This article will discuss why was social media created. And why it is so important and useful.
There are a lot of people who do not know why a social network was created. As a matter of fact, you would be surprised that you know of all the social networks.
Most people think that there is one and only one social network. But there are many platforms and protocols in place that are able to connect to the other ones to make it convenient.
So, here is how social media was created.
Why was social media created
The first issue that most need to know about is that most of the social media we know today is a result of the World Wide Web.
The earliest search engines, such as Google or Bing, came about because most people were unable to find information for certain things online. This caused a need for an online resource that would provide easy and quick access to the internet.
A large portion of the population never had access to the internet before but is now learning how to use it thanks to the growing number of websites, applications, and social networks.
The second issue is the oligopoly
The second reason we have social media to this day is that the world’s biggest social networks are an oligopoly. This means they have control over the very internet that allows for them to function.
Facebook, for example, is now a subsidiary of a publicly traded company, making it a profit-driven business. This means they are being pushed to increase user numbers and consequently, the number of ads they can show in the newsfeed.
This seems innocent enough, but is more worrisome to many people.
The newsfeed on Facebook is only used for posts from friends, not the advertisers. But there is no way to opt out. People are then lured into clicking on things that cause the ads to be displayed.
This makes most of the Internet less private than they would like it to be. And if there are two options to prevent ads from showing up, people usually choose one or the other.
The popularity of social media was driven in large part by this choice; if people had a choice, they would choose to not have ads in their newsfeed.
What is the purpose of social networking
Social networking was made for people. It is all about communicating with others and exploring the world around you.
This is where most people have trouble when it comes to socializing.
They are only familiar with one specific social media platform and they are limited to only what they see there. But this is not how it should be.
The objective of social media is to change your way of thinking and to expand your horizons by getting a taste of various things.
This is how we connect with our friends and family members. This is how we learn from them and they do the same for us.
Social media – Anonymity
One of the main reasons why social media was created is because people wanted to be able to communicate privately with each other.
The only thing that was going to protect you from the prying eyes of the media and all those who might try to get to you is the ability to connect with people through a third party.
This way, you are protected by the fact that you are not using your actual identity. You are only revealing your identity when you have to but it is still anonymous.
The purpose of social media platforms
Another thing that was the foundation for social networking is that it allows us to share our opinions. It is impossible to fully express yourself in such a short amount of time.
But through social networks, you can take that extra step to express yourself. It might be quite useful at times.
Other times, it might be too much but it is an effective way to express yourself.
The social media platforms
There are quite a few social networks out there. Some of them are useful and some are useless. Social media is like a bunch of interesting people gathering in one place.
Some are intellectually stimulating and they help you to be a more successful person. Others are filled with negative influences and you should stay away from them.
But, there are also some that offer you a platform for communication and interaction with others.
The final problem is the abuses of social media
The final reason we have social media is because it has come to be abused. Some companies have used social media to spy on their customers and push propaganda.
Others have used it to pressure political protesters. Even more disturbingly, companies have used social media to censor their customers.
The most famous example is Twitter’s banning of the Trump campaign from advertising on their platform.
Twitter suspended the account of the Republican National Committee and the account of Republican Senator Ted Cruz (Texas).
But they did not stop there, as they also blacklisted both former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and conservative comedian and commentator Ben Shapiro.
Regardless of whether these are all the results of intentional decisions by social media companies, all users are affected by their policies.
This means no matter who you are or what you are doing, you are at risk of being censored or punished by social media companies.
These are just a few of the reasons why social media has come to this point, but there are a lot more out there.
Social media has become very powerful in recent years and will be the driving force behind the future of communication. How does this affect you?
How does social media affect your life? What does social media mean to you and how can you protect yourself from its dangers?
