1. Benjamin M. Shaw - Kiwanis Essay Contest 2014
A More Connected World
Imagine the size of the Earth, and then draw 2.5 billion lines over it. According to one
estimate, this is the smallest number of connections that are currently made through social
media, with both followers and friends. Social media is the term used to describe any online
community or network in which users create and share content and ideas with others. In these
types of networks, people form intricate webs of relationships, share pictures and messages,
connect with public figures, participate in events and classes, raise money for causes, and
advertise their businesses. Social media affects our lives in countless good ways. Unfortunately,
people such as child predators, bullies, and scammers can also use social media for hurtful
purposes. In addition, ordinary people sometimes use bad judgement with social media posts
that leads to negative consequences, and can even become addicted to communicating through
the Internet so much that they lose touch with reality. Despite these problems, I think social
media has enough positive potential that cancels out the negatives.
If used in a responsible way, social media allows people to achieve hundreds of things
more easily than without it. One of the greatest advantages of these applications is that they
bring people together. For example, my family uses Skype to chat with my grandparents in
Hungary nearly every day. And my mother communicates with the members of the yoga class
she teaches through a Meetup app on her phone. Old friends can reunite and current friends
communicate more easily through Facebook or Instagram. By using a Twitter feature called
Hashtags people are able to comment and share ideas in real time, such as during the 2013
New York City mayoral debate, when voters were able to ask questions to the candidates using
#NYCDebate. It is even possible to follow news reporters through Twitter and suggest ideas to
them. Compared to watching the news on television, using a feed like Mashable is much more
efficient because people choose what sources their news comes from. They also have the
ability to choose what topics they receive information about. In nations such as Venezuela
where news is restricted by the government, citizens can convey to large groups of people what
events are really taking place by posting videos on Youtube.
Social media’s advantages extend to education, non-profits, and business. I am currently
taking a massive open online course (MOOC) offered by Stanford University in which the
instructor announces the assignments to over 5,000 students through her Facebook feed. This
online class challenges teams from across the globe to communicate and create projects
together through Google+. Because of its ability to reach thousands of people at the same time,
social media can also be used to raise awareness for and funds for charities and causes. For
example, Island Beach State Park, a nonprofit organization that protects animals’ natural
habitats, encourages people to donate through their Twitter feeds. Virtually any charity today
maintains a Facebook or Twitter presence. Likewise, most businesses have Instagram or
Facebook links to notify potential customers of events and sales. Another way that social media
helps business is by facilitating inexpensive advertising. While advertising during the Super
Bowl costs millions of dollars, maintaining a social media is free. Social media has seemingly
unlimited capabilities, and people are still figuring out creative ways to use it in positive ways.

2. Unfortunately, some people also use social media in ways that negatively impact others,
physically, mentally, and financially. Last year, a 40 year-old man in California kidnapped a 13
year-old girl and killed her mother and brother after tricking her through Facebook. After chatting
online with the man for months, the girl thought she was inviting a new boyfriend to her house.
The method of portraying himself as someone he is not that the kidnapper used in this incident
is called catfishing. Some people have conversations with strangers that they think are peers or
even celebrities. Falling victim to a scam does not always end in violence; it also delivers a big
emotional blow, and can go on for months or even years. Cyber bullying, like catfishing, can hurt
people emotionally. I know of cases when children have jumped in front of cars because
classmates bullied them online, the most recent one occurring in Staten Island. Social media
enables bullies to pick on others even when they are in the safety of their homes, and it does
not just affect children. Musicians Tegan and Sara said in an interview that they were on the
verge of deleting their social media pages because of the cruel comments about their
homosexuality that people were posting. Another serious online problem, phishing, occurs when
someone tricks others into giving away their personal information, such as passwords and bank
account numbers. Phishing is usually done through fake Web pages that resemble real ones. A
fake Twitter sign-in page, for example, might send all of its username and password information
to a hacker. One report claims that 80 percent of people, whether they know it or not, fell victim
to phishing last year.
Some problems with social media are brought upon the users by themselves. Several
people, from athletes to politicians, have gotten in trouble for posting inappropriate photos and
messages on social media. At St. Mary’s University in Canada, for instance, the coach of the
football team suspended six players for the academic year after they posted racist and sexist
comments on their Facebook pages. More famously, Anthony Weiner’s sharing of sexual
pictures on Twitter cost him a chance to become New York City’s mayor. More common but less
serious, many people overshare details of their personal lives online, which may be why,
according to one estimate, around 3000 pictures are uploaded to Flickr every minute. A few of
my classmates feel the urge to post everything that happens in their lives on Instagram, which
compromises their privacy and sometimes leads to regrets about what they have posted. The
same classmates also seem to spend every minute available online, and sometime even use
social media to chat with people in the same room instead of talking to each other. These habits
get in the way of more valuable real social interactions.
Some people may disagree with me, but I think the good in social media outweighs the
bad. The potential that these applications have to offer can only improve with evolving
technology. Also, the problems with online communication will likely decrease with time as the
next generation learns how to participate safely and responsibly. An I-Safe class offered at St.
Sebastian School teaches us how to safely use social media and the Internet. Teaching the
general public how to protect themselves on the Internet will help them to avoid predators and
scammers, and empowering children to respond to bullies can also reduce another major issue.
It is up to the community that uses social media to address its major issues, so that it can
achieve its full potential as a hub of innovation and good discussion.