Emma Kostro

UWRT 1104

What does social media mean for face to face social interaction?

Commented [1]: Make sure to capitalize your title

I.
Today, social media is a term recognized by many. Throughout every part of the world,
there is some type of connection with the word Facebook or Twitter. Surprisingly, it has not
always been that way. Social media as we know it now has been in existence around a relatively
short amount of time. Many could not imagine living without it, but the last few decades,
everyone did. Technological advances within the internet allowed the birth of social media to
occur. In the year 1997, the first social media website Six Degrees by Andrew Weinreich was
created. This was the first known website that allowed users to connect with other people
through the world wide web. Side bar chatting and messaging publicly back and forth became
the new fad. This website sparked the entire social media epidemic, and introduced even more
social media platforms to grow. In 2004, Mark Zuckerberg launched a social media website
called Facebook, which set the bar for other social media sites. Zuckerberg created this site so
that people would have an easier portal to connect with people. The navigation within Facebook
was incredibly simple and convenient to any user. This is what allowed this site to skyrocket in
users compared to Six Degrees. Twitter was then created in 2006 by Jack Dorsey to condense the
Facebook site into just statuses. Dorsey wanted this site to appeal to users because of its ability
to communicate with a small group of people. People have incredibly easy access to read,
discover, and share information. It allows the social interaction throughout people to jump to the
next level, and that is why it has become so popular. Customers can create their own interactive
data base, share information with others, and create communities in which people with the
same interests can talk. Twitter has become one of the biggest competitor in social media
platforms in the world right now, but is no match for Facebook which has collected more
revenue than Twitter ever has. There are endless possibilities when it comes to social media.
This technology that has been given to us allows us to interact with people from all over the
world, and gain new friends and opportunities. With that, comes the growth of culture, business,
and the world at large. The seek for new job opportunities or a chance to travel the world could
all be accomplished by simply logging on to your Facebook account. You are able to then search,
scan, navigate your way through the world.
We then come to the conclusion that these many forums created on social media websites
have an impact on politics, business, and socialization. Because these are the most well discussed
topics on the planet, social media magnifies them throughout the world. Politics take part in
social media because they serve as an advertisement forum to the many different political parties.
People can create polls, forums, and even campaigns to rally people for a cause. This could lead
to mass movements and eventually cause a change in our political system. The impact on
business within social media is obvious, for it could be used to advertise specific products, build
loyalty within customers, and strategize their selling. Lastly, the effect on socialization within the

Commented [2]: This section feels a tad bit choppy. I

would work on sentence structure and flow within the
paragraph. The information is there but we need more
details in the sentences.

Commented [3]: In this it may also be good to mention

the negative aspects of this. maybe the employment
process being impacted? That might help awareness of
the subject.

media is tremendous. We as humans have now entered a century that could communicate with
just a click at our fingertips. Society has the ability to re-connect with old friends, make new
ones, share ideas and photos, and trade ideas. We can collaborate with almost anything. With
that being said, we will continue to be in a world where social media thrives. As social media
continues to grow, it offers more and more opportunities for people, and ultimately the world.
II.
Interview Questions
The two people who I have chosen to interview are my friends Abigail Doerrmann (age
17) and Emily Woodrich (age 21). Abigail has been an avid user of social media since she was a
child, and is currently studying computer technology. Emily works for a web design business and
is creating online sites/examining the aspects of social media everyday.
Explain the benefits that you have found out of using social media regarding the way
you speak to people in person? Or do you not find anything beneficial out of it?
Abigail Doerrmann: I have found that social media does allow you to get to know
people before you meet them, which can be good and bad. You can get a sense of
their personality and make connections with people that you normally wouldn't. It
can also be bad because you spend so much time communicating online that you
forget how to actually have conversations and confront people in person.
Emily Woodrich: I definitely do not think that there are any benefits that social
media has provided in regards to speaking to people in person. When you are
talking to people via social media you are either speaking in abbreviated form or
have time to think about a response instead of having to give one in real time.
Body language and tones of the voice are extremely important when speaking to
people in person, that drives the conversation, you can't do any of that on social
media, it's all fabricated.
Talk through your needs to go on social media websites every day. If so, do you have
any specific reasons of why you go on them?
Abigail Doerrmann: For a lot of people, most social media is a "need". I feel like
although I am on twitter and Instagram a lot, if I didn't have it it wouldn't affect
me. I do use Facebook a lot more and would probably consider that a "need" more
than anything else. The reason I say that is because I communicate with a lot of
distant relatives and families on a daily basis.
Emily Woodrich: My only needs to go on social media are for my job or to share
photos of my life to my family and friends. I think social media is one of the
greatest inventions, being able to share with your loved ones what is surrounding
you at that very moment is priceless. I document everything I do with
photographs, why keep it all to myself? I love hearing the opinions of others, for
instance when I need to decide what kind of product to buy, or how long the line

was to get into town. Also I need to stay up to date with every new social media
aspect for my job requirements. Having the ability to connect with any number of
people at any time is awesome.

How do you use social media as a tool for meeting people and creating
opportunities?
Abigail Doerrmann: I have used social media a lot recently as a tool for
meeting people as I entered college. I joined the "Class of 2020" Facebook
page to get to know my future classmates before we all moved in. I do have
a couple friends now that I met and talked with months ago through the use
of this. I also used Facebook as an opportunity to find babysitting and
nannying jobs all throughout middle and high school. I could use my towns
local pages and created connections with many other people.
Emily Woodrich: When I have friends who talk to me about non mutual
friends of theirs frequently, I want to get to know them too. Social media is
a non-awkward way to meet someone you don't know at all, you can see all
their likes and dislikes, and start chatting in a non confrontational way.
Opportunities are endless, people find lost loved ones, raise money, and
even alert people of major events going on.
Which is your favorite social networking platform? Facebook, Twitter, Instagram?
Why?
Abigail Doerrmann: My favorite social network is Instagram, mostly
because I like seeing how other people are doing.
Emily Woodrich: Instagram! I love the fact that it is a straight forward way
to JUST share photos, it's not meant for anything else and that's my number
one reason for using social media, sharing photos.
What limitations on social media have you encountered regarding the way you
interact with people? Is this something you could overcome?
Abigail Doerrmann: I have encountered some limitations regarding
communicating with others in person. After talking to someone for a long
time just over social media and you finally meet them in person, it can be a
nerve wracking experience. Although it can be kind of overwhelming, as I
have gotten older, I have overcome this by allowing myself to not let what
happens online affect my day to day life.
Emily Woodrich: I can honestly say that social media has not created any
limitations, because from the second I joined it, I made it a point to be sure
it did not conflict with real interactions with others. So in a way I saved
myself, I knew from the start it would really harm the way people
communicated from each other and I didn't want that to happen to me.

III.
a.)

1.) Social media has introduced new ideas into the world.
2.) The media has changed the way people communicate.
3.) It is extremely easy to talk to people on social media.
4.) Most people in the world have recognized the most popular social media platforms, such
as Twitter Facebook and Myspace.
5.) If searched correctly, you could find yourself a job.
6.) People can gain new opportunities by communicating with people of interest.
7.) Social media impacts business and creates more opportunities to advertise.

b.) 1.) New job opportunities.

2.) New ways to interact.
3.) Real life vs. internet slang.
4.) Technological advances.
5.) Advertisement.
6.) Personal growth.
7.) Face to face confrontation.
Search Terms

Sources I can access based on these search

terms

Hidden influence social media has on

language

The hidden influence of social networks by

Nicholas Christakis. February 2010. TED
Talks.
https://www.ted.com/talks/nicholas_christakis
_the_hidden_influence_of_social_networks

Social media introducing new ways to interact How the mysterious dark net is going
mainstream by Jamie Bartlett, 2015. TED
Talks
https://www.ted.com/talks/jamie_bartlett_how
_the_mysterious_dark_net_is_going_mainstre
am
Observations of face to face interaction

Mass Communication and Para-Social

Interaction by Donald Horton and R.Richard
Wohl. Published January 2015. Google
Scholar.
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1521/0
0332747.1956.11023049?journalCode=upsy2
0

Commented [4]: This is a good variety of search

terms. Good job spreading out the concepts used
through the process. Although it seems as though you
have found more TED talks than anything else. Be
careful of your source variety.

IV.

Facebook

Facebook: Corporate Hackers, a Billion

Users, and the Geo-politics of the Social
Graph by Alex Fatal. Project Muse. PDF.
UNCC Library Databases.
http://muse.jhu.edu.librarylink.uncc.edu/article
/484380

Personal Growth

Co-creating unique value with customers by

C.K Prahalad. Article. Emerald Insight.
(Found through Google Scholars)
http://www.emeraldinsight.com.librarylink.un
cc.edu/doi/full/10.1108/10878570410699249

Language Habits

What our language habits reveal By Steven

Pinkers. July 2005. TED Talks
https://www.ted.com/talks/steven_pinker_on_l
anguage_and_thought

The growth of technology

The jobs well lose to machines- and the ones

we wont by Anthony Goldbloom. Published
2016. TED Talks
https://www.ted.com/talks/anthony_goldbloo
m_the_jobs_we_ll_lose_to_machines_and_the
_ones_we_won_t

Social Medias effects on students

Engaging Students Through Social Media

by Paul William Eaton. Published in 2014.
UNCC Library Databases.
http://muse.jhu.edu.librarylink.uncc.edu/article
/581713

Topic Proposal

Humans have now entered a century that could communicate with just a click of our
fingertips. I am interested in how social media can alter the way people act in real life, and how
tremendous the effect on socialization within the media really is. Social networking sites such as
Facebook and Twitter allow people to connect with almost anyone. From a co-worker, to a

neighbor, browsing these sites can make one feel apart of a larger community. Sites such as these
allow people to have the ability to re-connect with old friends, make new ones, share ideas and
photos, and trade ideas. We as a society can collaborate with almost anything. With this
simplicity that social media holds to express yourself, it can hinder peoples wants to leave the
house. The way people choose to respond and communicate face to face can circle back to our
social media interactions and how it affects us. The more social media continues to thrive, the
more susceptible our language is to degradation. This paper reflects on societys interactions
outside of social media, and discusses the question of if our English language is being affected.

V.

Commented [5]: I think pointing out degradation is a

good move but I would watch that your subject doesn't
migrate towards bullying. Keep neutral on both sides
and really work to showcase both sides equally.

Literature Review

Authors Fatal (2016) and Goldbloom (2016) argue how the use of interaction within the
media is widely valued. These websites are so useful that humans could become completely
dependent on them. Facebooks technology can do almost anything. For instance, the internet is
capable of simple tasks such as sorting information, accessing information, diagnosing diseases,
and creating charts. People in todays society have overlooked how much time we actually put
into social media. Are we too dependent on social media websites and the internet that we will
eventually not depend on our own knowledge anymore?
Eaton (2014) introduces the topic of the educational factors that social media has to offer.
With the many educational systems we have within school today, social media can play a big
factor in supporting the connection of students. Social media platforms have become an
experiment to see how much of a positive impact forums on social media can enhance students
educational experience. For instance, social media is introducing many new ways we can interact
(Bartlett, 2015). As more students and young innovators join the social media networks, more
websites and forums are being created. The internet for students is slowly getting more
interesting, more exciting, more innovative, more terrible, more destructive.
Social media allows users to create their own social identity and personality. Consumers
have developed their own co-creation of value (Prahalad). People create their own useful
community pages, social forums, and business advertisements. Because all of these tactics are
usually successful, we as a society now seek to influence others through social media rather than
in person. The future of competition now lies within who can have the most followers, who can
create the most forums, and who can get the most likes. With more people following you, the
more your statuses and forums get read. Due to more people wanting to excel through the
internet, more people feel as though social interaction face to face is not as important, or not as
necessary (Horton & Wohl, 2015). The conditions of the responses are not as genuine, or sincere.
The english language throughout the initiation of social media has slowly become less complex
due to the internet slang the comfort of online talking. The internet seems to be an amazing
medium for all languages, for instance, talking to people online creates a confidence in oneself
and when speaking to people in the real world, it is completely different. The annihilation of face
to face interaction is due to rapidly increasing users on social media.

Commented [6]: This paragraph is a really good way

to engage the reader. You explained a website that
many people now use and can understand. Adding an
introduction paragraph that explains the points you will
highlight in your reviews may be a more effective way
to introduce your topics. This paragraph in general
starts the literature review well and gives a good basis
for what you are trying to stress.
Commented [7]: You state that there are pros of using
social media in the classroom which is good, but giving
examples of these types of systems may give the
reader a better understanding of what you are talking
about. Since the reader is already thinking about
Websites such as Facebook you may want to explain
how or which websites are available for educational
purposes. However the way you connect these two
articles is very good and helps reassure your point by
having multiple sources that stress the same idea. The
last sentence is a really good way to wrap up this
segment and has a powerful impact on the review.
Commented [8]: _Marked as resolved_
Commented [9]: _Re-opened_

Ones outlook on life can be due to many factors, such as family, religion, or experience.
Most people do not think about their opinions and where they originate from, it is just simply
their opinion. Christakis (2010) argues that in today's society our opinions and outlooks on life
are due to what we are most interested in, in this case social media. Ones location in the network
and how they perceive themselves online can impact ones life in obscure ways. For instance,
Pinker (2005), speaks of what our language habits reveal. The way people choose to respond and
communicate face to face can circle back to our social media interactions and how it affects us.
The way we use words, learn, and relate to others on social media can be found in how we use
words, learn, and relate to others in real life.

VI.

Works Cited

Christakis, Nicholas. "The Hidden Influence of Social Networks." TED Talks. N.p., Feb. 2010.
Web. 11 Sept. 2016.

Promotion Mix. Indiana: Kelley School of Business, 2009. Print."How the Mysterious Dark Net
Is Going Mainstream." Jamie Bartlett:. TED Talks, n.d. Web. 08 Sept. 2016.

Horton, Donald. "Mass Communication and Para-Social Interaction." TED Talks, Jan. 2015.
Web. 11 Sept. 2016.

Fatal, Alex. "Facebook: Corporate Hackers, a Billion Users, and the Geo-politics of the Social
Graph." Project Muse. UNCC Library Databases, n.d. Web. 08 Sept. 2016.

C.K Prahalad. "Co-creating Unique Value with Customers." Emerald Insight. N.p., 2004.
Web. 08 Sept. 2016.

Commented [10]: This is a good point that helps wrap

up the lit review. Consider expanding on this. Examples
may be useful so that the reader really understands
what kinds of ways social media influences these
factors. Overall a good way to leave your reader
understanding the point you want to get across.

"What Our Language Habits Reveal." Steven Pinker:. TED Talks, July 2005. Web. 11 Sept.
2016.

"The Jobs We'll Lose to Machines -- and the Ones We Won't." Anthony Goldbloom:. TED Talks,
n.d. Web. 08 Sept. 2016

Junco, Reynol, and Paul William Eaton. Engaging Students through Social Media EvidenceBased Practices for Use in Student Affairs. Hoboken: Wiley, 2014. Print.