Ryan Chirumbole Bess Outline Synthesis

Ryan Chirumbole
Professor Stephen Bess
ENGL 102
28 October 2014

Synthesis Essay

As of January 2014, 74% of online adults were social media users. When social media began in the late 1970s with Bulletin Board System, a program designed to allow users to download files, games, and post messages to other users through telephone lines via a modem, not many were prepared for the effect it would have on the world 30 years later. As social media progressed through AOL (1990s), MySpace (2000s), and now onto Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, social media has continued to become a larger part of more and more people’s lives. A role that is now so large that many argue social media has become more of a curse than a blessing, and has poisoned communication, in person and over the Internet. But, social media helps protection services and law enforcement, assists people trying to stay up to date with the news, and allows people to stay connected with current and past friends. Social media is not sabotaging communication. Susan Tardanico, CEO of one of the largest independent leadership development firms in the world, states that social media increases the potentials of misinterpretation. She states “people often do not take the time to consider the nuances of their writing,” and that “conflicts explode over a tone of an email.” (“Is Social Media Sabotaging Communication?” 2012) Well, people often do not consider what they are saying before they speak it, and conflicts happen every day over misinterpretations. Whether it be on the phone, face to face, or over social media, unfortunately human beings are always going to be misunderstood every once in a while or not see eye to eye. The means of communication is not the issue; it is that people do not express themselves in a clear and concise way. Another side to the argument against social media would be that social media has aided the spread of false and unreliable information. In 2013, the World Economic Forum released their Global Risks 2013 report, which surveyed 1,000 business experts and business leaders. In the report the WEF highlighted the August 2012 events in Bangalore, India where nearly 30,000 people fled the city’s main tech center after receiving fake text messages informing them of a “soon to happen” terrorist attack. The WEF states that the Bangalore incident is single handedly a result of social media and its ability to create “digital wildfires”. Yes, the Bangalore incident was due to a social media malfunction, but media has been spreading false news decades before social media was even invented. In April 1912, The New York Times stated that the Titanic, a passenger liner famous for sinking in the North Atlantic Ocean, had not sunk and was “proceeding under her own steam to Halifax.” There were also fake telegraphs circulating stating that the ship had not sunk. In 1948, the Chicago Tribune got the presidential election results wrong. They printed “Dewey Defeats Truman” when Truman in fact defeated Dewey. Yes, social media can spread faulty news quicker than newspapers or telegraphs can, but it can also stop wrong news faster than any newspaper or word of mouth can. Social media helps fight crime. In 2012, LexisNexis Risk Solutions surveyed 1,200 federal, state, and local law enforcement professionals. According to their survey, “currently four out of five respondents use various social media platforms to assist in investigations.” ("Law Enforcement 's Usage of Social Media for Investigations.” 2012) Based on this survey, on average only 20% of law enforcement nationwide does not use social media in some capacity to combat crime. Of course it is unknown how many crimes social media has stopped or solved, but of those 20% who do not use social media to help combat crime, “74%... indicated they intend to start using it.” If nearly a third of law enforcement officers who are not using social media intend on using it in the future, there must be a benefit that they are seeing. In the case of Melvin Colon, a New York City gang member currently serving a life long sentence, Colon’s private Facebook posts were used as evidence to support murder, illegal weapons, and narcotic-related charges against him. Law enforcement found posts that included, “references to past violent crimes and threats against others.” Without the aid of Colon’s Facebook account, Colon quite possibly could have gotten away with his crimes, thus allowing a criminal back onto the streets. But, social media helped seal the case, and Colon was charged. Not only did social media help lock a criminal up, but it potentially saved lives in the future. Social media saves lives and makes sure the right people get indicted. Social media keeps individuals updated on the news. In the case of the Boston Marathon bombings, social media spread the news almost immediately after the incident occured. Within an hour, millions of people around the world were aware of what had occurred. With social media there is no luck involved. Instead of people finding out about the incidents in Boston by watching a news show, which depending on their country may or may not report the bombings, they found out through social media. On top of that it helps productivity. If individuals can obtain their news as their day continues, they can spend more time working and less time hoping news stations deliver the news they want to hear. In support of social media’s ability to spread news, Pew Research center states that, “30% of the general population,” (“How Social Media Is Reshaping News” 2014) in the United States uses Facebook to get their news. Now, if social media is out of the picture, nearly a third of the U.S. becomes uniformed about the news. Yes, it can be argued that if social media never existed a percentage of those people would still get the news somehow someway. But, it does exist and it is an unbelievably large facilitator in delivering news to the masses. Citizens can be uninformed, or they can check their social media accounts to see what is going on in the world. Social media delivers the news. Social media helps people stay connected. At the end of the third quarter of 2014, Facebook had 1.350 billion active monthly users. (“Facebook Reports Third Quarter 2014 Results” 2014) Facebook, a site based upon staying up to date with friends, is so useful in keeping users connected that about 1.350 billion people take advantage of it. Naysayers could argue that all that was needed to stay up to date with friends twenty years ago was a phone number, and Facebook is unnecessary. Yes, that is true, but if an individual wants to reconnect with an old friend and does not have their phone number or address, how could they reconnect without social media? Social media allows relationships to be rekindled with the click of a mouse. Former friends only stay former friends now if that is what is intended. On top of that, long distance relationships are far easier now than they ever were. If a couple is 4,000 miles away they can speak in real time through the Facetime application, and stay up to date with what each person is doing thanks to social media. No longer do letters have to be written to hear from loved ones overseas. Love is something nearly every one is looking for is it not? Without social media, love is significantly more difficult to maintain, especially when there is no true interaction between both sides. Social media is not just about connecting friends; it is about connecting individuals with other individuals they care about. Whether it is solving crimes, spreading the news, or connecting individuals to one another social media is a blessing to all involved with it. Yes, there are flaws to social media, but nothing in life has only pros to it. Yes, it may keep people staring at their cellphones a little longer than they should, but if at the end of the day it helps individuals, social media is worth the headaches it sometimes causes. No one wants to be in danger, be uninformed about the news, or never hear from their friends or loved ones again. Social media is growing more and more every day; hopefully all people begin to take advantage of it.

Works Cited Page

"Social Networking Fact Sheet." Pew Research Centers Internet American Life Project RSS. Ed. Pew Research Centers. Pew Research Center, 20 Nov. 2014. Web. 20 Nov. 2014.
Tardanico, Susan. "Is Social Media Sabotaging Real Communication?" Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 30 Apr. 2012. Web. 20 Nov. 2014.
Howell, W. Lee. Global Risks 2013. Cologny/Geneva, Switzerland: World Economic Forum, 2013. World Economic Forum. World Economic Forum, 2013. Web. 12 Nov. 2014
"Law Enforcement 's Usage of Social Media for Investigations.” Law Enforcement Uses Social Media in Investigations Infographic. Lexis Nexis, n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2014.
Anderson, Monica, and Andrea Caumont. "How Social Media Is Reshaping News." Pew Research Center RSS. Pew Research Center RSS, 24 Sept. 2014. Web. 19 Nov. 2014.
Facebook. "Investor Relations." Facebook Reports Third Quarter 2014 Results. Facebook, 28 Oct. 2014. Web. 20 Nov. 2014.

Cited: Page "Social Networking Fact Sheet." Pew Research Centers Internet American Life Project RSS. Ed. Pew Research Centers. Pew Research Center, 20 Nov. 2014. Web. 20 Nov. 2014. Tardanico, Susan. "Is Social Media Sabotaging Real Communication?" Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 30 Apr. 2012. Web. 20 Nov. 2014. Howell, W. Lee. Global Risks 2013. Cologny/Geneva, Switzerland: World Economic Forum, 2013. World Economic Forum. World Economic Forum, 2013. Web. 12 Nov. 2014 "Law Enforcement 's Usage of Social Media for Investigations.” Law Enforcement Uses Social Media in Investigations Infographic. Lexis Nexis, n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2014. Anderson, Monica, and Andrea Caumont. "How Social Media Is Reshaping News." Pew Research Center RSS. Pew Research Center RSS, 24 Sept. 2014. Web. 19 Nov. 2014. Facebook. "Investor Relations." Facebook Reports Third Quarter 2014 Results. Facebook, 28 Oct. 2014. Web. 20 Nov. 2014.