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Impact of Social Media on the Society
Introduction
Social media has become very popular with the growth of technology in the world. Devices that are compatible with the internet like phones, laptops, and watches has led to many people to use the social media. Social network sites such as Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook have all come with unique features that have attracted various interests. Social media sites evolved to meet the needs of the users. The growth of social media has created a huge impact in the cultural, social, economic and political sectors in the world.
Social/cultural effect of social media
Social media has provided a platform that can be used in the mobilization of people for social and political movements. It is the creative use of social media platforms such as Facebook that has promoted communication to a large group of individuals. Facebook has been used as a communication medium that has helped in promoting good social causes. Social media has helped in. Removing communication barriers are hence promoting interaction between people. Interaction of people has brought about the mixture of various cultural practices. (Furedi, n.pag.) Social media sites have promoted online dating. Social media has come up with resources that have made it possible for people to interact with other societies.
One of the personal benefits of social media is that it promotes interaction of various people. Social network sites give people a chance to find love.

Sites such as Facebook has enabled most couples to meet as people’s profiles are shown. Facebook has also enabled people to get into contact with longtime friends or loved ones. The interaction has also brought about sharing of other people’s culture. Secondly, social network sites have aided many people in getting employment. Companies have been able to advertise job vacancies through their websites or Facebook pages. Young professionals have also been able to meet with potential employers on Facebook. Sites such as LinkedIn has created a huge network for professionals to market themselves (O’Keeffe, Schurgin, and Clarke-Pearson 802).
Social media is also useful in building trust and a voice for people when debating and or discussing real issues in any context. One can easily showcase their public speaking skills when presenting themselves. It enables people to learn how the society works hence developing the social norms in a community (O’Keeffe, Schurgin, and Clarke-Pearson 803).
The personal cost of social media is about as much as the benefits. Some of the social networks cause people to have withdrawal symptoms. A virtual persona can be created when one does not interact with other people. Some studies show that most students have been affected as they are addicted to social media. Socializing can also become cumbersome when one is addicted to social media. When individuals do not interact primarily in outdoor activities such as recreational activities, they lose their social skills. Lack of face to face talk would lead to mental problems and could also affect the ways that genes work. The immune system could also be affected due to imbalanced hormone levels.

Economic impact of social media
Social media platform such as Facebook and Twitter has provided essential tools for marketers. Marketers are now able to easily create advertisements via the platforms to reach a broad range of consumers. Creating an ad has also been made cheap and efficient as compared to other means of advertising. Marketers can now be able to promote their products and services to their consumers hence promoting their businesses. Many applications have been created to suit the needs of businesses. Application developers are taken this opportunity to showcase their skills in solving some challenges in the corporate sector. This has created employment for millions of people worldwide in many companies (Erdoğmuş, Eren and Cicek 1353).
Social media has created the demand for internet services globally. The need for the web has brought about demand for mobile devices that are internet enabled. New businesses have come about with the entrance of the mobile industry, such as delivery services. Entry of big mobile devices companies such as Samsung, Nokia and Blackberry has brought about competition which has enabled the economy to thrive. Social media networks like Facebook and Twitter have been able to generate huge revenue that has an impact on the economy. According to Deloitte, Facebook made about $100billion of economic impact in the U.S. The app economy has flourished with $13 billion effects on the economy of Africa, Europe, and the Middle East.
Political impact of social media
Social media has a significant impact on politics. People are often politically engaged in platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. This is since people can be mobilized easily when creating a political following. Facebook accounts can be used in selling ideas to the public. Politicians can also sell their policies to the masses or create a forum that would help in discussing issues that affect the country (Cogburn, Espinoza-Vasquez 191)
During the Obama presidential campaigns for both terms, social media sites significantly helped in in political mobilization of voters. Individual messages that were passed by friends increasingly influenced more voters. During the Arab Spring, the use of social media used to rally against the government. There was universal support from different people even though most of the people were not Arabs. This clearly showed that the many people from various countries supported the Arab Spring hence mounting pressure on the government. However, studies show that the election campaign participation in social media use is weak compared to civic engagement that is stronger (Cogburn, Espinoza-Vasquez 192).
Social network sites have also enabled fund drives for politicians to be successful. This has revolutionized the election campaign in the world. During Obama’s campaign in 2009, there was a successful fund drive that assisted in getting donations from people. However, social network sites had little influence on the in changing people’s likelihood of voting or even campaigning for them.
Dangers and opportunities of social media.
One of the risks of social media platforms is that it can be used in the radicalization of Muslims. The internet in many cases has been used to incite young Muslims who are often confused. This is since social media has the power to reach a large audience instantly. The access to the internet has continued to grow too many parts of the world. Young Muslims who have accessed the Jihadist website can go through the process of self-radicalization. The experience of self-radicalization creates an urge that pushes young Muslims to proceed in unpredictable radical directions (Lewis n.pag.).
Confidentiality issues in companies dealing with vital or sensitive data is a cause for concern. An employee may leak out critical information that may have grave consequences for an organization. An institution may lose its credibility as a result of the loss of crucial data. This may include loss of financial information of clients of even personal information. Hacking is another problem that has been on the rise and has had a significant impact on social media. Profiles in social media accounts can be used for identity theft. Many people have become vulnerable to hacking. Personal information has such as addresses and date of birth can be used to create fake social security cards, ID card, and driver’s licenses.
Future implications of social media
Social media is growing by the day and has created an impact on every business and non-profit. Both small and big businesses depend on the social media sites to thrive business wise. Soon, marketing in social media seeks to find the target market that would by tracking them through the phones, cars or watches. Online shopping companies such as BestBuy’s strategies would be the most real time unlike during this era (Shirky, 29).
Social network sites that are available today may not be there shortly as there would be new sites with that would engage people at a more personal level. Some of the sites that are present at the moment may be outgrown at some point in future. Facebook has been able to grow and adapt to accommodate the various needs of its users. Social media marketing may be immersed as the client, and the consumers may be connected using devices that would be tracked. Big stores may have sensors that would detect and read credit cards when people walk in.
Conclusion
In conclusion, social media has grown in popularity as it has improved communication in the world. The registration on the social media platforms has increased which has also made the information on social sites to grow. Social media has played an important role in making the world a smaller place. Although social media comes with great benefits, there are also major challenges that it faces. Social network sites have been able to evolve and adapt to make to resolve this problem. Facebook has been able to enhance both security settings and the privacy setting so as to guard people’s personal information. Social media services have created a lot of opportunities and new ventures in the business world. The development of social media should be encouraged as it has a positive effect on the society.
Works Cited
Cogburn, Derrick L., and Fatima K. Espinoza-Vasquez. “From networked nominee to the networked
nation: Examining the impact of Web 2.0 and social media on political participation and civic engagement in the 2008 Obama campaign.” Journal of Political Marketing 10.1-2 (2011): 189-213.
Erdoğmuş, İrem Eren, and Mesut Cicek. “The impact of social media marketing on brand
loyalty.” Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences 58 (2012): 1353-1360.
Furedi, Frank. “How The Internet and Social Media Are Changing Culture.” How The Internet
and Social Media Are Changing Culture | Aspen Review Central Europe. N.p., 12 Apr. 2014. Web. 06 Dec. 2016.
Lewis, Jeff. Language wars: the role of media and culture in global terror and political violence.
Pluto Press, 2005.
O’Keeffe, Gwenn Schurgin, and Kathleen Clarke-Pearson. “The impact of social media on
children, adolescents, and families.” Pediatrics 127.4 (2011): 800-804.
Shirky, Clay. “The political power of social media: Technology, the public sphere, and political
change.” Foreign affairs (2011): 28-41.