The Internet and Global Activism, Essay Example

If my professor asked me today to kick my social networking habits, I don’t think I would be able to completely pass the test. I do believe I can go without Facebook, but to go without the internet or cellphones for 1 day mights be nearly impossible. In all honestly, it depends on the day. For example, going a Saturday or a Sunday without social media, internet or cellphone use is reasonable, as the bulk of common activities most people do throughout the day on these days can be adjusted to function without social media or internet use. The problem is going an entire week without social media, cell phones, or internet can have a significantly negative impact on one’s personal and professional life if they function within a community that heavily relies on these tools. For example, a broker, or professional that works with a large number of clientele who they must interact with on a constant basis, might find they have lost their clients or a lot of money by the end of the week. Today’s modern world is so reliant on internet, cellphones, and social media specifically that even when people go on vacation they are still accessible through social media or have access to the internet through their phones. When individuals lose their cell phone, it is common to announce it on Facebook to have their contacts message them with their phone numbers. Invites to parties, weddings, baby showers, funerals, Christenings, graduations, as well as photos and videos of all the events are commonly posted to sites like Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Instagram. In addition to staying connected to friends and family, individuals often base their relationships with, or live life vicariously through, those friends and family with the help of social media sites.

Bennett notes that social media has effected business by enabling companies to reach their consumer base for much cheaper than they were able to in previous years. The author states that “you can reach 1,000 people for a fraction of the cost using social media than you can through television, billboards or even email” (Bennett 2003). This form of affordable advertising also has a grass roots effect where consumers are able to establish a relationship with the brands they prefer through social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Youtube. This has also had an impact on the news paper and televisions industry as television advertising is less effective or fiscally efficient as utilizing social media outlets. In their study on the difference between social media and conventional media specifically as it relates to business, authors noted that “some observers believe that the challenge faced by conventional media, especially newspapers, has to do with the perfect storm of the global economic crisis, dwindling readership and advertising dollars, and the inability of newspapers to monetize their online efforts” (Salman, Ibrahim, HjAbdullah, Mustaffa, & Mahbob 2011). All of these factors combined with the siginficant preference readers place on acquiring their news from social media sites has resulted in businesses like the newspaper industry becoming heavily social media integrated or failing outright to succeed in the digital world.

In sum, if one were to go an entire week without the use of social media, cell phones or the internet, I believe some issues they might encounter would be feelings of disconnectedness, and possibly social, or even professional,  isolation. I also think it’s possible they may benefit from certain aspects like a reconnection with their local community, or with nature. Perhaps it might give them the opportunity to incorporate exercise into their daily routine in a way they didn’t realize was possible, as internet overuse has a way of preoccupying one’s time and priorities unconventionally.

References

Bennett, W. L. (2003). New Media Power: The Internet and Global Activism. Contesting Media Power: Alternative Media Power in a Networked World, edited by N. Couldry & J. Curran. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield. 17-37

Salman, Ali, Faridah Ibrahim, Mohd Y. HjAbdullah, and Normah Mustaffa. (2011) How startup funding works http://shrd.by/onaPLa.” The Innovation Journal: The Public Sector Innovation Journal 7th ser. 16.3: 1-11. Print.