What is social media?

I always start my thoughts by defining precisely what we are discussing today. Let’s start with the parent category, which belongs to the holding body, Media. Media is the plural medium encompassing all communication channels, whether print or digital. Media has generally been referred to as mass media, including all printed newspapers, magazines, digital, etc. It plays a vital role in our society and has been regarded as the fourth pillar of our democracy.

Initially, media was primarily the print media of newspapers and magazines. This later evolved into digital with radio and television. More recently, due to the advent of the internet, the millennials and Gen Z population have expanded it to other digital outlets, which has become known as social media.

“Earlier, an anchor or journalist would disseminate all the information to the audience, and we would consume it. Now social media has changed it.”

Social media is more interactive, where the communication flows one way. Social media gives the user and the provider the ability to have two-way communication. Earlier, an anchor or journalist would disseminate all the information to the audience, and we would consume it. Now, social media has changed it and is much different, as it gives the audience the power to provide feedback on the data given to them.

Social media has evolved from its initial days and now has concentrated mainly on a few leading players like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, X, TikTok, and YouTube, which has been one of the pioneers in this field.

Why did this happen? How did social media grow so fast? Some history?

There are various reasons for the fast growth of social media. Some of which I want to discuss here. Traditional media was just about information flowing one way. We were not able to respond to it or provide feedback. As the internet expanded, mobile phones provided further impetus to it. I remember buying my first computer, which had a memory of 4 MB, and it provided me with everything I needed. I don’t know waiting for anything to get things done because of the speed. Can we imagine working with that memory now on phones or computers?

“As the data requirements expanded, so did the ways social media interacted with us.”

As things expanded, the website’s text information transformed, and so did our requirements. Photos in there got replaced with small clips, and as they evolved, so did our wants. The initial clips were grainy, which were replaced with 720p and later with 1080p. Now we have 4k and 8k, and this is just the start. As things got heavier data-wise, the memory requirements for the machine also expanded. 4MB, which was sufficient for me earlier, made way for 16GB, which is also not sufficient now in some cases. As the data requirements expanded, so did the ways social media interacted with us.

It started when the internet gained popularity; there were many in its initial days, like BBS, Bulletin board systems, Usenet, and Sixdegrees.com. Later, there were some like Myspace and Orkut, which gave way to Facebook. More recently, it has evolved with new players gaining popularity. Twitter now X, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube are the main ones. As it gained popularity and became a different entity, its impact on our lives also changed.

“How many people nowadays read a physical newspaper or a magazine? Does anyone, especially the older generation, remember subscribing to a newspaper and reading it first thing in the morning.”

Another reason for the shift can be attributed to the faults in the traditional media. I will start on this by asking a simple question. How many people nowadays read a physical newspaper or a magazine? Does anyone, especially the older generation, remember subscribing to a newspaper and reading it first thing in the morning? I won’t ask our younger readers this as this reading period was bypassed for them.

“Opinions were confined to the editorial page in the newspaper or magazine.”

The newspapers and magazines were incisive and provided a balanced reporting and analysis. Opinions were confined to the editorial page somewhere inside the newspaper or magazine. The whole purpose of reporting is to provide a balanced approach. Report facts as they see them, not as they want us to see them.

This changed gradually; now, as things stand, no one in the media is balanced. Some of them are extreme right, and some of them are towards the radical left. They paint everything according to their ideology and try to portray their point as fact. The truth may be hidden somewhere. More than the truth, we have the post-truth now.

“A large corporation owns every major newspaper and magazine whereas social media is more democratized, everyone has a way to provide their opinion.”

This extreme posturing has also made people dissatisfied with traditional media and moving to social media. The other factor in this has been the large corporation. Media has now become corporatized. The owners and their ideologies shape the views. A large corporation owns every major newspaper and magazine, whereas social media is more democratized, and everyone can provide their opinion. However, this has given way to another problem altogether: fake news.

Positive and negative effects of social media.

There are many positive and negative points to social media. Talking about positives, the main ones are being connected to our nears and dears. Distance is irrelevant now, as we can interact with them in real-time. It gives us an outlet to share our opinions with similar-minded people. It has become a significant provider of entertainment.

“Learning has expanded as we can search for a topic and get hundreds of articles, videos, and related information. AI is taking it to the next level.”

People come up with innovative videos to entertain others. This has employed millions of people worldwide, giving people a solid avenue to earn. Learning has expanded as we can search for a topic and get hundreds of articles, videos, and related information. AI is taking it to the next level.

One point that is both a positive and a negative is the awareness raising and social activism. It has given people a vital tool to mobilize others and raise their voices. We know more about our health and can get so much advice about what to eat, how to exercise, and what is good and bad for our health. Be it the ill effects of cholesterol or high triglycerides, we have it all.

“Everything is about post-truth; it all boils down to who among us shouts the loudest. We have become addicted to technology and social media.”

Like positives, there are many negatives to it, too. Fake news is the biggest one. Misinformation and disinformation are now equally propagated, if not more. We need to find the distinction between truth and contrived narrative. Everything is about post-truth; it all boils down to who among us shouts the loudest. We have become addicted to technology and social media.

Excessive use has led to people using it till late at night, leading to sleep quality issues. This has become a significant cause of concern, especially among our children and youth. Children’s brains are still forming their cortexes until age 25. All this social interaction has impacted their abilities and negatively impacted them.

“I would refresh the screens ever so often so that something pops up that I haven’t watched, searching with keywords to get to that elusive video waiting for me to be watched.”

The watchers of the information look for new stuff on their phones. If I watch YouTube videos, for example, I get perturbed if I don’t find new content to watch. I would refresh the screens ever so often so that something I haven’t watched pops up, searching with keywords to get to that elusive video waiting for me to be protected.

As a social media influencer, I am more interested in the views I get for my videos than anything else. I would get disturbed if a video I worked on for hours didn’t get enough likes or views. This leads to a low self-esteem. This all impacts mental health, which has assumed pandemic proportions, but we are still oblivious to it.

“The impact is that they stay indoors, resulting in lesser physical activity. This lesser physical activity has resulted in another epidemic of obesity among kids.”

Our physical activity has decreased. Past generations used to stay outside the house and play more. I remember never being at home during the daytime, playing with my friends outside. My parents would have to call me multiple times before I came in. Now, things have turned the other way.

We have even given our kids these electronic devices to make our lives easier. The impact is that they stay indoors, resulting in less physical activity. This lesser physical activity has resulted in another epidemic of obesity among kids. The constant stress has resulted in changes in our diets. We consume more junk foods and sugary stuff to get our highs.

“Earlier, any bullying would be confined to a certain space, such as schools, offices, fields, etc. Now, with the reach of social media, this is 24 by 7.”

Cyberbullying is another aspect of it. It has gone out of hand. Kids have no downtime from it. They are always getting constant attacks now. Earlier, bullying would have been confined to a particular space, such as schools, offices, fields, etc. Now, with the reach of social media, this is 24 by 7. This has a significant impact on the kids and youth. Parents cannot monitor because they are too busy with their office work or any other reason. Sometimes, it has fatalistic consequences, and often, the parents find out about it by the time it is too late. Privacy is another part; all these websites and apps collect data and sell this information to monetize it for their profits.

Have you ever wondered why you get so many more spam calls and emails now? I have more work deleting the spam emails from my accounts than reading actual emails. I get more spam calls than actual calls; the result is that I don’t pick up any number that I don’t recognize. Sometimes, you even miss the important emails and calls amid all that spam.

“Sometimes friends cut their interactions because of an argument about their political affiliations. We have never been so divided as a community in our history.”

Fraud has increased as people fall prey to newer scams. Another huge impact it has negatively had on our lives has been the polarization of society at large. People get aggressive and abusive if you don’t subscribe to their ideology or even the political party. Sometimes, friends cut their interactions because of arguments about their political affiliations. We have never been so divided as a community in our history. It has even given rise to extremism, including spoken, written, and violent ones.

As a society, we need to reflect.

We must reflect as a society and introspect; check what direction we are all going in. Of course, we can do a few things to offset the adverse effects. Being respectful of others is the first one among them. Everyone is entitled to their opinions; we must respect theirs, even if they contradict ours.

“Do more physical interaction than virtual. Go to that friend’s house you have neglected for a long time.”

Fake news must be tackled, so check what is being peddled to you and understand the implications of it. Fact-check the information before sharing it with others. Restricting our time on social media is imperative. Restrict it to a certain period of the day or time. Box it. Take a break from it so that your brain also has some rest.

Physical activity will provide the rest your brain needs and consume the calories you have taken in. Do more physical interaction than virtual. Go to that friend’s house you have neglected for a long time. Go out on activities with your family, maybe that boat ride on the riverfront or the community swimming pool.

“We need to understand the underlying issues with this overuse. No matter what information people peddle at you, step back, think about it, and then act on it.”

Pets are a great addition; get one that will provide the comfort you need. A dog or a cat is an excellent distraction from the evils of this overused social media. They give you love and keep your hopes intact. They bring out a lot of positivity at home.

Social media is good only if used in moderation; excess of anything is wrong, which holds more for social media because of its impact on us. We need to understand the underlying issues with this overuse. Distinguish the good from the evil, the fake news from the truth. Understand the consequences of your actions on yourself, your immediate family, and society. The right time for action is now, not in the future. Don’t delay it, as delay is another name for inaction.

“Our world and people are still beautiful; we must find the right stuff to admire it.”

No matter what information people peddle at you, step back, think about it, and then act on it. We need to control our impulses to send them out to get a kick out of giving new information before others. Be responsible and act wisely. Our world and people are still beautiful, but we must find the right stuff to admire them.