Preview

Functionalist Perspectives On Social Media Essay

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
619 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Functionalist Perspectives On Social Media Essay
Social Media: Conflict VS Functionalist Perspective
Social media is websites and other online means of communication that are used by large groups of people to share information and to develop social and professional contacts (Dictionary, 2016). Social media is constantly changing and has large social and economic impacts. From a functionalist perspective, social media is seen as productive and allowing for businesses to prosper, increases interactions and resources, and quick availability of information so all parts of society can function properly together (ProCon, 2016). From a conflict perspective social media is seen as causing potential brain damage and behavior problems to individuals, increased possibility of spread of false information,
…show more content…
This communication is used in society for many different things. An example would be for the promotion of businesses. Many businesses use social media to advertise their products and build customer loyalty (Ta, 2014). Social media is also used in politics. Politicians use social media in elections and to get their message across (Ta, 2016). Social media has been highly successful in promotion of candidates and for rally or movement purposes ( Ta, 2016).
To conclude the functionalist perspective on social media, it plays a huge role in keeping current society in balance and properly functioning. Many different individuals use social media. Without all the different forms of social media we as a society use today, a lot of everyday tasks could be made harder or not reliable and this would potentially cause for an imbalance in society.
Now I will introduce the conflict perspective and how social media is viewed from this perspective. Conflict theory perspective is described as an emphasize on the social, political, or material inequality of a social group, that critique the broad socio-political system, or that otherwise detract from structural functionalism and ideological conservatism (Crossman, 2016). Social media have some inequalities that apply to the conflict

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Chapter 13 of They Say I Say by Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein analyze the ongoing, controversial topic of social media/ technology. The authors organize both sides of the topic by going back and forth and giving different view points. The two sides of the argument are one, that technology and social media "fries our brain" and makes person to person communication more of a problem than what it used to be. On side two, we hear that technology actually brings us together and gives us immense amounts of information that we never had access to before. "You may have heard parents and journalists complain that smartphones, iPads, and other electronic devices that seem almost wired into our brains are destroying our ability to think, communicate,…

    • 206 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Best Essays

    Social Media has become so powerful and influential within modern culture and society, that it has the ability to affect people’s lives in all aspects, including both financial and social status. Quite simply, it can either “build you up or break you down”; and only those that knowingly can utilize its services in a skillful manner are the ones able to succeed.…

    • 2876 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Sof-a-Logue

    • 1803 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Social Media is about people and is a revolution.Over 50% of the worlds population is under 30 years old. Social media affects our online and offline behavior. People fall in love online, get divorced online and children are learning on ipads in school.Some universities have even stopped distributing E-mail accounts and using social media sites such as Facebook instead and eReaders…

    • 1803 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Week 5 PPpresentation

    • 339 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Social Media and Networking Advantages Presented to University Of Phoenix By Busot and Associates S BIS/221 James Boykin February 16, 2015 Darleen Busot Agenda  History  Analysis  Benefits…

    • 339 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Social media have been a great tool that we are able to use. Some people think that technology and social media are pushing us further apart. For example, Peggy Orenstein in “I Tweet, Therefore I am” she wrote “ The expansion of our digital universe- Second Life, Facebook, Myspace, Twitter- has shifted not only how we spend our time but also how we construct identity”(253). Peggy Orenstein is saying that technology and mostly social media is controlling our life. I also think that technology and social media is controlling our life in a way but also choose to use it.…

    • 449 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The Social Media Virus

    • 1313 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Social media and networking has erupted in the past few years. The means in which individuals communicate has shifted to a point where some cannot even remember living differently. This new age has brought many advances in the ways we live; it also though has hindered the ways in which humans physically function. Whether you were born in the 60's or in the past 10 years, this impact has had a ripple effect and is now changing everyone. People are now able to communicate in seconds across the world. Businesses have made connections that may not have been possible before this new technological age. With this new technology and cyber life, has also come many challenges. These challenges exist in the human mind. Sigmund Freud brought into play the idea that the human mind actually has a series of what can be seen as checks and balances. These checks and balances, the ego, id and superego are there to help humans maintain a stable, comfortable life. Changes though can sometimes be too much and they can actually harm they ways in which humans think and interact. Facebook and Twitter are just two of the thousands of social media sites that have embedded into our lives and changed the way we communicate, interact and the decisions we make. The changes that have come have cause people to become vulnerable and the minds across the world have become an open to influences both good and bad.…

    • 1313 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Social Media Essay

    • 2569 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Social media is transforming the way people share information and connect. Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, are changing the way we intermingle, and many organizations are struggling with the change. Some companies are even trying to avoid social media all together. Some companies block social media sites in the workplace and even expect employees to avoid it at home. Social media, is used correctly can allow employers to benefit from it. However, if it is not used correctly some companies can run into legal and financial issues.…

    • 2569 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Instagram is an increasingly popular social media phone application used in everyday life to share photographs and videos online; however, the use of Instagram can be connected to various issues in society. C. Wright Mills (2010) formed the theory of the sociological imagination, in which larger historical and social forces can be connected to the everyday life of an individual. The sociological imagination can be used to distinguish the ‘private troubles’ of an individual from the ‘public issues’ of society (Mills, 2010). This essay will apply Mills’ theory of the sociological imagination to explain three ways in which the everyday use of Instagram represents a sociological phenomenon. Firstly, Instagram allows users to create an online self-representation in order to feel a sense of belonging in society. Secondly, the role of social hierarchies within Instagram will be discussed. Finally, this essay will explore the emergence of virtual communities…

    • 725 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Best Essays

    According to Kaplan and Haenlein (2010: 61), social media is defined as “a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological functions of Web 2.0, and that allow the creation and exchange of User Generated Content”.…

    • 1675 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Defining Social Media

    • 356 Words
    • 11 Pages

    In my opinion, social media is used to keep in touch with people, share ideas, videos, and pictures, and gain some knowledgeable information in networks and virtual communities. Social media is very handy when it comes to keeping in touch with long-lost friends and family members. Social media is a great resource to search things that you don’t know and that allows you to become knowledgeable about things you needed to know.…

    • 356 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Social Media Essay

    • 422 Words
    • 2 Pages

    1) Research a particular company’s use of social media including at least three (3) different social media sites.…

    • 422 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Today, using social media is one of the most common activities of children, adolescents, and adults. The term social media refers to the websites that are built for interaction among people. These sites include social media websites, such as, Twitter, MySpace, Facebook; virtual world and gaming sites, such as, Second life, and Sims, Videos websites, like YouTube etc.…

    • 1227 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Social Media

    • 1067 Words
    • 3 Pages

    “Most people do not listen with the intent to understand, they listen with the intent to reply” (Stephen Convey). People view society as a lost cause: we rely so much on technology and social media that we lose important values that make us unique and ideal citizens of society. We’ve become so subconsciously narcissistic that we forget to take the time to understand someone else’s needs. Social media and technology has changed the way we interact with people because we center our lives around an imaginary world. In that world, we post pictures of our breakfast on social media to see how many “likes” we can get instead of enjoying a meal and spending time with our mother. You may ask yourself, what is social media? Social media is the interaction among people in which they create, share, or exchange information and ideas in virtual communities and networks (Wikipedia). Social media websites range from Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Google+, etc. and are all globally connected. Society is moving forward and craving the latest and greatest in technology. To what extent is social media necessary? To some, social media is a necessity and plays an important part in one’s life because it is their virtual identity and image. To others, it is a nuisance that depreciates the meaning of life. We must find a common ground and truly understand how social media impacts our lives.…

    • 1067 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Every day, thousands of people are logging on to social networking websites. Some play games, some chat with friends, and some post updates about their lives, but one thing that users may not realize is the effect that social media is having on society. Websites like Facebook and Twitter effect our lives negatively, positively, and a lot more than we think. We all have our different causes for liking social media, but we don't always realize the important effects they are having on our lives.…

    • 858 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Social media are websites and tools on the internet that enables people to communicate with friends and companies. It allows people to socialize online, form online communities based on common interests. All in all, to stay connected online. Social media takes on different forms including social networking sites that I will be focusing on in this essay. Social networking sites (SNSs) allow people to create profiles and interact with people online. Popular social networking sites include Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, blogs can also be used as a social networking site. According to Megat Ishak, the Director of Licensing Department of SKMM, social networking can bring about both positive and negative impacts on both the individual and business corporations. Variety of true and false information as well as business opportunities to name a few. In this essay, I will be focusing on why people are inclined to use social networking sites for business opportunities, and how has the variety of information in these social networking sites affected human behavior.…

    • 1776 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays