Effects Of Social Media: Natural Disaster Relief Support (Essay Sample)

Effects of Social Media
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Introduction
Social media has become so dominant among the young people especially students. It has become a common practice of today’s younger generation. Social media like Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, YouTube offer them a portal of entertainment and communication and the usage have risen exponentially in the recent years. As much as social media has negative effects on the young, it has brought a lot of positive effect for them too.
We discuss both the positive and negative effect of social media on the young respectively.
Increased teen awareness
Although some parents think that social media is not important to their children, it actually does well for them to have the social media account. The same way the adults need to be informed is the same way the teens also need to be aware of the information. Social media allows the teen to follow organization and causes that they believe in even if they feel like an outcast in the society according to Agrawal (Forbes 2017).
Natural disaster relief support
When a natural disaster strikes, the social media becomes the vessel to deliver the message. A hashtag is created to help them locate the story from the social internet and offer support to the affected individual. This helps stories that are local to gain attention globally.
Marketing exposer
Marketing of products has been made easier through the social media. It is the most cost-effective way of reaching the mass amount of consumers.
Consumers that support a cause, product or service are more likely to share posts from major corporations and non-profit organizations.
News alert distribution
With so much of the global community being nearly constantly connected to social media, delivering news alerts on social media channels reaches many people faster. News outlets can share breaking stories, alerts and other important bits of news instantly with their followers. When more people are aware of a situation, those working to secure locations and ensure the safety of the general public can perform their job duties more efficiently.
Addiction
The one common bad effect of social media is addiction – the constant checking of Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media updates. Experts believe that knowing what’s going on with friends and what they are thinking or feeling can be addicting. Researchers at UCLA’s Brain Mapping Center according to Raise Smart Kid (2017) has found that being appreciated in social media through “likes” was seen in brain scans to activate the reward centers of the brain. This reward circuitry is particularly sensitive during adolescence, and this may partly explain why teenagers are more into social media.
This addiction to social media could disrupt other worthwhile activities like c...