Gen 499 General Education Capstone\ Social Media Censorship
Gen 499 General Education Capstone\ Social Media Censorship
Social Media Censorship
Introduction
The context of social media usage is a controversial issue given that the latter is the new norm in today’s society. Millions of people from all demographic considerations are drawn to their phones, iPads, and computers. The traditional social construct where relationships were once based on physical contact is a gone as social media provides an alternative relationships logic. Social media has also been integrated into the corporate world, government agencies, religious and academic institutions as a way to keep up with technological trends (Bolton et al. 2013). Given the significance of social media in society today, it is difficult to ignore the implications for social media practices for its users and society at large. The positive impacts are highly regarded and embraced while the adverse effects are condemned and called for rectification. This, therefore, introduces the concept of censorship, a system used by relevant authorities to regulate social media content. However, censorship attracts ethical considerations, where authorities need to remain objective and embrace measures that do not deny individuals their freedom of speech (Bolton et al. 2013). This report proposes that although social media usage has positive effects on users in society, some negative implications can hence be regulated through social media censorship.
Annotated Bibliography
Lenhart, A., Purcell, K., Smith, A., & Zickuhr, K. (2010). Social Media & Mobile Internet Use Among Teens and Young Adults. Millennials. Pew Internet & American life project.
This source provides insight on social media usage by both teens and adults. It provides statistical evidence from research which shows the prevalence of social media usage and is therefore relevant with regards to the research topic. By analyzing the incidence and demographic considerations of social media usage, one can effectively stratify individuals of interest as well as determine a study population. Additionally, information from the source offers a clear comprehension of how different individuals use social media for varying reasons. The source can also be used to support the notion that censorship is necessary given that social media exposes even children to content that may be vulgar or psychologically harmful.
Van Dijck, J., & Poell, T. (2013). Understanding social media logic.
The authors of this scholarly article make significant contributions to the topic of social media censorship as they present how social media affects day to day social interactions. The report shows the notion that social media influence how people relate to each other. They use a theoretic approach to identify complex dynamics from various social media platforms; including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. They propose that social media has changed rules and conditions of social interaction and provide evidence of this claim using an analysis of four principles: connectivity, popularity, programmability, and datafication, which comprise the logic of social media. The authors conclude that these principles affect the constellation of public life, including law and order, politics, and even relationships.
This source has relevance to the research topic because it provides evidence of the effects of social media on social interactions. The source further contains information on how social media has altered the traditional social construct and how individuals are affected by the latter. It can, therefore, be used to support the notion that problems like cyber-bullying, low self-esteem amongst teenagers and defaming scenarios arise from social interactions between individuals online, and can be rectified through censorship of harmful content.
Kaplan, A. M., & Haenlein, M. (2010). Users of the world, unite! The challenges and opportunities of Social Media. Business Horizons, 53(1), 59-68.
This source is a scholarly article that provides insight into the contextual intricacies of social media and its challenges and opportunities in a world that is highly dependent on online social platforms. The authors distinguish the term social media from user-generated content and Web 2.0. The affirm that social media is often associated with online communication practice but is ideally constrained to the concept of self-disclosure, wherein it allows individuals to share what they feel and think with others through a virtual communication setting. The authors further describe the opportunities tied to social media as well as challenges, which comprise the adverse effects of social media on society.
This source is credible and can be used to support the ideology of positive and negative effects associated with social media use in society. By comprehending the term social media, as well as identifying the various opportunities and challenges, one can adequately establish the need for censorship as it provides a solution to challenges posed by social media usage in society.
Gerbaudo, P. (2012). Tweets and the Streets. Social media and.
Gerbaudo establishes that social media plays a significant role in activists movements and protests. In his scholarly article, the author analyses four major demonstrations and shows how social media was used in each protest to mobilize individuals and determine turnouts. He further addresses the issue of activism with regards to social media’s role in the moralization of a problem. This source, therefore, provides a broader understanding of how individuals are inclined through social media platforms to attend rallies, protests and even react to situations and issues. The article also establishes that people are triggered by their peers and contacts with similar ideologies and moral afflictions to respond to circumstances in a way that seems acceptable by their social networks.
This source is relevant to the research topic as it provides insight into the role of social media in activist movements and protests. It, therefore, supports the notion that social media has the capacity to influence individual’s reactions to the situation and when left uncensored, can trigger violent reactions through harmful mobilization of individuals within similar social constructs. The source will also aid in establishing the programming role of social media and how both adults and children can quickly adopt a specific way of thought based on what others in their social networks uphold.
Casilli, A. A., & Tubaro, P. (2012). Social media censorship in times of political unrest-a social simulation experiment with the UK riots. Bulletin of Sociological Methodology/Bulletin de Méthodologie Sociologique, 115(1), 5-20.
This source provides insight on the perception of people towards social media censorship, with regards to a case study of the UK. The author presents an argumentative approach that shows how politicians, government agencies, and other relevant authorities, including individuals from society, attribute violence during protests to social media mobilization. The author further addresses the need for social media censorship as is perceived by a significant representation of individuals in society as well as threats to privacy and other ethical concerns raised against censorship attempts.
This source is relevant to the research topic as it provides empirical evidence of the perceptions and attitudes of people from all demographics towards social media censorship. By analyzing the opinions and attitudes towards censorship of social media content, one can conclusively determine recommendations for authorities with regards to creating an atmosphere that ensures censorship attempts are welcomed and accepted as a regulatory role to prevent negative implications for social media usage by both teenagers and adults.
Conclusion
In sum, Social Media use is a viral and vital practice that affects all aspects of societal functions. The corporate world, academic institutions, government agencies, personal interactions, and relationships are all influenced by social media in varying ways. While social media has positive implications for society, there exist negative traits and challenges that are connected with the use of social media that can only be dealt with through regulatory approaches like censorship. Censorship is, therefore, an immediate solution that has numerous ethical concerns and should, therefore, be approached with regards to all these considerations.
References
Bolton, R. N., Parasuraman, A., Hoefnagels, A., Migchels, N., Kabadayi, S., Gruber, T., ... & Solnet, D. (2013). Understanding Generation Y and their use of social media: a review and research agenda. Journal of service management, 24(3), 245-267.
Casilli, A. A., & Tubaro, P. (2012). Social media censorship in times of political unrest-a social
simulation experiment with the uk riots. Bulletin of Sociological Methodology/Bulletin de Méthodologie Sociologique, 115(1), 5-20.
Gerbaudo, P. (2012). Tweets and the Streets. Social media and.
Kaplan, A. M., & Haenlein, M. (2010). Users of the world, unite! The challenges and
opportunities of Social Media. Business horizons, 53(1), 59-68.
Lenhart, A., Purcell, K., Smith, A., & Zickuhr, K. (2010). Social Media & Mobile Internet Use among Teens and Young Adults. Millennials. Pew internet & American life project.
Van Dijck, J., & Poell, T. (2013). Understanding social media logic.
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