The Incorporation of The World Wide Web in The Lives of People

The way people share and interact with others has changed significantly. In the past, communication was meaningful and straightforward. Presently, people no longer converse but only share information, and instead of using words, the current generation is using abbreviations, texts, and acronyms. People have come to the conclusion that they have nothing offer other than information regarding the world or themselves. Due to this, they find no reason for spending time interacting with others. Before the invention of the internet, people relied on limited information sources. The reality today is entirely different. With the last few years, the worldwide web has exploded and led to the development of innovative social networking sites such as Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and Tumblr; dating sites such as eHarmony or Zoosk. The social networking sites are the minute-by-minute communication needs for the majority of the people. The explosion of the social media has set new rules for all individuals. The social networking sites have provided a convenient way of connecting with friends. It has allowed people to establish a relationship in the virtual world. With the social networks, one can communicate their perceptions and thoughts of a myriad of topics (Cruz-Cunha 609). The sharing feature provided in the social networking sites makes one's opinion reach a vast number of people. Business has leveraged the power of social networking to promote their brands or products. On the downside, the majority of studies have revealed that extensive social media use can lead to addiction amongst the users. Increased use of the social networking networks has significantly reduced human interactions. Social development is an important aspect of a personal emotional intelligence that is defined as the capability to control, perceive, and evaluate emotions. Arguably, social media is a significant tool, and it is astounding how people can conveniently and quickly connect in the virtual moment, with the possibility of vast cultural awareness. However, it has reduced the level of human interaction. While the people have incorporated the tools of social networking in their lives dramatically, it needs to be observed that the real social skills are understood and primarily taught by interacting face to face with the peers. However, the persistent technology development and that of the social networking pose the risk of alienating the majority of the people and turn them away from the one-to-one interactions.

Web 2.0 - the Portal to a New Society

As with all the new tools, Web 2.0 technologies have quickly become a new way for interaction and communication. Previous websites provided one-way communications to the audience and from the owner of the sites. The Web 2.0 tools have changed this dynamic, and this has enabled web interaction possible, facilitating easier collaboration and creation of the web content by the internet users. Examples of the Web 2.0 tool include blogs, wikis, social bookmarking, Really Simple Syndication, podcast, video sharing, and instant messaging (Darwish and Lakhtaria 205). They have become the portal to a new society. The phrase Web 2.0 is linked with web applications that enable interactive sharing of information, interoperability, collaboration on the internet, and this has permitted the users to interact with each other, add, or edit the content of a site. The technologies encourage the users to have a participatory and active role. The users of these tools create and share information with others. Web 2.0 tools have been credited extensively as contributed to freedom and social equality of nations across the globe. Web 2.0 technologies have opened the world to the majority of the people and allowed conversation and communication, which might be threatening to the governments that often restrict the freedom of speech. Some of the states have made the decision to block the use of various websites. For instance, some of the nations such as Ethiopia and Saudi Arabia have blocked some of the blogging sites that they perceived as immoral; China often limits information with regards to Taiwan. WikiLeaks launched a website where they could share information and has significantly shown the power of Web 2.0 tools (Darwish and Lakhtaria 213). The Web 2.0 technologies have a served a core role with the WikiLeaks reports in the publication of vital documents with regards to the movements and agreements of numerous governments across the globe to keep the citizens informed of significant political decisions and critical negotiations.

The world wide web has become incorporated into the lives of various people across the globe. People prefer to shop and purchase their products online. Information is the source of power and is the key to success amongst the individuals accessing the information. The development of the information system also entails political and social relationships. The electronic system has been adopted in the people’s workplace and in their private lives to the extent that those with no access to the system are also affected. Marketing firms and companies have been obtaining and gathering information about their clients and potential customers for decades. They have been collecting their addresses and names, tracking their purchases and requesting them to fill out the questionnaires, and as a result, send catalogs or offer discounts. However, presently, the majority of the people have been giving out their private information online without realizing that the information is harvested and being sold to various individuals. According to Shaw, the digital system has eliminated the simple privacy people take in the daily life for granted (5). To a greater extent, people have become pawns of the marketing firms and advertisers as their information is being collected and sold.

The emergence of the Digital Space and Everyday Life Experience

The emergence of the digital space has without a doubt taken away and added the way that people experience in life. Today, tweeting, Facebook, and texting have not only become prevalent but preferred communication means for the majority of college learners and young adults. A decade ago, it was hard to connect and find people, but the social networking sites have facilitated this; therefore, social media is having a significant impact on the people’s day-to-day lives. The traditional form of marketing has changed. Over the past years, marketing firms have used social media as their most preferred channels of advertising. The majority of companies want to establish a closer connection with the customers to improve service delivery. Social networking sites have changed the way people entertain themselves. People can play games online or read stories via tablets, smartphone or access the content through their laptops. Fantasy sports teams have shaped the people experience of sports. The way through which people watch sport is undergoing a significant transformation. The attendance has been down across the majority of the leagues, but the television ratings continue to increase. The fans across the nation appear to be more caught up in the stories of the athletes than following their teams. With the proliferation of the mobile devices, high definition televisions, fantasy leagues, and Twitter, people have become often linked to sports. People cheer some of the players in their rival teams as they are on their fantasy team. The way through which the individuals remain connected to their athletes through the social networking sites and fantasy sports have availed them gain significant access in their lives and hence changed their perception on the athletes (Packard 2). Technology has become the bridge where one can access the lives of their favorite athletes. Similar to the television, which changed the way through which families during the year 1950 intersected with the sport, the world wide web has provided fans with another way of experiencing the favorite sports teams. The fans are provided in real time the virtual access to sport, and on demand, they are permitted to establish a particular, personal technique of interacting on social networking sites. With professional sports embracing of the day-to-day fantasy sports, entrepreneurs have brought these games to the emerging market, which has experienced a boom in sports betting.

Tech Media and Political Conversation

The tech media served a core role in shaping the recent presidential election, defining the way the voters view issues and their respective candidates. Millions of people during the past campaigns shared their perspectives on social media. Twitter recorded more than seventy-five million tweets linked to the election. More than one hundred and fifteen thousand people discussed their views on Facebook and hence generated more than seven hundred and sixteen million posts, likes, shares, and comments linked to the vote (Marzia 2). President Trump and Hillary Clinton enjoy a substantial social media presence. Trump enjoys more than fourteen thousand fans on Facebook while the former first lady enjoys about nine million people on Twitter (Marzia 3). Trump significantly ran his presidential campaign on Twitter attacking his rivals on various issues and also addressing his fans and followers.

Donald Trump through his social media activity changed the way through which the social networking sites are used in the political sphere. He provided his followers with a continuous stream of messages. The social media employed by Clinton applied a more cautious approach when attempting to woo the voters.

From the recent elections and the power that the social networking sites played, it is visible that politics are headed to the digital space. Social networking sites have without a doubt changed the relationship amid the votes and the politicians. The use of the social media for the purpose of predicting the elections outcomes has become popular due to the data amount that can be accessed. As seen in the election, the number of the followers and fans still matters. When provided with access to various information on the social networking sites, people feel like that are well equipped to interpret life, reality, and politics. As such, they feel that they do not require a deeper insight and reliance on the traditional media to think for them.

Millenial Generation and Tech Media

The Millenials have been widely exposed to numerous technologies since birth and have been raised within the digital word, continually adapting to change. They do not perceive technology advances as something they would opt not to learn. No previous generation has come across such a myriad of technologies and communication transition than what confronts the Millennials in their day-to-day activities. The preferred communication forms at home are the text messages and the social networking sites. Nonetheless, at the workplace, they are anticipated to communicate through telephone, email as well as through face-to-face interactions, which implies that the Millennials need to adopt continuously their style of communications with those that they work with although they communicate effectively and efficiently on a personal level (Rikleen 1). This is not a level of adjustments that the previous generations were faced with since the options for commutation at both their workplace and home were similar. The generation is connected to tablets, and their mindset has concentrated on making things faster and easier as well as more intuitive, personal, and inclusive. In their places of work, this has led to applications that have eliminated or updated the various outdated or old process and procedures.

My personal perspective is that technology media enable sharing, creation of ideas, information and career interests through virtual networks and communities. They have significantly affected how I interact with others as the media technology has afforded me instant access to information. Through browsing over the hashtags on Twitter, I can learn of the recent events. In cases where I can reach someone through the phone, I can tweet or send a Facebook message to them. It is not hard when it comes to catching up with others notwithstanding their physical location. The drawback of the social media is the presence of trolls and pranksters who hide behind anonymity on the social networking sites. I enjoy media technology, and as with any medium of communication, it has its ups and downs, cons and pros. I can instantly communicate with my friends and family through the social networking sites. Nonetheless, it has limited the time that I spend with them, especially when face-to-face interactions are concerned. Everyone seems to have consumed the media technology, and it is hard to find a person who is not registered or using the media technology to communicate with friends or obtaining information.

New media technologies have had a significant impact on the society, and the incorporation of such technologies to social settings has had considerable influence on the social interaction amid individuals. It is apparent that media technologies have impacted the social interactions. They can help increase communication amongst people. Web 2.0 technologies as well as the social networking sites are powerfully facilitating societies to interact and communicate. The proliferation of social networking sites has shaped the political landscapes in various nations. People are spending the majority of their time trying to maintain superficial connections in the online platforms and hence dedicating minimum effort and time to cultivate deeper and real life interactions. Social media permit the users in confronting others hiding behind the screen and using anonymous names. People use the social media as a way of making their feelings known without realizing the image they portray to others. The choice of releasing their emotions through the social media depicts an unhealthy way of working out various issues. The majority of young adults express their frustration on the social networking sites. When people resort to using these sites as their primary avenue of showing their feelings, they reduce the efficiency of communication with others and allow colleagues, parents, and probable employers to draw negative deductions from a photo or a status update that is taken out of context. During the political campaigns, posts regarding either of the candidates have led to their followers questioning the morals of an individual supporting a candidate view in light of other candidate’s notion about an issue. Hence, social media can lead to one to inaccurately generalizing others based on specific likes or posts. It is imperative for people to realize the importance of direct contact and how one's social media presence impacts their image as well as future.