Impact of Social Media on American Culture

 Over the past few decades, the growing popularity of the internet has generated transformations in the economic, social and cultural identities of people. “By 2005, 91% of children had regular access to the Internet and online material, and the online world has brought forth a slew of new opportunities for social interactions for children and adolescents,” (Whitaker & Bushman, 2009). From this statement, it is evident that the effects of social media, one of the elements attributed to the penetration of internet in the society, cannot be denied. Communities today live in a world defined as technology-driven, where smart phone applications have enabled people to seek entertainment, information, knowledge and connectivity. It is undeniable that social media has brought with it tremendous benefits including the essay connectivity with friends and family globally while breaking the cultural barriers and international borders that were impediment to interaction. Despite the benefits attributed to the emergence of social media, this paper asserts that social media has had negative influence on the American culture as it has propagated isolation that has not only eroded the culture but also contributed to internet addiction, cyber bullying and limited privacy on personal life.

Innovation has been the basis upon which humanity has advanced throughout history. Innovation has led to the development of technologies of communication that have had adverse effects on human culture. The internet is the 21st century innovation accredited for social media, a technology of communication whose transformation on human culture is evidenced. In multiple studies, researchers have established that social media is transforming the human life in different ways. While others assert that social media represents a continuation of the transition of humanity towards enlightenment and creative existence, others contend that the social media is a powerful tool that influences human behavior. From these contexts, it is evident that social media has an effect on humanity, though the nature of the effect continues to be debated. In the US today, social media has emerged as a platform for marketing, where companies develop product promotion strategies to attract their target consumers. Besides, social media is a tool for sensitization, as campaigns on social issues are launched and driven on these platforms (Pulido, Redondo-Sama, Sordé-Martí & Flecha, 2018). The penetration of social media into the American political landscape equally depicts the role that this technology has on the American society. Inasmuch as social media outlets accommodate a variety of spontaneous personalized functions, it has enabled changes in the common interest-based identities that underpin the American culture.

In the modern day, social media is an important element of the average life. This is justified by Pulido, Redondo-Sama, Sordé-Martí & Flecha (2018), who asserted that, “Our study indicates that there is incipient evidence of social impact, both potential and real, in social media.” The emergence of social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram have changed the culture of social interaction, further complicating the nature of human relations. The traditional communication patterns of the American society have been replaced by web-based systems of communication. Social media has rendered the world a small place where people share ideas beyond their geographical boundaries. In the US, people have attributed social media to enabling them meet people who they may not have met in the absence of the social media forums. Culturally, social media has enabled people to unite across huge platforms, which have led to the generation of positive changes in the society. The social awareness generated through social media promotions and campaigns have enabled the establishment of more ethical societies where people have an equal opportunity to voice their concerns and opinions of such social issues.

To the society, the interactive role of social media cannot be understated. Despite these robust social transformations, social media has had adverse negative effects on the American social culture. Social media has led to a culture of dependence on the internet for a variety of functions, including entertainment, interaction, knowledge, news and information. As such, social media contributes to internet addiction. The overdependence on the internet diverts the concentration and focus among many from conducting daily life tasks.

The high level of internet addiction among youth has equally been blamed for the increase in mental health disorders among this population (Gündüz, 2017). In the modern American culture, the number of followers one has on social media network, the number of views a person gets on a video or the number of likes they get on a photo are considered more important than the appreciation that the person gets from the people in their remote location. This has led to the emergence of a culture where people struggle to attain these standards that are the benchmarks for fame, relevance and recognition. “In 2009, 93% of youth aged 12 to 17 years went online and use of social networking sites among online youth has increased steadily from 55% in 2006, to 65% in 2008, to 73% in 2009”. People no longer attach gratification to the real societies; instead they derive happiness from appreciation from the friends they make on the virtual social media societies. Youths constantly post pictures and videos of their lifestyles in the hope of feeling accepted and being acknowledged by their peers online. Besides, the quest for recognition among peers has led to a culture where people lead exaggerated lifestyles just to suit peers and friends on social media.

Social media continues to weaken the American family culture. Traditionally, the American culture had certain events, period and times that presented an opportunity for the family members to bond and interact among each other. However, this culture has been changed by social media addiction, where people find more fun in sharing videos, pictures and stories on the social media platforms. As Gündüz (2017) explains, “The necessity of people to watch one another has switched to what other people are doing on their mobile phones rather than reading signs, advertisements, posters or other people’s newspapers.” Parents no longer find pleasure in spending time with their children, as children find more comfort in widening the scope of their connectivity beyond their current circles. These changes have led to disjointed families, as the affection between parents and children is affected by the divided attention brought about by social media.

The growth of internet technology has motivated the rapid development of small communication devices that have transformed the American education culture. In the modern American classrooms, teachers and course instructors use iPad, laptops and smart phones to enhance the education among students. Besides, teachers and students enjoy a closer relationship that is moderated by the existence of multiple channels of communication on social media. Though social media has enhanced flexibility in education, it has equally led to the weakening of the American educational culture. In classrooms, students spend more time browsing inappropriate content, which not only distracts them but also induces in them unacceptable behaviors that they eventually yearn to replicate. Today, social media has become the platform for bullying. In one survey, Vivakaran & Neelamalar (2018) established that since the advent of social media, the instances of physical bullying among school going children have decreased against an increase in cyber bullying. Besides, students have become more vulnerable to social ills, as they are exposed to explicit and unprotected content on social media. These factors have generated a loss in the behavioral mannerisms that were traditionally the anchor of the American culture.

Privacy has been a pillar of the American culture, as is depicted in the Fourth Amendment to the US Constitution. Social media has increasingly played a role in the destruction of the right to privacy, as people can no longer individualize and privatize their personal life. Though social media can be customized, there are technologies through which the locations could be tracked. This element of social media has contributed to the segmentation of social experiences, and exposed the powerful technological dynamic underlying the loss of privacy.

Despite the concerted efforts directed at underscoring the positive aspects associated with the penetration of social media, this paper has established that social media has negatively affected the American social interaction and education cultures. The increase in mental health problems among American youths and transformations in the American family culture are sufficient testimony to prove the adverse effects of social media on the American culture. Despite the benefits attributed to the emergence of social media, this paper asserts that social media has had negative influence on the American culture as it has propagated isolation that has not only eroded the culture but also contributed to internet addiction, cyber bullying and limited privacy on personal life.