The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Social Media

What do you think of when you hear social media? Do you think of online platforms used to keep in touch with others? Do you think of politicians and companies pushing their views? It's possible that you think of both when you picture social media. Social media is a great way to communicate and have fun, but it's also a great way for rich companies and people to push their opinions. Social Media is corrupt in areas, but that doesn't mean you should quit social media.

Different people have different perspectives on the topic of social media. Some think it's an important part of history, others think it's unneeded, and some have a mixed opinion. I recently watched 3 TED talks, each one of them expressing a separate view point.

The first TED talk I watched was by Zeynep Tufekci. She talked about how humans are the reason A.I. is what it is, and A.I. on social media is basically manipulating us into clicking ads and supporting force-fed opinions on the site. She brings up how companies sell private information to other companies, which is how A.I. programs learn about you. When these A.I. programs learn about you, they send you ads and recommendations for things that are similar. An example of this is the recommended section on YouTube. It gives you a bunch of videos vaguely resembling what you are watching. Usually, you'll end up watching a ton of videos instead of just one or two. She goes on to talk about how sometimes that recommended section can divert far from the original topic. Her example was recorded rallies held by Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, and Bernie Sanders. Recommended videos for Trump rallies are white supremacist videos, while rallies for Clinton and Sanders lead to conspiracy videos about democrats. Her points are still valid to this day, personal information is still getting sold, most recently by Facebook and YouTube still has a recommended section. Tufekci gives her take on the bad things about social media, but not all things about social media are bad.

The other two TED talks were by Cal Newport and Clay Shirky. Newport's perspective is that social media lowers people's attention span, due to the fact they check their phones every few minutes. Personally, I can somewhat agree with that opinion, but you can't say that all people are like that. He also brings up a point that even though we socialize on social media, we are actually becoming less social. I can agree with this point as well, but not all people only socialize on social media. Shirky's viewpoint is the opposite of Newport's. He believes that the rise of amateur media is a positive for the future. He brings up how "consumers become producers". People that receive media, create media themselves. Social media is the future, and it will make history, whether it's on the good side or the bad side of history remains to be seen.

It's important to bring up the years that each of these TED talks were made. Tufekci's talk was made in 2017, Newport's in 2016, and Shirky's in 2012. Shirky brings up Obama's presidential campaign. while Tufekci brings up the presidential rallies of Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, and Bernie Sanders. Times have changed, and times will continue to change. The information will remain the same, but the relevance will change. One day, we will look back on Shirky's TED talk and say "Social Media won't make history, it is history." We will look back on all that is said and remember when this was relevant, important, and current. Then, we will look on to find the future talked about in these TED talks is built. There is good, and there is bad, but isn't that always the case. People are greedy, manipulative, and sometimes just plain evil, but they are also nice, sociable, and your friend. There is always good and bad. People will prophesies an all good or an all bad future, but that will never be the case. Social media is a good thing, it's also a bad thing. Some companies sell private information, and some manipulate you into watching videos they think you like. But social media also provides a fun, social experience for people that need it dearly. So remember what people tell you about the future, but take it with a grain of salt. Nothing is perfect, nothing has ever been, and that's fine. The important thing is you enjoy life, and whether that is or isn't with social media, it doesn't matter.

Works Cited
Newport, Cal. "Quit Social Media." 19 Sept. 2016. YouTube, 19 Sept. 2016,
     www.youtube.com/watch?v=3E7hkPZ-HTk. Accessed 25 Nov. 2019. Lecture.

Shirky, Clay. "How social media can make history ." 16 Nov. 2012. YouTube, 16
     Nov. 2012, www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASZJE15E0SY. Accessed 25 Nov. 2019.
     Lecture.

Tufekci, Zeynep. "We're Building a Dystopia Just to Make People Click on Ads."
     12 Nov. 2017. YouTube, 12 Nov. 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFTWM7HV2UI.
     Accessed 25 Nov. 2019. Lecture.