ROLE OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN MODERN ERA

 

AUTHORED BY - PRIYANKA YADAV & DR. MANISH BHARADWAJ

 

 

ABSTRACT

The term New Media is itself difficult to define and disputed. What is ‘New Media’? What is the difference between ‘Old Media’ and ‘New Media’? What are the characteristics and impact of New Media? These are a number of questions that scholars and intellectual people are given thought to on. Generally, it consists of gadgets along with computer systems and mobile phones, technological perspective not being its limit. It includes the interaction of media, technology, society and culture. Hybrid media such as the Internet have come to represent new media. New media and Digital media can be considered as synonymous.

 

INTRODUCTION

Social media refers to the means of interactions among people around the world in which they create, share, and/or exchange information and ideas in web communities and web. The Office of Communications and Marketing manages the main Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube, Snapchat and many more accounts and they look into it very carefully.

 

Before creating any social media account, you must have to read and understand all the terms and conditions before submit the request form. Be sure to check with your personal details and office for any school specific regulations or guidelines. Social media can prove to be a valuable addition for a department’s communication strategy. Because many people have showed an interest in developing and maintaining a social media presence in personal and professional level, the Office of University Communications and Marketing has crafted the following introduction to social media. With so many new social media sites launching each year, deciding which one is right for your department can be immense. It is important to be aware of emerging social media sites, and understand how they could fit into your communications approach. However, not all social media sites will be helpful to your marketing goals. All around the world, billions of people use social media for the purpose of sharing information and making connections. On a personal level, through social media people can communicate with friends and family, develop your interests, learn new things and be entertained. On a professional level, you can use social media to expand your knowledge in a particular field or any field and raise your professional network by connecting with other professionals in your industry. At the company level, social media allows you to have a conversation with your audience, gain customer feedback, and upgrade your brand.

ABOUT SOCIAL MEDIA

 Andrew Weinreich can be credited as the first person who invented the first social media site “SIX Degrees” in 1997. In this site, we can make a profile and make friends and send messages to those friends, this site is popular only till 2003. Social media is World Wide Web form of communication. Social media platforms allow users to communicate with each other and, share their personal and professional information and create content of the web. Social media has many forms including blogs, short-video sites, wikis, social networking sites including photo or status sharing sites, audio channels, instant messaging, podcasts, virtual worlds, and many more. From Facebook and Instagram to YouTube, more than 4.95 billion people over worldwide uses social media, equal to roughly 60% of the world's population. In early, 94.8% of users gain access to chat and messaging apps and websites, followed by social platforms. Social media is digital progress that allows users to the sharing of idea, thoughts and information, including text and visuals, through digital networks and communities. Typically, social media features user generated content open to engagement through likes, shares, comments and discussions. More than billions of people around the world use social media. Social media helps people to build communities but is also misused for facilitating disinformation and hate speech. It is also an essential ingredient of many companies marketing strategies. The largest social media platforms worldwide are Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram, and WeChat, snapchat, twitter etc. Social media plays an important role in many businesses' marketing strategies. It is not surprising given the absolute number of hours people spend each day on social websites and apps while working using it for fun or in chatting etc. Simultaneously, social media is a dynamic field, with relatively recent applications such as TikTok, Signal, and Clubhouse joining the established social networks like Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.

 

Social media refers to online platforms and application that enables users to create share and interact with content, as well as connect with other users. These platforms often facilitate the sharing of text, images and videos and other multimedia content in real time or near real time. Examples include Instagram, Twitter, Whatsapp, Discord and LinkedIn. Social media platforms provide as virtual communities where individuals and group can transfer information, cooperate and engage with each other on various topics of interest. Users can follow, like, comment and share content, promote connections and relationships across geographical boundaries. Social media has become basic to communication, marketing, entertainment and information spreading in the digital age, shaping societal discourse and behaviour in an extreme ways. In today’s world, social media plays a central role in how people communicate, consume Information and engage with each other. It has become a primary channel for news circulation, entertainment, marketing and social interaction. With the common adoption of smartphones and internet access, social media platforms are available to billions of users worldwide, guide thoughts, direction, and behaviour on a global level. However, they also raise concerns about privacy, misinformation, and the impact of system content coordination on user experience and societal potent.

 

IMPORTANCE OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN TODAYS WORLD

Social media has become very important part of today's world. It gives information about the society at large and about the worldwide. Apart from helping people stay connected with each other, it also helps in sharing photos, videos and information with others in a safe and secure way.

It can also be used to promote businesses and help to grow, organizations, and causes, as well as to stay informed about current events and trends regarding their work and events. Additionally, social media can helps to build relationships with others in any part of the country, allowing us to interact with people from around the world and build meaningful connections and stay connected through social media platforms.

Finally, it can be used as a platform for self-expression or self growing, giving us the opportunity to express ourselves in a creative way through our thoughts and experiences with others. Social media plays a very important part in today’s world. It helps people to stay connected and they can share their ideas and personal and professional information through the internet around the world to their near and dear ones in a safe and secure way. It can also be used to promote businesses and dissipate information among the people.

 

IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA

According to research done events and trends by the (IAMAI) i.e. Internet and Mobile Association of India, There were about 7 million Internet users in India in 2001. In January 2015, there are second largest market in the world for social networking sites such as Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn, twitter etc. The rate of acquiring of social networks is high in India as it is evidenced by the fact that about lakhs of new users get connected to a social network every day. In 2014, India had million of internet users, with the internet intelligence of the Indian population. This can be compared to China which had over 641 million users with a intelligence level of about 46 percent. China was the first country in the world in terms of both number of mobiles, as well as number of internet users around the world. India came in at third place in comparison to China in the matter of high intelligence level. Social Media is affecting everything around the world from marketing, to commerce, to politics and culture. People are using social media to connect with their friends and family, to get news to spread awareness about something, to express themselves their views and ideas, to learn certain skills etc. While social media can be an integrative force, guide people to form the closer bonds among interest groups, it can also be an ground for vicious bad factors also like infringement of privacy, cyber bullying and hate speech, violation of the privacy. It has been suggested that new media, the Internet in particular have the power to strengthen the public domain, or to provide a virtual public domain. By extension, the social media extend the virtual public domain even further, allowing a new aspect to public consultation. Politicians in democracies find social networking sites, such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, as a powerful and low cost way to reach out to their citizens. Politician’s tweets and put their views and these ‘tweets’ give an impression that they are personally connecting with their followers. Most political parties have an on-line presence and also a presence on social media platform such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. The other side of the coin is that the supervision of state can crack down on citizens for their posts on Facebook or Twitter or videos uploaded on YouTube etc. This can confer a deterring effect on free speech and genuine political participation. In India, many government organizations utilize social media to create awareness and interact with citizens:

• The Traffic Police in Delhi used Facebook to fruitfully catch traffic offenders, with public assistance.
• In 2011, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi created a facebook page encouraging citizens to comment on the progress in garbage collection.
• The External Publicity Department of the Ministry of External Affairs is a regular user of Twitter and Facebook for reaching out not only to the Indian diaspora, but also to the foreign nationals. These can also be used in times of crisis, to rescue Indian nationals stationed abroad. For example, Twitter proved useful in getting information about Indian nationals who had to be rescued from Libya in 2011. Twitter was also used extensively by the Ministry of External Affairs to inform people in Nepal after the devastating Earthquake in 2015 about Indian rescue efforts and the contact information of the Indian missions.

Special groups like the disabled have also utilized new media including social media. People also use them for gender related issues.

The two major sectors impacted by new media are health and education. A substantial number of educational initiatives use ICT. The use of new media has enabled distance education. YouTube has emerged as a social media for informal learning. It has proved to be empowering for learning new skills such as languages and cooking. It has also been used for more formal learning outcomes. Agazio & Buckley (2009) suggest that YouTube can be used in nurse education through student participation, creation of student communities and illustration of theoretical concepts. Social media is not going anywhere soon. It has huge potential in the future. It can grow into the primary source of information for some users, replacing print, digital media and search engines. Unless there are bodies validating the legitimacy of news online, misinformation related issues can become rampant.

Social media could also replace the traditional and conventional methods of communication. As reliance on social media sites increases, companies will continue putting their brands online for increasing their reach and base. This reliance on social media also means there will be an increase in online crimes like, cyber attacks, scams, spam and bullying, which will ultimately affect people’s mental health.

Pros and cons regarding social media-

Social media positivity - some people think the Internet isn't good for kids and it affects people's privacy but it really all depends on people how they use it (some people use it for their personal and business use) it also has a positive impact on our society.

1. Education - Virtually if anyone needs any knowledge it's all available on social media. Education is very important for the new generation and everyone should be aware of social media as there's always something valuable for you to learn.
2. Connectivity - Social media's fundamental role in society is connectivity. It's advantageous because it makes communication more understandable. Imagine writing a letter to share an update. It may take weeks to deliver and even more weeks to get a response. Now, you can easily keep up-to-date with what's happening and share what's happening in your world.
3. Brand awareness - If you own any company, social media presence is an effective way to reach prospects. Posting images along with product information and other information relevant for your customers can help boost your brand's visibility and attract other social media users.
4.  Employment - As social media's role in society evolves, its impact on employment matters is undeniable. Social media platforms like YouTube have helped job seekers gather and prepare information before interviewing with employers, with great audiences. People also gain employment as social media influencers, make money promoting a brand's goods or services.
5. Stay connected - Social media is the platform where people stay connected with people around the world through Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, etc. These are platforms for communication across geographical barriers and time zones. All of them stay connected with their family and friend.                                                                                                                                  

             Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat facilitate easy communication despite geographic barriers and time zones. They allow people to seamlessly engage with friends, family members, acquaintances, co-workers and even celebrities. Features like messaging, photo/video sharing and groups help nurture relationship.                                                                                       

1. Access to news and current events - There are other platforms like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube that provide information and news updates on events around the world. This gives information to people about recent news and helps people stay updated and informed about the present events and their thoughts. These platforms also enable people to share news and ideas easily.
2. Platform for personal branding - Social networks like LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram allow professionals to promote their skills, services, achievements and products to a wider audience and build their brand. Influencers leverage these channels to promote ideas, establish leadership and earn from their followers.
3. Business and marketing opportunities - Companies use social media for market research on consumer preferences and feedback. It provides a space to raise brand awareness through promotions and engagement with customers. Numerous brands also leverage social media platforms for lead generation, sales and clients retention through dedicated business pages and community structure.
4. Convenience and ease of access - Messaging apps like WhatsApp provide a convenient way for people to communicate with each other via chat and video/voice calls. Social media apps provide information access, news and entertainment at users' fingertips anytime and anywhere through their smart devices. It makes it easier than ever to stay socially connected.
5. Promotes innovation and learning - Diversity of ideas, ideas and latest innovations shared by experts and thought-leaders on social media channels spark creativity among users. Exploring shared-worthy content and global perspectives supported by social media also nurtures lifelong learning for those who carefully leverage these tools.
6. Provides entertainment - facilitates consumption of social media entertainment from accessing latest music videos on YouTube, watching mini-movies on Instagram reels and sharing Facebook videos to viral jokes and memes. Channels like TikTok have gained popularity for entertainment only through short videos and clips.
7. Platform for Social Change - By enabling mass discussion and coordination, social media has inspired positive movements for social change such as the Arab Spring Revolution, anti-corruption protests in India, and the #MeToo campaign. Global connectivity and information-sharing capabilities make social media potentially useful.
8. Skill Enhancement - YouTube, Instagram, Facebook groups and other video/image-sharing platforms enable users to learn new skills by referring to instructional videos, posts and live streams on cooking, arts, design, academics and more specific interests. Availability of specific skill-building materials empowers self-learning.
9. Supplement to education - Students and academics actively use social networking platforms to collaborate, share knowledge, access the latest research and study resources, as well as promote scientific initiatives. Teachers complement classroom teaching with social media tools to increase student engagement.

Cons of social media - Good comes with bad. With all its benefits, nature of social media presents a wide range of potential issues.

1. Online vs. Reality - Social media itself is not the problem its people who use very illegally and they don't know what the actual use of using this social media is.   Friends in social media aren't really friends they're unknown.                                                                                           Social media itself isn't a problem. Its way people use it instead of real communication and personal interaction. “Friends” on social media can't really be friends, and unknown persons.
2. Increased use - Most of the time people spend on social media can be exposed to cyber bullying, social burnout, depression and content that isn't age-appropriate.
3. Social media is addictive - When you're playing a game or completing a task, you can try to find the best game because you can achieve that your brain will give you a devastate and other happiness hormones, making you happy. Same tool works when you feed a picture on Instagram or Facebook. Once you've got all the notifications for likes and positive comments popping up on your screen, you'll subconsciously register it as a reward.
4. Fear of being lost - FOMO means it's become a common theme, and often social media sites are constantly checked. Idea you might miss something if you're not online could affect your mental illness.
5. Self-image issues - Social media sites offer tools that allow people to earn others' acceptance for their appearance and the possibility of comparing themselves to others. It can be included with body pick concern. “Selfieholics” and ones who spend most of their time posting and scrolling are most vulnerable to it. In fact, most college girls who use Facebook at least five times a day on average are likely to associate their own value with their looks. That doesn't mean the main problem is social media; it only provides a vehicle for it, which twists the problem further. It behaves similarly towards others.
6. Spending a lot of time on social media - Social media is very addictive and can consume your excessive time if you have no other interests. If you're constantly pursuing your studies and staying productive.
7. Communication skills down - Social media makes us more self-centred and less empathetic toward others. It also makes us more narcissistic than ever because we can show our accomplishments and post photos from parties without facing any consequences.
8. Fake news - Fake news has recently created some guidelines due to its viral nature; these stories often spread like wildfire among young people who lack critical thinking skills or reading experience regarding online content.
9. Social media can cause sleeplessness - It can harden your sleep cycle because when people spend too much time on the internet, they're finding it hard to sleep, leading to insomnia and sleep disorder.
10. Content on social media - Some parents check their kids, their social media accounts, they shouldn't have access to them because if they don't monitor their kids' every activity it can put them in terrible territory.
11. Cyber attacks become more dangerous - This will help if you restrain yourself from these threats by using certain passwords and privacy that are troublesome to guess (such as capital letters or numbers), constantly changing passwords, and staying away from public Wi-Fi hotspots wherever possible.
12. Lack of confidence - People who lack confidence in their skills may feel insecure when they feed something on social media, which can lead to low self-esteem and depression.
13. Fear of being missed (FOMO) - People constantly checking their phones for new messages or updates may be worried if they don't see anything right away. It can cause stress and anxiety if people overuse social media.
14. No privacy - No privacy on social media because it's public by nature. Anyone can access content posted on social media without prior notice or permission from the user who originally posted it.
15. Getting closer to depression - Approaching depression is another potential side effect of spending too much time on social media sites like Facebook or Instagram. Being too stuck in one's own life can lead many people into depression! One way to prevent this is to open channels with others who are also using social media sites. Sharing your experiences with others going through same situation is possible through joining a Facebook or Instagram group.
16. Some social media crimes are:-

• Morphing - It's the process of converting any image, object or shape into another through complete transformation. It's exclusively used in digital media and animation. Imagine you have a picture of a cat, for example. With morphing, you can slowly turn that cat into a dog, and it'll look like the cat is magically turning into a dog before your eyes.
• Hacking - It is an illegal act and causes a lot of PF harm to people and society such as identity theft or financial loss etc. Protecting your devices with strong passwords as security measure.
• X-phishing - It's a type of cyber attack where the hacker sends misleading emails, messages to the person and misuses that information and sensitive content to harm the person.
• Defamation - It's a legal term that affects and damages a person's reputation and makes false statements about someone that are illegal. But not defamation if the information is correct.

REFERENCES-

1. NS Nappinai- Technology Laws Lexis Nexis 2017
2. Tom Sheldon- McGraw- Hill Encyclopaedia of Networking and Telecommunications, Edition 2001
3. Rohatgi & Karkare- Guide to Cyber Law & Crime, Second Reprint Edition 2020
4. Justice Jagdish khehar -Cyber Laws & Information Technology, 7th edition 2019
5. I BLOG PLEADER
6. LEGAL SERVICE INDIA