The Rise of Social Media

AMERICA

THE BASICS

Social media boomed in the mid-2000s and has been booming ever since. How have we been able to handle the media machine our world has turned into? Is this social media boom for the better or for the worse? Here's what you need to know about today's social media machine.

THE SOCIAL MEDIA CRAZE

A 2015 Odyssey article sums up the social media craze quite nicely: "The presence of social media has interrupted the lives of adolescents on a daily basis. It's become a presence so strong that they cannot seem to live happily without it. Welcome to the era of the Social Media Craze."
This current college generation grew up with most of the social media sites known today. YouTube was created in 2005, Facebook and Twitter becoming accessible to the public shortly after that. Tumblr, Instagram, Snapchat, Pinterest, and Vine were all created when we were in between the 2nd grade and junior year of high school.
The speed of social media growth is far faster than it was in the late 90's and early 2000's. Media is no longer just a form of communication, it's a machine.

HASHTAGS & CHALLENGE TRENDS

With the rise of social media, hashtags and challenge trends have spread virally. Want to support a cause? Use a hashtag so that more people can find your post about it. Want to "go viral" and possibly make money off of online content? Partake in an internet challenge!
The content you post can affect your internet experience. Many social media websites will cater the advertisements on your sidebar to you specifically, based on your internet history and/or your age group, gender, and other information (Facebook and Instagram are well known for this). Hashtags are an easy way for social media sites to see what kind of content you're looking for.
Challenge trends are known to be silly, fun, and oftentimes dangerous. Think about the Tide Pod challenge or throwback to the Cinnamon challenge. Many YouTubers and former Viners were known to make reckless choices "for the views" - which in turn make them money.

SOCIAL INFLUENCERS

One of the many benefits of social media is its ability to reach people. Celebrities have a huge platform via Instagram and Twitter, allowing their fan base to grow exponentially. Many trends in fashion and music are determined by the rich and famous - and now those trends can be followed within seconds.
Some of today's largest social media influencers are Selena Gomez, Ariana Grande, Beyoncé, Kylie Jenner (and the whole Kardashian family, really), and Taylor Swift. Most of these individuals are popular musicians as well as artists - their tastes in music, fashion, and politics can sway millions of people.

"FAKE NEWS"

In the past, the term "fake news" would remind people of articles from The Onion or fun clickbait titles. After the election of Donald Trump and the onslaught of negative news about him and his presidential work, he redefined the term in many of his tweets.
Based on the interpretation of his tweets, "fake news" seems to mean the same thing to him as "negative news." Yes, a lot of actual false facts are spread daily throughout the internet, but many of the facts Donald Trump is addressing are actual facts, just not ones that are representative of his clearly glowing personality.

MEDIA ADDICTION

With such easy access to the internet, it's a miracle it doesn't consume every minute of our waking lives! However, internet and social media addictions are prevalent, especially among younger generations.
Researchers have found that because social media sites are essential to many young adults, the amount of time spent on them is due to the need for the connection found online that may or may not be present in real life. Some people feel obligated to check how many likes their latest status or photo has gotten because the number of likes could determine their popularity or their worth. Thus, the constant checking online for affirmations.