Almost everyone agrees that social media have had far reaching effects on society. Most notably, these networks changed the medium for communication and have created more connections between people. However, not many people consider how social media affect their personalities and identities. Thousands of people spend hours recording their lives on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram. Personal details about people’s lives are now considered public property and published online. Making feedback on every aspect of life widely available, social media have changed how people see themselves. In a society where individuals are subjected to constant publicization through social media, the public is experiencing a mass transformation of identity
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In his article, “I’m So Totally Digitally Close to You,” Clive Thompson details the impact that the development of the newsfeed, which publicizes statuses and photos on a central page, had on Facebook, noting that “For students, it was now like being at a giant, open party filled with everyone you know, able to eavesdrop on what everyone else was saying, all the time” (388-389) Much of social media continues to follow this format. Not only is information about users easily accessible, it is instantly delivered out to a network of their peers, creating an environment that degrades individuals’ privacy. People are given little control over what content is showcased to which people. Therefore, they assert a greater level of control over the information that they do choose to publicize, in order to present the best version of themselves possible. After telling an anecdote about a young woman whose old friends refused to stop posting unflattering pictures of her, Thompson explains that for young adults on social media, “participation isn’t …show more content…
Identity is no longer determined by a person’s actions or character, but rather by what parts of themselves they document in social media.
Because social media have enabled a society where every detail of one’s life can be open to broadcasting, people have responded through asserting an increased level of control, both online and in the outside world. In a research paper by danah boyd and Alice Marwick titled “Social Privacy in Networked Publics: Teens’ Attitudes, Practices, and Strategies,” the researchers found that in conversations about social media “teens consistently come back to the importance of control and personal agency. They believe that privacy has to do with their ability to control a social situation, how information flows, and when and where they can be observed by others” (381). Social media’s appeal lies in the fact that it allows its users to forcefully make their existence known to peers and strangers alike. However, with the knowledge that material will likely be seen by hundreds of people, comes
In his article, “I’m So Totally Digitally Close to You,” Clive Thompson details the impact that the development of the newsfeed, which publicizes statuses and photos on a central page, had on Facebook, noting that “For students, it was now like being at a giant, open party filled with everyone you know, able to eavesdrop on what everyone else was saying, all the time” (388-389) Much of social media continues to follow this format. Not only is information about users easily accessible, it is instantly delivered out to a network of their peers, creating an environment that degrades individuals’ privacy. People are given little control over what content is showcased to which people. Therefore, they assert a greater level of control over the information that they do choose to publicize, in order to present the best version of themselves possible. After telling an anecdote about a young woman whose old friends refused to stop posting unflattering pictures of her, Thompson explains that for young adults on social media, “participation isn’t …show more content…
Identity is no longer determined by a person’s actions or character, but rather by what parts of themselves they document in social media.
Because social media have enabled a society where every detail of one’s life can be open to broadcasting, people have responded through asserting an increased level of control, both online and in the outside world. In a research paper by danah boyd and Alice Marwick titled “Social Privacy in Networked Publics: Teens’ Attitudes, Practices, and Strategies,” the researchers found that in conversations about social media “teens consistently come back to the importance of control and personal agency. They believe that privacy has to do with their ability to control a social situation, how information flows, and when and where they can be observed by others” (381). Social media’s appeal lies in the fact that it allows its users to forcefully make their existence known to peers and strangers alike. However, with the knowledge that material will likely be seen by hundreds of people, comes