World
Economic Forum explains on April 7th 2016 that “More people own
a mobile device than a toothbrush. Grandparents are the fastest growing users
on Twitter.” Social media is rapidly changing the world as we know it.
The world is changing to accommodate a fast
growing new form of communicating. Keeping in contact with friends and loved
ones used to be an long process where a letter could take years to
arrive with updates. A family could have a new baby and it could be walking and
talking before an announcement was received by a distant relative. Now instant communication
is right beneath our fingertips.
Social Media is a way for us to read about the world
around us, and to maintain relationships near and far. NR
Media Group surveyed
over 800 college students in 2014 and found that social media had “created a
new avenue for facilitating daily information and communication needs.” What
does that really mean? After reading the NR article it was clear that social media
changes the way we view our relationships. The article reports that the survey
found “39% of survey respondents reported feeling closer to their friends because
of social media, while 26% of the sample felt they had more friends because of social
media.” Social media is shifting how we perceive and care for our relationships.
Social Media has not
only altered the way we communicate with those we care about; it has also
changed communication of healthcare. Distance is no longer a separator between
patients and doctors because they can Skype one another to give and receive information.
World Economic Forum records that Shannon Dosemagen of Public Laboratory for
Open Technology and Science, and Lee Aase of Mayo Clinic Center for Social
Media and its Social Media Health Network. “That it’s also helped groups of
people, such as patients suffering from the same condition, stay in touch…” This
communication of medical information is making it easier for people to receive
better health care. This example shows a change in communication that is definitely
for the better.
Social Media has
also changed the way we communicate about natural disasters. World Economic
Forum documents that Facebook’s Safety
check has made it easier for people to communicate to loved ones in mass,
that they are alive.
It is evident that there are pros
and cons to this change in communication with the addition of social media. The
one thing that there can be a consensus on is that change has occurred. We are
only in the beginning of this alterations. Social media will continue to change
and shape the world around us, for better or for worse.
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