From Facebook to Fakebook

The 2016 election was one of those “I remember where I was when this happened” moments. As I sat watching the polls, I remember thinking, “what is going on?” It seemed like everyone I knew was excited for a woman President, yet the poll results showed the opposite. Building up to this point, the nation […]

Let’s get real (or at least give it a try…)

2008 consisted of sitting in front of my family desktop (in an impossibly uncomfortable chair), and logging onto my newest game, Facebook. In this realm, page likes were crucial indicators of “cool” and status updates were the only way my friends could constantly be notified, at any hour, of my angsty feelings and HILARIOUS encounters. […]

Facebook: Friend or Foe?

I think that Facebook has changed exponentially over the few years. When I joined Facebook, it was the one-stop-shop for instant messaging, status updates, pictures, and funny videos to past the time. Poking people on Facebook was a competition and everyone cared about who you were being poked by. These people poke me more than […]

Social Media: Bringing us together or tearing us apart?

Is social media bringing us together or tearing us apart? The answer to this question is not black and white. There are many grey areas however, after reading Zuckerbeg’s speech from the Facebook Community Summit I agree with him that yes, social media is indeed brining the world closer together. It is only fair to address both […]

So Social Media is Making Us Closer? Really?

On the surface, it appears that social media has found a way to connect the world in a way unlike ever before. Individuals that live in different countries are able to communicate with the click of a button and can be updated in real-time on the lives of their peers. An argument could definitely be […]

Military Brat Probz no more

As a so-called military brat, my life has always been a series of moving place to place, meeting new people and forming new connections while leaving some behind. During my upbringing, I learned to adapt to unique lifestyles and immerse myself in new cultures from living in places all over the United States and Europe. […]

Social Media for a Cause

People are quick to judge and claim that younger generations, such as my own, are extremely disconnected and struggle with human interaction due to technology. Speaking from my own experience, it is safe for me to say that social media has kept me more informed about not only what is going on with my friends […]

Communication Transformation

Communication is a prehistoric fascination that has spawned some of our species’ most significant inventions over the course of the last millennia. From the dawn of language and pictorials to the printing press, the telegraph and the telephone, each passing generation of humanity has found itself more interconnected than the previous one. Social media will inevitably […]

Social media for better or for worse

Social media is, in part, a medium that enables people to connect with others. The word “connect” does not necessarily have a positive connotation. Rather, it means that people who did not previously have access to talk with each other have the ability to do so through social media. The nature of that conversation, whether […]

Bridging the Distance

Social media: the thing our parents always told us to get off of at the dinner table. But today social media plays a bigger, more important role in our daily lives. It is bringing the distance and bringing the world together with the goal of making a difference.

Mark Zuckerberg briefly touched on this at the Facebook Community Summit. He says that in the next generation our greatest opportunities and challenges we can only take on together. Social media gives users the opportunity to support each other and give assurance that nobody is alone.

Support is more evident than ever on social media since the virtual Hurricane Harvey relief movement. From rescue requests to real-time up updates of where people can find food and shelter, social media saved lives in Texas during the devastating August 2017 storm.

This woman tweeted a plea for help when her family was in danger during the storm. The coast guard responded and added her to the rescue list.

Please Send Help To 9822 ,Shadow Villa Ln Houston TX 77044 2 Kids 4 Adults 7139279748 special need child feeding tube Pls send help

— anna spears (@peacepirate1) August 29, 2017

The USCG of Heartland tweeted what to do during the storm to stay safe:

Don't go into your attic. Rescuers from air can't see you. Get to high ground, mark your roof. #USCG #Harvey #houston #harveyhurricane

— USCG Heartland (@USCGHeartland) August 28, 2017

Though these examples show the positive side of social media, the storm also presented the negative effects. The spread of misinformation and doctored images is always a problem during crisis times, such as one that resurfaced during Harvey showing a shark swimming on a flooded highway.

If social media keeps coming together during these crisis times, all users have the power to be a leader. And if enough of us work together to bring each other together, the world can be changed.

Newhouse

SOCIAL MEDIA

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