week TWO

Lahdeedum

This week, we learnt more about social media. It is a very interesting topic to me beacause of its obvious significance in our lives today.

So. What is social media?

There are basically many forms of social media.

Firstly, there are BLOGS. like this! Where anyone who wants to write, rant, gossip or just say something, has an avenue to do so.

Next, there is YOUtube! The place that people can post videos about anything they want!

There's also Instant Messaging like MSN, so that people can chat with our friends online without having to pick up the phone and dial.


Social media also allows us to keep in contact with everyone we know, and meet new people even if they're not in Singapore. For example, the currently popular Facebook, which im sure most, if not all of us have an account with.


With the countless examples of social media, it is no wonder that people are hooked on the internet.


No one's spared from it.


Even America's newest president kept his presidential campaign up to date, with the use of the inetenet and social media, winning the attention of the younger generation.

Click to view his website. You'd notice that apart from the political issues of the nation, he also has more light hearted elements to his website like Blogs, videos, music and so on. It's definately a first we've seen when it comes to political campaigns.

As I mentioned, with social media, it provides everyone with a voice. Everyone's allowed to show their pleasure or displeasure over certain issues in any way they want.

Advertisers also are not slow to catch on to social media. Seeing that it is an avenue which an increasing number of people are spending their time on, they waste no time in cashing into this media to advertise in.

However, amidst the hype and excitement about social media, it has actually caused us several problems.

First, there's internet addiction.

I mean, how many of us can safely say that we can spend more than 1 week without the internet? I'm sure most of us are on the internet almost everyday, be it to check our emails, or to log on to facebook to look at pictures, or to read / update blogs amongs the many other things we can do online.

Not sure if you fall under that category?

Here's a link for you to click on, to test to see if YOU are an internet addict! Try it now!! =D

http://www.netaddiction.com/resources/internet_addiction_test.htm

SO, are you one? =D

Also, there's the invasion of Privacy. I shant elaborate much about it, but will link you to another fellow classmate, Jilyn, who sums it all up nicely.

It really gets me thinking, is our world changing drastically? Children these days are not found in playgrounds but at home (think social isolation) playing their computer games, or chatting online (yes, primary school children do have msn accounts and play online games as well.)

At the end of the day, you really wonder. Man created the internet and social media, but really, who's the master now?

12:12 AM ·