Creative with Purpose

With the advancements in today’s digital age, we have been gifted with social media, but along with the enhancements of communication are the impacts it has brought to society. According to Bhuiyan et. al (2020),

The digital age and increasing adoption of social media have revolutionized communications between individuals, groups, and organizations. Approximately 70% of people in the United States use social media. The reach and impact of social media platforms on society are limitless, including politics, marketing, and entertainment. (p. 1)

This usage spawns the change of social environments. Individual experiences are diminishing as people view events occurring elsewhere to be more important (Van Dijk, 2012). Homogenous neighborhoods are divided into private networks and western urban culture shared online has been picked up across the globe, making other countries unrecognizable (Van Dijk, 2012). Individuals from other countries are losing their cultural identities due to globalization. Individualism is becoming ideal in collectivist societies as platforms boast individual achievements.

Another impact is the dissolving of boundaries between all levels of social life, between the public and the private spaces, and between the spheres of living, working, studying, recreation, and traveling (Van Dijk, 2012). The balance between these spheres results in individuals not clocking out from work while at home or performing at-home responsibilities at work.  

More direct effects include information overload from oversharing and privacy concerns, as individuals post what is important to them and what they think others may be interested in knowing about themselves. Third-party agencies collect data from users and use their demographics to market products and services. Individuals strive for popularity by retention of followers and likes, which is no different than face-to-face interactions as people will always present themselves in the best light to save face and gain favor. The desire to be liked spills over to individuals’ sense of security. This is an added pressure that affects society and can even heighten the use of SNS, resulting in addictions to media. Users not logging off in fear of missing valuable information adds to this addiction.

When used for professional reasons, SNS can be used to present one’s skill set to future employers and build professional connections (Social media used for networking, 2018). SNS platforms like LinkedIn are used for networking professionals and training purposes. Those looking to move further in their careers will find offers online and interviewers will ask about their social media presence. This can be used as a filter as well for prospective candidates. While at work, employees can research creative solutions to problem-solving (Kühnel et. al, 2020). New age problems require new-age solutions, and SNS provides relevant information.

When used for personal reasons, individuals can exchange information, build communities, and create and be a part of special interest groups (Kousoulou, 2016). SNS provide entertainment for users as they scroll through information from friends and family or news updates. There is no cost to do any of these tasks and there are no certification requirements, so people can post, tweet, share, email, or text, at their leisure.

Differences between the communications can be observed through patterns of speech used, punctuation, abbreviations, and content. Both should observe online etiquette but in a professional setting, contracts are signed as company policy, regarding the content posted and viewed while in use. Personal use can be viewed by professionals, so people should be mindful of their posts, especially since whatever is posted cannot be undone or completely hidden. However, personal accounts have content that can be offensive or inappropriate. This type of content can be made private only to those within a network, however.

References:

Bhuiyan, M.N., Medina-Inojosa, J.R., Croghan, I.T., Marcelin, J.R., Ghosh, K., & Bhagra, A. (2020, October 31). Internal medicine physicians and social media: Knowledge, skills, and attitudes. Journal of Primary Care and Community Health, 11(n.a.), p.1-7. Retrieved December 20, 2021, from DOI 10.1177/2150132720969022

Kühnel, J., Vahle-Hinz, T., de Bloom, J., & Syrek, C. (2020, May). Staying in touch while at work: Relationships between personal social media use at work and work non-work balance and creativity. International Journal of Human Resource, 31(10), p.1235-1261. Retrieved December 20, 2021, from DOI 10.1080/09585192.2017.1396551

Kousoulou, G. (2016, December). Social media- Implications and benefits for practitioners. Optometry Today, 56(12), p.66-70. Retrieved December 20, 2021, from https://eds.p.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=2b73c353-c418-49fc-9d29-b1973c7b8490%40redis

Social media used for networking, professional appearance. (2018, November 14). UWIRE Text, 1(n.d.). Retrieved December 20, 2021, from https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?p=AONE&u=uphoenix&id=GALE%7CA562232189&v=2.1&it=r&sid=ebsco

     The use of technology for communicating in protests provides a larger reach to audiences resulting in immediate reactions and responses. Before the industrial revolution, information would take too long to reach audiences. Communication became more reliable with the inventions of the telegraph and the telephone, allowing for reliable, faster communication. But today, at the speed of internet, we connect to millions on various platforms. With hashtags, activists can protest on the internet more successfully than in the streets.

     Postmes and Brunsting (2002) mentions, “Internet has given rise to protests with the increase of activist websites” (p. 292). Black Lives Matter started as a hashtag and developed into a movement increasing activism through its website.

     BLM is a cry for justice for innocent minorities killed while authorities either looked away or were the cause. The focus was to end it. As the hashtag progressed, more citizens attached it to social injustices throughout the country, invoking the media and expanding to social media platforms of celebrities and businesses. Postmes and Brunsting (2002) states, “media coverage of online activism focused on the internet’s role in newsworthy incidents”. It may be apart of a larger agenda, as the hashtags originally were for fast searches of topics. Perrin (2020) states, “Roughly a quarter (23%) of adult social media users in the United States – and 17% of adults overall – say they have changed their views about a political or social issue because of something they saw on social media in the past year, according to a July Pew Research Center survey” (para. 1). With so many people searching for this topic, many sites, affiliated posts, and supporters are available. It is hard not to listen when the same message is delivered everywhere in every media outlet.

     The collective action was first reported on Facebook, where activists used hashtags to spread the injustice of Trayvon Martin and posts appeared on Twitter about thirty times a day (Anderson, 2016). The posts and the movements accelerated in 2014 when Michael Brown was fatally shot by a police officer in Missouri (Anderson, 2016). The New York Times reported BLM as “The largest movement in U.S. history” (Buchanan et. al, 2020). Reports in news broadcasting, such as ABC, represent only the facts in the case, disclosing information of events, where the social media posts were more heartfelt or invoked outrage.

      In my busy life, it is more convenient to have my news on the go. I rely heavily on Google News updates that direct me to articles on Yahoo, ABC, and other news outlets. Twitter notifications alert on my phone of any breaking news. My commute to work is less than five minutes, so radio conversations that prolong events in a story get missed. At home, I rarely have time to watch television, but I do occasionally Netflix. Without cable I do not have access to local news.

     Something to consider from the shift of previous methods of communicating to today’s use of CMC, is we decide what we want to view or read. We can select news stories we are interested in. We no longer have a certain place at a standard time to receive any news. News notifications blare from mobile devices at all hours. Our generation has had the opportunity to advance to receiving information at any time. Older generations can remember spending more time at home with family and waiting for the news or even remembering others’ phone numbers because they only needed seven digits. Events occurring in the community were known from word of mouth.

     Mobile technology has improved my consumption of news. Before social media developed, I was at the mercy of news from newspapers, which were on a decline, and television, when I had no cable. I pay no additional fee and I receive information on command.

     Postmes and Brunsting (2002) argue, “Early social psychological theorizing has argued CMC reduces social cues and undermines the social and normative influences on individuals or groups—making Internet an individualistic environment” (p. 294). Interactions are reduced from the need to communicate verbally as preference is to use devices and there becomes more reliance on CMC. CMC acts as a crutch to our society’s form of communicating and must be monitored so as not to weaken our communication structure.

References

Anderson, M. (2016, August 15). 3. The hashtag #BlackLivesMatter emerges: Social activism on Twitter. Pew Research Center. Retrieved December 13, 2021, from https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2016/08/15/the-hashtag-blacklivesmatter-emerges-social-activism-on-twitter/

Buchanan, L., Bui, Q., Patel, J. (2020, July 3). Black Lives Matter may be the largest movement in U.S. history. The New York Times. Retrieved December 13, 2021, from https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/07/03/us/george-floyd-protests-crowd-size.html

Perrin, A. (2020, October 15). 23% Of users in U.S. say social media led them to change views on an issue; some cite Black Lives Matter. Pew Research Center. Retrieved December 13, 2021, from https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/10/15/23-of-users-in-us-say-social-media-led-them-to-change-views-on-issue-some-cite-black-lives-matter/

Computer-Mediated Communication

What is it? Van Der Heide et al. (2009) says it is ”Computer-mediated communication is the domain of human communication in which individuals and groups interact, form impressions, establish relationships, and accomplish tasks using networked computers” while Holmes (2009) says it is, “In the broadest sense, computer-mediated communication (CMC) can be any form of communication that is mediated by digital technology”.  From both definitions, we can conclude that it is a way to communicate to build and maintain relationships using computer technology.

Daily CMC Use

I am a repeat offender of using CMC as I use my cellphone, a hub for all of my social media apps, check emails regularly, and send/receive seemingly thousands of text messages in a day. For school I log in and post to a discussion board, respond to other students’ posts, enter into chat rooms with group members, then send and receive emails to my classmates and instructors. My laptop is linked to my cellphone, with my apps, contacts, photos, emails, and school access, so I have full access to any of my media at any time. I use a Google Assistant on my phone as well as have a GoogleMini. I ask questions regarding my daily routine, the weather, to read bedtime stories to my little one, and random things that I want to know the answer to.

Does too much CMC Enhance a sense of Community?

Is too much of anything ever really any good? Taken with moderation, CMC most certainly can enhance a sense of community. It helps to connect individuals far and wide, in real-time. I have family and friends that are states away from me and CMC helps me to stay in contact with them within a matter of moments. I can share photos and memories across social media platforms or wish someone a happy birthday through a text message. Group projects that I must work on with team members who reside in different time zones becomes less difficult with CMC as we are offered a multitudinous selection from our school’s intranet, chat rooms, group texts, zoom meetings, and more. Without social media platforms like Facebook, Messenger, Skype, or Google Duo, I would be unable to video call friends and family. I can also join groups of people who enjoy the same interests and hobbies as I do. Networking with potential work associates becomes something that would not have been possible were it not for LinkedIn and other work-related social media platforms.

Privacy Challenges

In the digital age, there is the lingering question of is ‘Big Brother’ watching our every move. Our recent generation shares everything, even ideas that may before would have been kept more discreet. But the sharing helps others learn and grow. Van Dijk (2012) mentions, “The biggest minus of the present design of the new media is the low capacity for privacy protection that they offer” (p.30). In face-to-face interactions we can protect ourselves or others, but other media offers limited protection as host sites and centres are registering data and using it in a data collecting system, whether it has been approved or not. The collected data is helpful when it relates to me asking my GoogleMini questions or to someone who is looking for specific products. The data collected also helps to improve the speed of information (Van Dijk, 2012). Larger companies and universities may place restrictions on devices, which help keep individuals focused and task oriented. This helps to avoid the time thief of scrolling aimlessly on social media or playing time consuming games, that can be addictive and decrease your productivity.

Positive Examples of CMC in the Future

Advancements in technology will provide CMC with the means to improve in the years to come. CMC is a contributing factor in globalization as “the rapidly rising success of communication technology has made it easier to communicate socially and academically” (Norris, 2012). There are improvements made for businesses to communicate on an intercontinental level (Norris, 2012). It is convenient and provides flexibility socially and academically. We are able to increase communications across the globe to improve our connections, which will undoubtedly create a more harmonious future.

End Thoughts: CMC Effects on Face-to-Face

I believe that CMC has had a positive influence on my F-t-F communications. It adds a layer to the communication I have between friends, work associates, classmates, and family members. A simple message I could be relaying to a friend might have a few holes in it and could be confusing. With CMC technologies, I could refer to any information relative to my message, reinforcing my point. Work related conversations too, can be supported with evidence that is stored within previous CMC, as it is stored indefinitely. The CMC works well in my favor.

 References:

Holmes, D. (2009). Computer-mediated communication. Encyclopedia of Communication, p. 162-165

Norris, A. (2012). Computer-Mediated Communication and Globalization: Considering social, academic, and business factors. Inquiries Journal, 4(2), p.1. Retrieved on November 29, 2021, from http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/617/computer-mediated-communication-and-globalization-considering-social-academic-and-business-factors

Van Dijk, J. (2012). The network society (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.