Positive Influence of Online and Social Media on Communication
Introduction:
Over recent years, technology is drastically advancing and evolving, changing the form of human communication. In the contemporary world, the traditional forms of passing information between individuals are changing, adopting the new modes of passing information. The traditional form of communication used to be through letters that are getting replaced by direct messages, made possible by the invention of online and social media. West (2012) states that social media incorporates all the communication outlets that connect people globally, bearing collective interests giving them a platform where they can share ideas and observations. The interconnectedness via the social network tools acts as a major source of social relationships where over 88 percent of the young adults get connected and maintain their relationships. Additionally, according to Wood et al. (2016), social media have also impacted the social relationships, teaching, and learning processes across all the education levels globally. More so, Miller et al. (2016) state that online platforms have the capability to empower the education experience by creating new forms of learning interactions. We can, therefore, state that the modern era of technology and the invention of online platforms have contributed to the advancement of communication across the globe. This essay presents a discussion aimed at evaluating the extent to which online social media influences the communication process, inculcating the same impacts on social relationships and teaching and learning processes. This essay follows a standard structure of an essay, starting with an introduction to the discussion topic “the positive influence of online social media on social relationship communication,” and what the implementation of the social media substituted. The introduction is followed by two body paragraphs, each addressing a specific topic presented by the three reading sources. Also, a section of critique on the drawbacks that are as a result of the online social media, then a conclusion summing up the whole text.
Body 1: Social Relationships
The role of social media in social relationships cannot be taken for granted. The impact of social media in connecting people has been noticed across the platforms, even those we do not know. Through social sites, people can interact freely in the comfort of their homes; the only requirement is access to the internet and a smart device. The invention of new tools such as blogs, wikis, and, more particularly, social media has impacted how people pass information across all individuals (West, 2012, p.3). According to West (2012), social media is made up of communication outlets that connect people with a common interest via a platform where they can share ideas and observations. It is through the same platforms where strong relationships are built, and individuals get a chance to share reactions, recommendations, and solutions to a problem. Additionally, the use of this platform creates a sense of social connectedness between individuals who have logged into the same social site; each individual has a chance to speak his mind and share emotions; this is generally the meaning of getting a successful communication process. Besides, social media plays a significant role in providing a platform where people can share their political opinions and ideas, as well as campaigns. However, despite all these opportunities that come with online social media, there have been negative experiences that are encountered by young adults, especially those at school. Scott McLeod of Lowa State University states that the use of social media at the elementary and secondary schools is not helpful in the education process and instead causes distractions and problems that divert students from pedagogical opportunities (West, 2012, p.4). Further, the issue of cyber-bullying is common across social media, where people are discriminated against as they meet strangers. Another profound challenge is the fake news that is mainly politically oriented via these platforms that cause misconceptions and sometimes unnecessary conflict. Nevertheless, it has been noticed that most of these challenges and drawbacks associated with social media cannot overdo the positive impacts. Most essentially, we need to work towards eliminating the negative impacts of social media and develop a positive mindset that guides every individual to use social platforms appropriately.
Body 2: Teaching and Learning
Teaching and learning are processes that take place daily. The processes take place within the educational field and the social media aiming at improving the societies we live in; the success of the activities revolving about the transfer of knowledge rely on effective communication. Thus modern technology proves to positively influence the education field through enhanced communication. It has been found that in the digital world, many professors use online social media in distance learning and developing online laboratory tests (West 2012, p.5). This opportunity present by online social media helps overcome the geographic distance as a barrier to the learning and teaching process. Additionally, social media provides a medium where learners can enjoy interactions and connectivity with their teachers and share learning experiences. As opposed to direct contact with teachers, the social platform provides a platform where students get some sense of independence and social contact with peers. According to Dolev-Cohen and Barak (2013), direct messaging is capable of contributing positively to the student’s welfare who find it hard to express their emotions via direct or face-to-face communication (Wood, et al., 2016, p.12). Further, social media also meets the needs of the younger children by creating a safe and secure online communication to teach and boost learning on positive attitudes between different cultures. This is a positive influence on the education sector as the teachers can share educational information with the parents and their pupils, promoting the education process. However, there have been some limitations that have been experienced in the learning and teaching field. A common challenge with social media is the increased cases of intimacy and bullying among students due to the close persistent contact and communication (Miller, et al., 2016, p.8). Similarly, the accounts created at the primary levels are now used by parents to receive detailed information about their children and thus impacting adversely on their performance, as they use them to measure their proficiency. From the entire learning and teaching evaluation, it can be noted that all the limitations and problems that are associated with social media are sourced from the users due to the misuse of the platform. It is, therefore, correct to say that if the users do away with the drawbacks, the social media would positively impact the education sector.
Conclusion:
Generally, it is true to state that online social media positively influences the communication process, and the same impacts are recapped on social relationships as well as teaching and learning processes. Despite the few critiques associated with the social media presented in the above information, we are sure that the proper use of social media will yield good results. Nevertheless, with the advancing technology, we can now be confident that new features would emerge that would positively impact the user’s lives. More precisely, impacting on the education sector, which is the predictor of the community’s well-being, by incredibly influencing the communication process and social connections.
References
West, D.M., 2012. Digital schools: How technology can transform education. Brookings Institution Press.
Miller, D., Sinanan, J., Wang, X., McDonald, T., Haynes, N., Costa, E., Spyer, J., Venkatraman, S. and Nicolescu, R., 2016. How the world changed social media (p. 286). UCL press.
Wood, M.A., Bukowski, W.M. and Lis, E., 2016. The digital self: How social media serves as a setting that shapes youth’s emotional experiences. Adolescent Research Review, 1(2), pp.163-173.
