyone really has over 200 friends. Regardless, does anyone mean to insinuate that this is somehow private? The ridiculousness of such a statement would be incredulous. One must be sure to consider all of the intricacies. Anything a Facebook friend can see may be copied and reposted anywhere they see fit; hence the just friends malarkey goes

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out the window. Perhaps instead of considering how well your Facebook friends know you, you should consider how well you know them. For those not akin to maintaining their privacy on Facebook, real consequences of airing their dirty laundry exist. How might a client or work colleague react to the personal aspects of your life? Even if you live a clean life by all accounts, is it really professionally appropriate for a hiring manager, coworker, or customer to be able to browse thru your personal life? Facebook is an exemplary example. It is the most widely used social networking website (3) and its particular privacy settings provide a good basis for argument. One may suggest restricting privacy further than the familiar just friends setting, but with such stringent privacy settings, what would be the point of using social media at all? It seems logical to suggest that the pros of social networking are in direct proportionality with privacy: the more you get from social networking sites, the less privacy you maintain. Certainly, the use of blogs or virtual social worlds has similar impacts of personal privacy. Perhaps the most shocking statistic I may present, the average American social media user devotes over 3 hours per day to social media (4). The unbelievable statistic is thought to be a result of the advent of smart phones, which allows users to access social media wherever they may go. How is this affecting our productivity? To me the answer is resoundingly obvious, but proponents of social media may claim that there is no effect on productivity. I think it would be wise to get to the crux of what I mean by productivity. I am not restricting, but certainly not excluding the sense of the word to an on the job setting. The context of productivity I wish to discuss may include but not be limited to work, leisure, enlightenment, etcetera. Certainly, this is a major issue in the work place. However, it is easy to overlook some of the other losses of productivity one

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may incur by investing so much time in social media. It seems fair to assume that devoting so much time to anything has effects on true personal relationships. How does the use of social media affect your personal relationships? Do you believe that social media has the ability to distract you from your immediate family or significant other? If you are an average user who spends over 3 hours on social media daily, perhaps it would be more intelligent to ask the rhetorical question: how could it not? I seek to dispel any notion that such investments of ones time are warranted. Consider what else you could be doing with your time. By any account, in the near term, 3 hours is a long time. I beg the question: What would America be like if its people chose to study mathematics and the sciences, or read Hemmingway and Faulkner 3 hours a day? Allow me to remove some of the grandeur. What if people chose to exercise, or invest time in their families and relationships? What if students decided to do their homework? The possibilities are endless. If everyone would substitute activities into their lives that were actually enriching, we would all be happier and more successful. When put into these terms, isnt it clear that average users of social media are cheating themselves? While I admit that some benefits of investing your time in social media do exist, it is clear that they are overshadowed by the exceeding preponderance of other enriching possibilities. Social media has an effect in the mental health of users. Many studies have shown that a link exists between low self-esteem, decreased ability to concentrate, and a feeling of loneliness to average use (1). Sites like Myspace and Facebook have been specifically linked to low self-esteem and loneliness. I believe this may be a result of viewing the profiles of other users. Consider that a typical user of such mediums

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wouldnt want to post negative or embarrassing media for obvious reasons. While not posting the bad, it is natural to exaggerate the positive. This gives an unrealistically positive view of the lives of others. I think that it is sensible to gather that this would contribute to low self-esteem or a feeling of loneliness. Concentration is also certainly effected. Sites such as Twitter have been linked to decreasing a persons ability to concentrate (1). It is thought that the instantaneous accessibility of such sites may make everything seem boring or uninteresting in comparison. Perhaps the most unhealthy use of social media is reserved for virtual social worlds. Second Life is the most popular member of this category. Second Life is a virtual world, wherein one may create an avatar, or character to role play through. Users may have any experience they could have in real life. Marriages, murders, break-ups, etcetera, it all happens in Second Life. Studies have shown that the use of virtual social worlds by users with low self-esteem increases the likelihood that a user will develop an obsession with such virtual worlds (5). While some advantages of using social media do exist, obviously some disadvantages exist. The way you do or dont use social media is a personal choice that each of us must make individually. For some, a happy medium may be found. Others may choose to not use social media at all. Whatever your choice may be, the disadvantages cited in this paper come with the territory. The detrimental effects are clear whenever one considers personal privacy, productivity and psyche. The issue is of course bigger than this paper, or our personal situations and experiences. With so many of us using social media on a daily basis, the implications of these detriments could be more devastating than we can imagine. After all, we are in the infancy of a social media

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experiment, arent we? With such a high percentage of young people investing so mu ch of their time into social media, will this generation be prepared to inherit a world full of real problems? I always try to be an optimist, and I sincerely hope that I am wrong. I hope that the young among us will be prepared to move to the next level, and meet the adversities of a complicated world head on. Try as I may, when the average college student devotes over 3 hours a day to social media, I have my doubts. Is social media really harmless?

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Works Cited Wikipedia. Social Media. Accessed by Web, 02 May 2013 Pewinternet. Social Networking. Accessed by Web, 03 May 2013 Statista. Average Number of Facebook Friends. Accessed by Web, 03 May 2013 Marketingcharts. Average Time Spent Using Social Media. Accessed by Web , 03 May
2013 Tme. How Second Life Effects First Life. Accessed by Web, 04 May 2013