Term Two Test Essay - Social Media, a Blessing or a Curse? Dicuss.

Social Media - A blessing or a curse? Discuss.

(This essay was written during the Term Two LA test. It is reproduced in its entirety here.)

With the availability and convenience of modern day computers, social media has become more widely used. Social Media has been used before to allow people to share their views if the other forms of media are heavily censored by the state. Therefore, social media is a blessing if used for the proper means.

Social Media allows freedom of expression. This use of social media is most frequent in countries where other forms and types of media are heavily censored. For example, in recent protests in the Middle East, in countries such as Egypt and Syria, the social media websites were used to rally other protestors, and also to draw worldwide attention to their cause. Although the governments of the countries blocked their citizens’ access to these social media websites, the people managed to circumvent the blocks.

Also, social media has been used to generate public support and publicity. For example, after the recent Christchurch Earthquake, the Prime Minister of Christchurch stated that they would be appealing for funds to assist rebuilding efforts via Facebook. Charities also use social media platforms to garner support and donations. Apart from collecting donations or fund raising, social media can be used to reach out to the youth, as part of generating increased publicity. For example, in the ongoing 2011 General Election in Singapore, many political parties use social media to spread information and increase support for the party. Social media has also been used as part of advertising programmes, as social media is free and is already widely used.

Social media is also used as a form of entertainment. An example of social media being used as a form of entertainment is Youtube, an online video sharing community for people to share videos of all kinds, from instructional to entertaining. This service is also completely free. Since the videos are all made by users, although the quality of the videos may not be consistent, there is a mass variety of videos. Other examples include online websites which allow users to upload and share pictures. Image and file sharing websites allow users to share images and even artwork with each other.

However, there are some downsides of social media. Social media may be used as a tool for scammers to trick computer users into giving away personal information or money. Many such scams and tricks have been surfaced to the public’s attention but not before a member of an online community had already fallen prey to it . Such examples may include convincing the subject to send money to an obscure bank account to claim their winnings in a foreign lottery, or asking the user to send their personal details to claim a prize .

Also, information on Social Media is not always accurate. An example of this would be when a couple posted videos and daily updates about the relationship troubles they were feeling before they got married. Online netizens , touched by their sincerity , promised to help the couple . However, they were shocked to find out that it was an elaborate advertising programme for an insurance company. They were upset that they had been tricked. However, they could not deny that they were at fault for automatically believing what they had seen.

In conclusion, Social Media, when used properly, is a quick, efficient and convenient method to spread information. However, despite these factors, if social media is misused, the effects would be very widespread, considering the mass number of users who utilize Social Media. Therefore, Social Media is a blessing if used in a proper method.