Write a brief argument on what effects you think social media, such as facebook, snapchat, twitter, etc, has on interpersonal relations. Use specific detail from the course to first
- Identify the type of effect you notice, and then
- Provide an example of this effect in action from outside reading or your experience.
Consider the following example for the level of specificity you should have in statements of effect and support.
- Social media has a very scary sway on people. I believe that it is harmful to every relationship we have.
- The biggest example that comes to mind is when President Trump was running for the presidency. No matter where you looked I saw Facebook and Twitter posts like “trump owned the libs!”, “ Trump is amazing!” on the positive side and directly opposed by “He is going to kill us all”, and “this has to be a joke?”. No matter where people looked publicity about him was everywhere. People would comment their opinions, like pictures, and share all their thoughts. This meant families and friendships were torn apart.
I know many people that blocked friends and loved ones because of what side they chose.
A solid example is when my conservative cousin blocked and unfriended 18 of our cousins because of their very liberal posts and beliefs. It had never been an issue before the election nor when we were growing up. The convergence of mass media allowing PR for Trump to spread is unbelievable. I think it’s sad that he didn’t need to spend as much money on PR as most other candidates did. Simply because most of what he said got blasted and replayed through all types of social media. The fact is what we post shares a part of us. Whether we are only showing what we think others want to see it’s still what we’re thinking to some level.