Hi guys! As some of you may know I have chosen to do an inquiry project this semester of Butterfly Effect. My question this time around will be: “What are social media’s effects on society and the people within it?” This in an exceptionally intriguing question for me and was something I wanted to look into for some time now, so I am happy that I now have the inspiration to do so. I really hope you all find my inquiry project interesting and informative, but I encourage all of you to do a little solo research into this topic as well!
My research rounds will follow this plan:
- “What is social media and what is its history?” (This will help establish what exactly qualifies as social media, help define the term for people who might not know much about it, and give everyone a brief timeline of how social media became such a worldwide phenomenon.)
- “How has social media affected our psyche (happiness, jealousy, etc.)?” (This will give everyone a slight insight into the psychological effects that social media can and has caused.)
- “How has social media affected our communication skills and how we use them?” (This will help everyone in understanding how social media has altered arguably the most vital part of human existence; how we communicate with each other.)
Some resources I may use are:
https://theknowledgereview.com/effects-social-media-communication-skills/#:~:text=The%20social%20media%20has%20positive,negative%20impacts%20on%20communication%20skills.&text=It%20is%20affecting%20our%20relationships,is%20the%20impoverishment%20of%20language.
https://thriveglobal.com/stories/how-social-media-affects-our-ability-to-communicate/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2017/06/30/a-run-down-of-social-medias-effects-on-our-mental-health/#1b0365c92e5a
https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/social-media-mental-health-negative-effects-depression-anxiety-addiction-memory-a8307196.html
I believe that this topic is one of the most relevant subjects in the world right now, but it has been quite overshadowed by the COVID-2019 pandemic. While social media is quite a new invention, nearly all of us use it on a daily basis to do many things, including communicating, posting images and videos, marketing personal projects, keeping up with fashion trends, and staying up-to-date with the news. In doing this research project, I hope to let you all know the many ways that social media affects you everyday and in doing so help you make an informed decision on how and if you should continue using the platform.
That’s a very interesting topic!
Hi Victor,
I heard you mention this inquiry question in class yesterday and I was very intrigued! I feel like we tend to forget how new the idea of social media really is, and it’s sometimes hard to take a step back to see the impact it’s had on our lives. Many times when I hear people commenting on the effects of social media, they tend to focus on the negative effects it’s had. Personally, although social media affects us in many negative ways, I feel like I’ve been positively affected by it too.
I find the the psychological aspect of your question so interesting. Why do people post on social media? Why do we invest our time into creating a digital profile and personality? I’ve linked an article below that looks into some questions like these. I found it very interesting, and I hope it helps you with your research.
https://online.king.edu/news/psychology-of-social-media/#:~:text=%20From%20a%20psychological%20standpoint%2C%20they%20found%20many,introduction%20into%20new%20modes%20of%20thinking.%20More%20
I look forward to reading your posts in the future,
Jasmine
Thank you so much for taking the time to reply to my post Jasmine! I will make sure to look through the article!
Hi Victor,
Your question seems very interesting! I like how you’re covering several different aspects of social media like its history and the psychological components. I think it will help people understanding the full scope of the subject.
I recently watched this short documentary on Netflix called “The Social Dilemma”. It featured some people who helped program social media platforms and they talked about how the software was designed to appeal to certain psychological factors. It also talked about how social media first started; its original intentions. I thought it was a really interesting documentary, so if you have Netflix, you could check it out! Here’s the link to the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaaC57tcci0
I look forward to reading your future posts!
Rasee
Thanks Rasee! I’ll be sure to check the film out!
Hi Victor,
I look forward to learning more! Question 2 and 3 are especially interesting to me. I definitely think me, and others around me, have been affected by social media. Nice work!
Thanks! Hopefully my future posts will satiate your interest in this topic!