The Controversy of Social Media
Krista Laverty
What?
Positive Media Portrayal
http://socialnetworking.lovetoknow.com/Advantages_and_Disadvantages_of_Social_Networking
This article addresses multiple advantages of using social media. Some examples of the positives that they list are: worldwide connectivity, real-time information sharing, increased news cycle speed, and commonality of interest. All of these points are slightly different, but they all strive to reach the same goal - uniting the world as one by allowing information to be spread more quickly across the world, and by giving us an easier means to stay connected. This article used a cultural lens because it is talking about how those who use it can connect culturally. It also is an American based website, and social media is a prominent aspect of American culture.
Negative Media Portrayal
Thus article addresses ample setbacks that social media has posed for today's society. A few examples listed in the articles are as follows: social media enables the spread of unreliable and false information, those who use social media regularly tend to have lower grades and work performance, and social networking sites entice people to waste time. The points listed all give off the same general message. Social media poses as a distraction and causes those who use it to be lazy, and uneducated. This also uses a cultural lens to describe the topic. America is often criticized for being a lazy country, and this article focuses on how social media (which is prominent in our culture - as I previously stated) causes it's users to be lazy. This is a cultural reference to America.
Media Bias
Criticism #1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dFNzzL7Bco
Above is a link to a Youtube video explaining how social media can be used as a marketing tool to make money. The Marxist criticism focuses on money, and social media is used constantly to place ads.