Social Media Part 1
In what ways do you communicate online?
This is a coincidence. I have thought a lot on this topic recently. I don't know where to start, apparently there are so many social media apps. People use it to communicate online, including me. Here are some information for you.
HISTORY OF INTERNET
Internet wasn't internet. It was called ARPANET (The Advanced Research Projects Agency Network). Long before the arrival of digital communications, the steam engine, telegraph pole and coalmine quickened the pace of the world. The industrial revolution created a world of centralization and organized hierarchy. Its defining pattern was a single, central dot to which all strands led. But the emerging digital age is different.
A great adjustment in human affairs is under way. The pattern of political, commercial and cultural life is changing. The defining pattern of the emerging digital age is the absence of the central dot. In its place a mesh of many points is evolving, each linked by webs and networks. This story is about the death of the centre and the development of commercial and political life in a networked system. It is also the story about the coming power of the networked individual as the new vital unit of effective participation and creativity.
At the centre of this change is the Internet, a technology so unusual and so profoundly unlikely to have been created that its existence would be a constant marvel were it not a fact of daily life.
The 1950s were a time of high tension. The US and Soviet Union prepared themselves for a nuclear war in which casualties would be counted not in millions but in the hundreds of millions. As the decade began President Truman’s strategic advisors recommended that the US embark on a massive rearmament to face off the Communist threat.
The story of the Internet’s first decades pivots around the difficulties of a willing government to gift a revolutionary technology to a private sector unwilling to accept it. Twenty-first-century observers would be baffled by the inability of the telecommunications giant, at&t, to grasp the potential of the Internet. at&t could have taken over control of arpanet and gained a head start in the new digital dispensation. Yet on two separate occasions it rejected the opportunity to develop the Internet: first, when rand had approached it with only a concept of how digital packet networking could work in the 1960s; and second, when arpa presented working proof of the arpanet in the mid-1970s. It would scarcely seem possible knowing what is now known about the Internet that a company could have rebuffed the opportunity to gain an early mover advantage.
Cern is the European Organization for Nuclear Research and the world’s largest particle physics laboratory. In the 1980s and early 1990s it was home to a dizzying array of incompatible computers brought by thousands of researchers travelling from different countries. It represented all the diversity of the computing world within one self-contained environment. A contractor named Tim Berners-Lee developed a piece of software called ‘Enquire’ in the 1980s to map relationships between the various people, programs and systems he encountered there. Enquire marked the first step in his invention of the World Wide Web.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Social media is a form of electronic communication, such as websites for social networking and microblogging, through which users create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages, and other content like videos and photos.
First Social App
SixDegrees (1997), is often regarded as the first social media site. In 1991, when Tim Berners-Lee integrated hypertext software with the Internet, he created the World Wide Web, marking the beginning of the modern era of networked communication.
First Online Chat Room
It is probably Talkomatic. It was an online chat system by Doug Brown and David R. Woolley in 1973 on the PLATO system.
Social Media Now
In the early 2000s, social media platforms gained widespread popularity with the likes of Friendster and Myspace, followed by Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter (now: X), among others. Also there are Instagram, Threads, Blogger, Wordpress, Jetpack, LinkedIn, Telegram, Whatsapp, Tiktok and...you can include ChatGPT although it's a chatbot developed by OpenAI. Chatbot can be used in social media to send auto message and other functions.
If you want to read more about internet you can read from the source below:
Ryan, J. (2010). A History of The Internet and The Digital Future. London: Reaktion Books Ltd.
Social Media Part 2
How do you use social media?
I don't use social media that often. I rarely post on my social. My links are always on this website.
Briefly, this is my answer for this prompt:
Connecting with others
People use social media to stay connected with friends, family, and colleagues. They may share updates about their lives, photos, videos, and engage in conversations through comments and direct messages. I don't connect with many people, I use it to connect with family and friends.
Sharing content
Social media users share a wide range of content, including news articles, memes, videos, blog posts, and personal stories. They can express their opinions, interests, and experiences with their followers. For some people they use it to promote their business. I use it for sharing my interests and blogging especially on this app. I've been doing this as a hobby. Sometimes I don't post or delete my post if I feel they sound ugly. Usually I like some posts from people here when I agree with them.
Entertainment
Many people use social media for entertainment purposes, such as watching funny videos, or participating in online challenges and trends. But I don't really like following trends. All I heard is the world is suffering. I use it for reading, listening, watching movies, and sharing memes.
Social media offers plenty of benefits, there are numerous bad news about social media too. There are so many frauds, identity theft, false informations and other bad influences, which require you to be very careful in using social media. It's worse when some people get kidnapped, killed, cheated on, or committed suicide due to cyberbullying, social comparison, isolation. For so many reasons social media is called bad for mental health.
Maybe I should write more.
Cyberbullying
Social media platforms can be used to harass, intimidate, or bully others online. Cyberbullying can have serious consequences for victims, leading to emotional distress, low self-esteem, and even thoughts of suicide. This doesn't sound fun.
Self comparison
Social media often presents idealized and curated versions of people's lives, which can lead to feelings of inadequacy, jealousy, and low self-esteem. Constant exposure to images of success, beauty, and happiness can make individuals feel like they don't measure up, leading to negative self-comparison and dissatisfaction with their own lives. This is not good to do it excessively. It may lead you to insecurity and unhappiness.
Addiction
Social media can be addictive, and excessive use can lead to compulsive behaviors, decreased productivity, and withdrawal symptoms when not using social media. Addiction to social media can interfere with daily life, relationships, and mental well-being. Obviously this doesn't sound good.
Privacy concerns
Social media platforms often collect and store vast amounts of personal data, including users' browsing habits, location information, and interactions with others. This data can be used for targeted advertising, but it also raises concerns about privacy and security, especially in cases of data breaches or misuse of personal information. This isn't a new thing, being careful is essential.
Misinformation
Social media platforms can be breeding grounds for misinformation, rumors, and fake news. False or misleading information can spread rapidly on social media, leading to confusion, polarization, and distrust in reliable sources of information. Besides Biological Warfare using toxic virus and bacteria, misinformation is what you called as Information Warfare. Double checking the information you found online will save you from unwanted experience.
Negative impact on mental health
Studies have linked excessive use of social media to increased rates of depression, anxiety, loneliness, and other mental health issues. Constant exposure to curated images of success, beauty, and happiness can create unrealistic expectations and contribute to feelings of inadequacy and dissatisfaction. Although these mental issues aren't easy to be developed. I rather think social media help it blooms and spreads.
Decreased real-life social interaction
Spending excessive time on social media can lead to decreased face-to-face interaction and real-life social connections. This can contribute to feelings of isolation, loneliness, and disconnection from others. This gets worsen ever since covid with its social distancing new normal and etc. Fulfilling basic life's need as social beings have more challenges despite this advanced technology helps you to do it.