Angelo Simone
4/20/14
Blog #4
The Darker Side of New Media
New
media has affected society and individuals so profoundly that it can be
compared to the invention of the internet. New media has changed the way we
communicate to one another and how we make friends. It gives us a way to
present ourselves to the public as we want to be seen, not just how others see
us. We can stay in touch with old friends, make new ones, learn about current
events, search for employment, let people know what is going on in our lives,
and so much more. As many positive effects that new media has, there are also
some negative ones.
The negative effects of new media
are sometimes looked upon as the “dark side of new media”. http://www.stargroup1.com/blog/dark-side-social-media.
This applies especially to sites like Facebook and Reddit. Facebook allows
anybody’s profile to be viewed by everyone. This can harm someone who is trying
to get a job and their potential employer looks up their profile and sees
negative posts or inappropriate pictures. http://www.lifepaths360.com/index.php/facebook-and-society-how-facebook-affects-society-has-facebook-changed-society-5131/.Many
relationships have ended by a significant other finding out their loved one is
cheating on them through the posts on his or her profile. Negative posts about
others can lead to rumors and ridiculing of the person mentioned. This can also
apply to a certain business or company.
Reddit is a social networking
website that allows viewers to share ideas, vote on issues, engage in
conversations, and displays what is most currently trending on the web.
However, Reddit created the torment and ridicule of an innocent family. In
April 2013, missing college student 22-year-old Sunil Tripathi was falsely identified on Reddit to be the one
of the Boston Marathon bombers. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2013/04/25/boston-bombing-social-media-student-brown-university-reddit/2112309/
His family was hounded by reporters and ridiculed by the public. Eventually the
boy’s body was found in a river by Rhode Island and he was not one of the
bombers. This posting of misinformation has potentially destroyed an innocent
family.
In this problem of the dark side of
new media, I do not think it can be solved. Hearsay and rumors are just a part
of human nature. Before new media misinformation was spread by newspapers, and
before newspapers it was by word of mouth. In order to protect ourselves
against this problem, we need to come to terms with the fact that anything can
be seen on the internet; we have to be careful of what we read and say.
Works Cited
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2013/04/25/boston-bombing-social-media-student-brown-university-reddit/2112309/
