SOCIAL MEDIA:

Question:

Explain the term “Social Media” and its effects or merits and demerits.

Answer: Definition of Social Media:

“ Social Media is the collective of online communication channels dedicated to community

based input, interaction, content-sharing and collaboration ”.

OR

“ Websites and applications that enable users to share and create content or to participate in
social networking ”.

OR

“Social media is today’s most interactive, transparent, engaging form of public relation.

CLASSIFICATION OF SOCIAL MEDIA:

Social media technologies take on many different forms including:

SOCIAL MEDIA:-

1- Collaborative projects => Wikipedia

2- Blog | Micro blogs => Twitter
3- Social networking sites => Facebook
4- Content communication => YouTube
OR
Facebook=>Dailymotion=>YouTube=>Wikipedia=>Twitter = Social Media

Magazines,Internet Forums,Weblogs,Social blogs,Wikis,Social Networking or

networks,Social bookmarking.

(i)- Collaborative projects (e.g. Wikipedia)

(ii)- Blog | Micro blogs (e.g.Twitter)

(iii)- Content communication (e.g. YouTube)

(iv)- Social networking sites (e.g. Facebook)

(v)- Mobile social media ( Social media used in combination with mobile devices).
 ADVANTAGES OF SOCIAL MEDIA:

The internet and social media provides young people with a range of benefits and
opportunities to empower themselves in a variety of ways. Young people can maintain
social connections and support networks that otherwise wouldn’t be possible, and can
access more information than ever before.

(i)- YOUNG PEOPLE AS SOCIAL PARTICIPANTS:-

Social networking services can provide an accessible and powerful toolkit for highlighting and acting
on issues and causes that affect and interest young people.

(ii)- PEOPLE DEVELOPING A VOICE AND BUILDING TRUST:-

By interacting people through social media on a vast- level,they get different exposure and such
exposure provide them ability to develop opinion, trust and voice.

(iii)- SPEEDY COMMUNICATION:-

Social networking sites offer a chance to communicate in a speedy and efficient manner. For
example, writing an update for twitter takes all of 20 seconds.

(iv)- IN TOUCH WITH THE WORLD :

Social networking sites open the world up to you making it a smaller place than it has ever been
before. Such advanced technology removed distance among the family members, friends,
businessman etc.

(v)- BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS :

Social media provides a unique way to make new relationships, new marriage pattern through webs.
Nowadays it's easy for people to explore each other, understand each other and build new
relationships owning to advance social media technology.

DISADVANTAGES OF SOCIAL MEDIA:

(i)- FALSE NEWS:-

There is no check and balance on false news regarding any issues which promote defamation, black
propaganda and manipulating issues. It's a major drawback of social media.

(ii)- SOCIAL MEDIA HIGHLIGHTING CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES ON RELIGIOUS CULTURAL LEVEL :

Issues regarding religion or some sort of blasphemy on religious personalities generate hatred
among the masses , discrimination on cultural and economic issues also create anti-sentiments
amongst people and social media like Facebook, YouTube are banned so many times owning to this
reason which is not permanent solution of this major reason because it affects people's sentiments
and destabilize country.

(iii)- Wastage of time

(iv)- Social media promotes class differences and build status discrimination.
(v)- Means to propaganda/or promote black propaganda.
(vi)- Planned Communication:- (Particular mindset approach on particular issues).
(vii)- Inspired by different culture ( Clash of civilization) / Mixed culture policy- which is a threat to
one's own culture.
(viii)- Misuse of information.