Essay Draft 2

The Challenges and Opportunities of Social Media

As we expect more from technology, we expect less from each other, to the extent of replacing the physical presence of each other with the companion of social media. The presence of social media is prominent, social media and us, are now an inseparable entity. It has become a void where we can present our best self and we present who we want to be, and not who we really are. However, in more recent studies, it has raised some red flags to how social media is affecting the psychological health of individuals. The most pressing issue of them all would be how social media have provided us an avenue to replace people in our social circle, causing a wave of superficial relationships.

Social media is a platform that brings people closer to each other, at the same time it helps to cluster people of common interest, thus forging new relationships. However research has shown that the quality of relationships had been jeopardized by technology due to the lack of physical presence for one another and the poor social media etiquette. It has created confusion on social practices, like how often should we connect to our friends, or how popular are we on social media. In addition due to the attention we are receiving from social media, we have inadvertently diverted our attention away from those who matters, such as our schoolmates and our close friends. This is the worrisome issue that needs to be corrected. From studies conducted by UCLA, evidence suggests that “teens’ increasingly preferred mode of communication with their friends, texting, makes them feel less connected and bonded than face-to-face communication.” Although this might not seem like a major concern on an individual scale, it has raised pressing psychological impacts on relationships, on a larger scale. According to (Turkle, 2012), “People are less able to relate to others face-to-face even though people appear to be connected on social media all the time. Albeit the ease of communication, people are becoming less emotionally connected to one another, creating a new phenomenon of being alone together.”

The root of the problem is that social media generates a larger audience which gave individuals a sense of affirmation, to their point of view. Thus generally, people who have strong opinions would definitely give strong viewpoints. As such the users feel as though these people share the same thoughts and that the view of those who really mattered, are out to demean us. According to (Turkle, 2012) “This is a pressing issue as the views and remark from social media is a form of pretend empathy.” When the individuals are faced with a real problem, social media can only provide us an avenue to confide our problem with. It does not empathize our situation or help us solve our problems, unlike a true friend.

Despite the pertinent drawbacks of social media, there are currently no corrective solutions to rectify the immediate issue of lack of face-to-face interaction. However social media app creators are creating more interactive apps to help people create a deeper level of connection using social media. An example would be facetime and snapchat, such apps allow visualisation of the people who you are chatting with. Although such apps are still not as similar as face-to-face conversations, it does help to foster a deeper level of connection. According to (Dakin, 2014), “Graduate student Lauren Sherman studied various forms of communication between pairs of friends. She found the closer the experience was to in-person conversation, the more emotionally connected the friends felt. For example, video chat rated higher than a phone call, but the phone created a closer connection than texting”. However I believe the existing technology is still far from the ability to replicate the physical presence of a person. Despite the various interactive apps, there is still a paramount difference between social media and social interaction. In addition we have yet to perfect the video conferencing ability, due to poor signal reception or recording features, this might result in bad social media communication. Being a user of Skype, I would say that the quality of the video conference can be quite bad at times, especially when the users are calling from different countries. It results in frustration and ultimately straining the relationship.

Albeit the negative impact of social media, I believe it would not change our demographics on the usage of technology anytime soon; neither will there be a technology to replicate the face-to-face interaction. However I believe there are ways to alleviate the situation. I believe the root of the issue would be on the poor quality of connection due to lack of proper social media etiquette. I believe technological companies to advocate proper social media etiquette, such as not texting over a certain timing to avoid disturbance to the user, or enforcing that users should reply the messages upon viewing of the message, if not the message would be stored in archive. Next I believe we should eradicate some of the social ills created by social media, and I believe schools provide the most suitable platform. I believe secondary schools in Singapore should advocate the ban on the use of social media during school hours, this would help students better connect with their peers in school. Lastly I believe app creators should also be more aware of the social ills created by their app, instead of focusing on maximizing profits all the time. An example would be tinder; it is a matchmaking social media app that allows you to connect with girls of your choice. Albeit its popularity, the values the app unknowingly create is competitive platform to rate and judge a person by their appearance, on the app. Like how we are taught not to judge a book by its cover, the not only does not match make people together, it gives people pretended desirability. Thus more should be done to ensure that social media applications are not generating negative values.

In conclusion, social media has undoubtedly aided us in many aspects, especially in terms of the efficiency of work, however people must realise why they have the social media account for. If one creates a social media account for work, one should solely stick to work related issues as it might create confusion for the user. I earnestly hope that humanity is able to differentiate true companions form pretended empathy.

Reference:

http://www.ted.com/talks/sherry_turkle_alone_together/transcript?language=en

http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/social-media-affecting-teens-concepts-of-friendship-intimacy-1.2543158

Reader Response Draft 1

The challenges and opportunities of social media.

In “the challenges and opportunities of social media” (2014), the writer, Paula Newton, argues that there is a rising need for companies to adopt the use of mass communication platforms. It enables individuals to retrieve a variety of information about the company and these online users present themselves as a blooming market. However, companies have to manage certain obstacles. Firstly, due to the variety of platforms, selection of the sites to advertise on, should target audiences compatible to the company and should ensure consistency of advertisements, to reap profits. When using mass media platforms, companies should be engaging, and practice humility instead of deceit, so as to retain the confidence of the consumer. Lastly companies should reduce formalities online as readers prefer a candid and direct response and articles. To conclude, harnessing the power of media platforms would garner exponential returns, but effort is required. I largely agree with the points mentioned by the writer. However I believe the use of social media is not as positive as claimed. I don’t agree that social media should be used neither at all cost, nor with the fact that content should be humble, as it may result in a waste of resources and conflicting image effect.

Contrary to the article, 5 reasons why your business shouldn’t be on social media (2013) by Kelsey Jones, points out that some industries might not be suited to be on social media on the grounds that “people shouldn’t talk just to talk, especially if no one is going to listen” similarly, it would be a waste of resources if there is no suitable audiences. In addition, it might feel pushy and desperate for sales if the content is channelled at wrong target audience. The writer suggests that companies should research on which channels of advertisements best suit the needs of the company. I agree with Ms Jones, in most of the online advertisements, the businesses are reaching out to everyone instead of focusing on the existing market. Not only does it not gain the intended publicity, it repels people who are not looking for the product as well. An example would be online shops that spam mails, wasting the efforts of gathering contacts which can be brought to better use.

Next the writer Paula Newton mentioned that companies should practice humbleness and humility. I believe this is largely true, however the important questions, for a company’s marketing strategy, would be, who the target audience are and what is the intended image that the company wishes to portray. From the article “5 Effective Brand Building Strategies to Attract Customers” (2013) by Annetta Powell, she points the importance for companies to identify the traits that define its brand and qualities that the company values. It is only after knowing these values that you can define the intended image online. Hence it is not as simplistic as to say that all companies should be humble. Personally I find it disbelieving if high end companies such as Louis Vutton becomes humble online, especially since the company pride exclusivity. Having set such a strong image of their shops, it would feel out of sync and many would question the authenticity of the product.

In conclusion, the messages that Paula Newton is trying to highlight, are largely true. However the text is rather simplistic and picturesque to be feasible in reality. If it was definite, companies would have focused solely on mass media publications since it is much more affordable. Moreover the writer did not take into account other prominent factors such as the fact the mass media targets mainly the teenagers, thus it might not be feasible for all companies to venture into online advertising.

615 words

Reader Response Draft 2

The Challenges and opportunities of Social media

In “the challenges and opportunities of social media” (2014), the writer, Paula Newton, argues that there is a rising need for companies to adopt the use of mass communication platforms. It enables individuals to retrieve a variety of information about the company and these online users present themselves as a blooming market. However, companies have to manage certain obstacles. Firstly, due to the variety of platforms, selection of the sites to advertise on should target audiences compatible to the company and should ensure consistency of advertisements, to reap profits. When using mass media platforms, companies should be engaging, and practice humility instead of deceit, so as to retain the confidence of the consumer. Lastly companies should reduce formalities online as readers prefer a candid and direct response and articles. With reference to the author, the power of media platforms would garner exponential returns, but effort is required. I largely agree with the points mentioned by the writer. However I believe the use of social media is not as positive as claimed. I don’t agree that social media should be used at all cost, nor with the fact that content should be humble, as it may result in a waste of resources and conflicting image.

Contrary to the article, 5 reasons why your business shouldn’t be on social media (2013) by Kelsey Jones, points out that some industries might not be suited to be on social media on the grounds that “people shouldn’t talk just to talk, especially if no one is going to listen”. Similarly, it would be a waste of resources if there are no suitable audiences. In addition she added that “posting content in the wrong medium just makes you look desperate and too “salesy”, hence the writer suggests that it might feel pushy and desperate for sales if the content is channelled at wrong target audience. The writer suggests that companies should research on which channels of advertisements best suit the needs of the company. I agree with Jones, in most of the online advertisements, the businesses are reaching out to everyone instead of focusing on the existing market. Not only does it not gain the intended publicity, it repels people who are not looking for the product. An example would be online shops that spam mails, wasting the efforts of gathering contacts.

Next the writer Paula Newton mentioned that companies should practice humbleness and humility. I believe this is largely true, however the important questions, for a company’s marketing strategy, would be, who the target audience are and what is the intended image that the company wishes to portray. In this article “5 Effective Brand Building Strategies to Attract Customers” (2013) by Annetta Powell, she points out the importance for companies to identify the traits that defines the brand and qualities that the companies value. It is only after knowing these values that you can define the intended image online. Hence it is not as simplistic as to say that all companies should be humble. Personally I find it skeptical if high end companies such as Louis Vutton become humble online, especially since the company focus on exclusivity. Having set such a strong image in terms of exclusivity, it would feel out of sync and many would question the authenticity of the product.

In conclusion, the messages that Paula Newton is trying to highlight, are largely true. However the text is rather simplistic to be feasible in reality. If the use of social media to advertise products entices everyone, companies would have focused solely on mass media publications since it is much more affordable. Moreover the writer did not took into account other prominent factors such as the fact the mass media targets mainly the teenagers, thus it might not be feasible for all companies to venture into online advertising.

635 words

Critical reflections 2

Critical reflection of ES1102

My name is Kenneth; I am currently doing an English module and was asked to write a reflection on my experience of the English module.  I was enrolled in the English module as I didn’t do very well for my A level english paper. Hence I had to take this preparatory English module, for the school to gauge my proficiency level of English. The English module aims to assist students who are weak in English, by going through the fundamentals of English. The school places lots of emphasis on English as it would assist students for other modules.

When I first enrolled in the English module, I wasn’t very pleased with it as it was an additional workload to my curriculum and the module takes up a lot of my personal time.  Having been through the English module, I was wrong about it being a burden. The experience from the English module was a fulfilling and enjoyable one.  I credit my tutor, laetitia, for making this module an enriching and interesting one.  She is very patient with all of us and she understands our difficulties. Occasionally, some of us might not submit our homework on time, she understood we had other priorities and commitments, thus she would take the additional effort of reviewing our work past the deadline.  Since the result for this module will not be reflected in our GPA, the class is less competitive.  Personally I find the culture in the class is much more interactive as compare to my other modules, and the friendship forged feels deeper compare to my other modules. In addition, some of the essay materials discussed is really intriguing. It breaks away from our monotonous subjects, giving us more room to think of some of the current trends. I remember we had to write an essay on social media. As I was looking for materials to develop the essay, I notice that the topic was relevant and I could relate to the problems discussed in the materials. As such I enjoyed the English module very much, and had benefited from it subtly.

However the experience could have been better if the workload was less heavy. Due to commitments for other modules, I find myself struggling to complete the assignments for this module. Hence I ended up doing my work during lessons, and was able to understand what Ms Laetitia was going through.

Despite the shortcoming of this module, I’ve learnt a lot from the module. Most importantly, the skills I have learnt in this module are applicable to other modules. I was able to better develop points for other modules, I’ve learnt the proper writing etiquette, especially for reports and I am more aware of my grammar mistakes.

I stongly believe student will gain more, if the school is able to reduce its workload and place more focus on the lessons.  It defeats the purpose of having an English preparatory lesson if the students are not able to focus as they are busy trying to catch up with the workload.

English Essay Draft 3 (effects of social media)

Name: Kenneth Lim

Cyber is the most pressing problem linked to

In her TED lecture, Sheryl Turckle (2012), states that “As we expect more from technology, we expect less from each other”, and warns us of the danger of replacing the physical presence of each other with the companionship of social media. The presence of social media is prominent, social media and us, are now an inseparable entity. It has become a space where we can present our best self or who we want to be, not who we really are (Turkle, 2012).  According to a research conducted in Canada, social media is affecting the quality of relationships and intimacy between individuals (Dakin, 2014). The most pressing issue of them all would be what Tuckle (2012) calls ‘being alone together’ or how social media have provided us an avenue to replace people in our social circle, causing a wave of superficial relationships. This essay will describe this current phenomenon in Canada and address existing cum potential solutions.

Social media is a platform that brings people closer to each other. At the same time it helps to cluster people of common interest, thus forging new relationships (Dakin, 2014). However the quality of relationships has been jeopardized by technology due to the lack of intimacy, connection and the poor social media etiquette (Dakin, 2014). Due to the poor social media etiquette, it has created confusion on social practices. People are unaware on how often they should connect to our friends, or how our popularity is determined by the number of likes we received on social media platforms. Due to the attention we are receiving from our friends on social media, we have inadvertently diverted our attention away from those who mattered, such as the people around us or our close friends and family. I believe this is the worrisome issue that needs to be corrected. From studies conducted by UCLA, evidence suggests that teens increasingly prefer to communicate with their friends through texting. Sadly it makes them feel less connected and bonded than face-to-face communication. Although this might not seem like a major concern on an individual scale, it has brought pressing psychological impacts on relationships, on a larger scale. According to Turkle (2012), people are less able to relate to others, face-to-face, even though people appear to be connected on social media all the time. Despite the ease of communicating and contacting friends, people are becoming less emotionally connected to one another, causing what Turkle (2012) calls “being alone together”. The root of the problem is that social media generates a large audience, giving individuals a sense of affirmation, to their point of view. Thus generally, people who may have been through similar situations would give strong viewpoints. However users fail to understand that people are merely voicing their opinions, without any positive intention on the wellbeing of the individual. According to Turkle (2012), this is a pressing issue as the views and remarks from social media is a form of pretend empathy. When the individuals are faced with a real problem, social media can only provide them an avenue to confide their problem with. The people on social media do not empathize our situation or help us solve our problems (Turkle 2012). The repercussions on the prolonged usage of social media to relate our problems, causes us to close up to people around us. We have substituted our friends with social media. The lack of connection ultimately affects the connection between friends.

Despite how social media is jeopardizing face-to-face interactions, there are currently no corrective solutions to rectify the issue. However social media app creators are creating more interactive apps to help people create a deeper level of connection using social media. An example would be facetime and snapchat. Such apps allow visualisation of the people who you are chatting with. Although such apps are still not as similar as face-to-face conversations, they do help to foster a deeper level of connection. According to Dakin (2014), studies discovered that the closer the experience was to in-person conversation, the more emotionally connected the friends felt. For example, video chat rated higher than a phone call, and the phone created a closer connection than texting. However I believe the existing technology is still far from the ability to replicate the physical presence of a person. Despite the various interactive apps, there is still a paramount difference between social media and face-to-face interaction.

Despite the negative impact of social media on our relationships, I do not believe our usage of technology will change anytime soon; neither will technology be able to replicate the face-to-face interaction. However I believe there are ways to alleviate the situation. The root of the issue lies in the poor quality of online interaction, due to lack of proper social media etiquette. Hence I believe education on social media should be increased. This may help to solve the current confusion on how often one should relate to social media or how to strike a balance between social media and face-to-face interaction. Next, we should shift the preferred mode of conversation back to face-to-face interaction with schools providing the most suitable platform. Compulsory conversational lessons should be introduced in the lesson curriculum. Not only will students feel less awkward relating to their peers, it fosters a closer understanding of their peers. Lastly stricter legislation can be placed on social media apps. Similar to the age requirement for computer games in Singapore, there should be a minimum age for certain social apps, especially social apps on phones. Government can ensure the minimum age is met by cooperating with the telecommunication companies to take down the particulars of the user. An example would be setting an age requirement for tinder. This is a matchmaking social media app that allows you to connect with strangers of your choice. The app may not be suitable to youths who may not be mature in managing relationships.

In conclusion, social media has undoubtedly aided us in the ease of connecting with others, however the cost of this convenience, may be the replacement of face-to-face interaction. If the situation persists, people may be less able to relate to others. In the extreme cases, it may cause people to be Isolated. I earnestly hope that humanity is able to differentiate true companions form pretend empathy.

Bibliography

Dakin, P. (25 Feb, 2014). www.cbc.ca/news. Retrieved March, 2014, from http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/social-media-affecting-teens-concepts-of-friendship-intimacy-1.2543158

Turkle, S. (April, 2012). Retrieved March, 2014, from www.ted.com: http://www.ted.com/talks/sherry_turkle_alone_together/transcript?language=en