Social Media and American Values Essay Example

utilize various media platforms for different purposes, including entertainment. However, this can divert their attention from more crucial matters. A study focusing on the correlation between social media usage by teenagers aged 12 to 18 and drugs as well as sexuality discovered that 75% of American teenagers in this age group use social media daily, which leads to alterations in their social lives. Stories about hackers, pedophiles, internet trolls, identity theft, Trojan horses, phishing scams, viruses, and worms often easily influence young children. Consequently, numerous critics in America perceive the impact of social media on offline culture unfavorably (Gil de Zuniga 2012). Moreover, social networks have proven to be a potent tool for mobilization.

Through our own technological imperative, social media plays a significant role in social protest and serves as a platform for American social and political movements to communicate and advance their causes. This is exemplified by the radicalized jihadist youth in the western world (Meyrowitz 1986).

The impact of social media on individuals can vary depending on how it is used, whether in a positive or negative manner (Gil de Zuniga, 2012). Social media has the potential to be a valuable platform for personal growth and self-improvement. However, it also carries the risk of negative effects.

Reference

• Meyrowitz, J. (1986). No sense of place: The impact of electronic media on social behavior Oxford University Press.
• Shirky, C. (2011). The political power of social media: Technology, the public sphere, and political change. Foreign affairs, 28-41.
• Gil de Zuniga, H., Jung, N., & Valenzuela, S. (2012). Social media use for news and individuals' social capital, civic engagement and political participation. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication , 17(3), 319-336.
• Hannerz,U.(1992). Cultural complexity: Studies
  

in the social organization of meaning.Columbia University Press.