Cristian Garcia Adam Padgett ENGL 1102 1/27/14

Inquiry Proposal Context Social media plays a big role in almost every ones lives. Though, that wasnt true ten years ago. It just became sort of a social norm within those ten years due to the fact that it has become so easy to get on the internet. You can access it from a phone, a tablet, a computer, even from a pair of glasses, such as google glasses. Social media does not play that big of a part in my life than it does in others. I have a Facebook, and a Twitter, though, I rarely ever use them. I only have a Twitter because I have to use it for this class. I do not believe that social media had a positive impact on its users, so I try to stay away from it. I have seen that it numbs users social skills in making friends, talking to people face to face, or even talking to people, including their own family, on the phone. Basically anything that doesnt include typing or texting with other people. A great example of this is when is whenever I go back to my home town on the weekends, and me and my family go out to eat, almost everyone at the table has their phone out and is looking n some social media site, or texting someone else. I am always just baffled by the fact that this happened on a regular basis to so many families across the country. Even my father, who grew up before the time of technology and social media, has his smartphone out, and on YouTube.
Comment [AP4]: Technology can be a broad term. The invention of the wheel was a leap in technology. Comment [AP1]: Isnt it Google Glass? Also, is Google Glass popular enough at this point to include it under a technology that is common? Comment [AP2]: Why not? Comment [AP3]: Ha!

Cristian Garcia Adam Padgett ENGL 1102 1/27/14

Yet I dont think that social media is destructive to all who use it, only in extreme circumstances does this trait apply. It can take over some people lives completely and causes them to extreme actions. These actions can range from spending a lot of money to help social media status, to spending all of your time dedicated to social media. Inquiry There are many questions that could be asked to delve into the mysteries of social media and its interactions with its human users. Though the questions I find most important are, how much are people willing to give, in order to become known on social media networks? Is social networking replacing face to face interactions? Is social media causing communicational issues within families? I find that these questions will give the most understanding to as of why people become so obsessed with social media and why it has become so prevalent in our society today. Next Steps During the research I expect to find out why people become so obsessed with social media. Also I would expect to find out why people feel the need to text, and be on social networks so much, even to take time away from family and friends. This answer is the one that is most important to me since the cause does not make sense to me. I do not understand why people feel the need to be on social networks around friends and family, when the point of social
Comment [AP7]: This seems to be what youre most interested in according to your discussion above. Comment [AP6]: Are cats using social media too? Why specify humans? Comment [AP5]: Like what do you mean? Be specific and dont make overly broad statements.

Cristian Garcia Adam Padgett ENGL 1102 1/27/14

networks is to keep in touch with friends and family. I plan to focus on these inquiries in my research paper, and I will hopefully find an answer, or at least a plausible theory as to why people act in the type of behavior. Christian, You have begun some interesting brainstorming here and have brought up some interesting inquiry worth investigating. But Im missing a sense of uniformity and purpose here. You bring up some interesting inquiry, but that inquiry is only vaguely related to your discussion. I need more of a sense of clarity and purpose with this essay. Also, it is quite short. My recommendation is to research, broadly, how social media is affecting other aspects of our communicative lives. And then hone in on a more specific discussion within that topic.