Social Media Making the World Feel Smaller… in a good way

There are a lot of different opinions out there about social media. What is undeniable, though, is that social media allows us to see more of the world with a lot less effort, money and time spent. 20+ years ago the only things people knew about foreign places came from the newspapers and first-hand accounts […]

Social Media: Creating Bridges

Once upon a time, around 2008/2009 I had a blog on Blogspot. It was a place where I could write my thoughts and interact with the few people that actually read what I had to say. Around that time Twitter and Facebook where starting to become a big thing with celebrities joining in and interacting […]

The Worlds Strongest Bond: Social Media

I strongly believe that social media has, and will continue to, bring the world closer together. Social media offers the world the opportunity to increase our communication with one another through a different platform other than face to face. In addition to being the main power tool to reconnect with old friends, establish new friendships, […]

Painting My World and Telling My Story

Growing up, I was the last person I knew to have a phone, Facebook account, and AIM screen name. Now a college senior, I’m a social media guru with an iPhone I can’t put down. There’s two ends of the spectrum and a middle ground when it comes to social media: you either hate it, love […]

A Simple Answer To A Simple Social Media Question

Does social media bring the world closer together? My answer to this simple question, is simple: yes and no. Social media is a place, that has reached tremendous levels. Who would have thought, once the word spread about Facebook back in the early 2000, that there were many more social networks and virtual meeting places […]

Only one click away

Is social media “Bringing the World Closer Together?” Well, in Mark Zuckerberg’s opinion, Facebook is excelling at its new mission. But, after reviewing what other people have to say, I saw that opinions varied. While social media does create conflicts, I believe that when used correctly, it can bring us closer. In reality, social media […]

It Go Down in the DM, and All Over the World

Hi, I’m Ryan, and I have slid into a girl’s DM’s before.

It started off in fittingly juvenile fashion. Two of my classmates approached me during my high school journalism class. “Hey Pike, [redacted] said she thinks you’re cute.”

[Redacted]? She was a senior and I was a sophomore. This was crazy. I didn’t believe them at first, but by the end of our conversation, I was convinced. I had to talk to her, but I didn’t know how to.

So, 15-year-old me slid himself into her Twitter direct messages. Just another simple example of how social media has the power to bring the world together.

Found a cute boy named nick at @hardfest but didn't get his number, twitter do ur magic & help me find him @ourplurfamily @livenation @dory pic.twitter.com/AgKf7dchVP

— Deepti (@supdeeps) August 9, 2017

Of course, social media has the ability to bring together more than just two teenagers who might know of each other but not actually know each other. It’s a powerful tool that has brought the whole world closer.

When I studied in Madrid last Fall, it was easier than ever to share photos and details from my trip with everyone who would be interested in seeing them.

I did that European half-kiss people on the cheek when you meet them thing last night for the first time and it was weird

— Ryan Pike (@RyanPiker) November 9, 2016

I didn’t have to wait until the trip ended to share fun photos or write letters home to share details. Instead, I had instant gratification on Twitter and Instagram from friends and family who, in a sense, were experiencing the trip with me. That was pretty cool, especially for my parents who have never left North America. To me, that’s a clear illustration of how social media has changed the world and brought it closer together.

Social Media: The New Bowling Alley

My sophomore year of college, I read about the “decline of American civic society”. The piece by Robert Putnam uses bowling alleys as a metaphor for the ways that American interest in civic associations and community spaces has decreased. Putnam argues the importance of social connectedness and their impacts on communities, and says that it’s nowhere as strong as […]

Social Media (dis)connecting people

Is social media bringing the world closer together? If you asked someone, I think the reply would be: “of course it does”. But I tend to think differently. Without doubt, social media has made it much easier to get in touch with other people, regardless of the purpose. It is possible to connect from anywhere, […]

It’s Not Black and White.

We have a tendency, as human beings, to want definitive answers. Answers that rid us of our cognitive dissonance. Is social media bringing the world closer together? This is a question we’ve all discussed at the Thanksgiving dinner table when Aunt Deb just can’t seem to understand “all the kids and their phones.” Well, Aunt Deb […]

Newhouse

SOCIAL MEDIA

Month: September 2017