First I answered questions based on an article, and then i found three credible articles to support my assigned stance.

1. Christopher Swires
November 13, 2015
Social Media Questions
Social media has undoubtedly changed how humans as a whole communicate throughout
the world, as well as general time occupation. Has it been more of a hindrance or an
improvement on regular social life? That is definitely a debatable question, but there is a lot of
data that describes the pros and cons of modern social media and evolving electronic
communication, as well as specific reasons as to why there are pros and cons to everyday usage
of social media. Over the years of using social media, as it has gradually becoming more and
more popular, more and more unexpected events are occurring to people as they upload their
information to the internet. So, what major events are occurring with regular social media usage?
According to the article Social Media Explosion by Marcia Clemmitt, there are plenty of
events occurring within social media. The main categories, however, include Key Issues of
Concern, Benefits of Social Media, Concerns about Social Media, and Effect on Democratic
Societies. With all of the changes occurring for one of the biggest social norms in the world, it is
normal to be skeptical about how much it will change the world and our people. However,
research has shown that very negative and positive things have happened with social media in
the past. Real life events and reconciliation are the main reasons for research and skepticism.
What is it about social media that is different and more unsafe than traditional face-to-
face communication? The best way for social media to work is for the user to enter their personal
information, such as their e-mail address and their phone number. However, on some social
media sources, especially Facebook, that information is publicized if the user is not cautious
about his or her profile privacy. It is all too easy to forget about privacy settings on Facebook,
but Alice Marwick of Fordham University states that “the privacy concerns surrounding social
media are the most important things to pay attention to” (Clemmitt “Social Media Explosion”).

2. Christopher Swires
November 13, 2015
What are the key areas of concern discussed in the article? The most obvious reason for
concern would be potential exposure of personal information submitted when the user signed up
for the account so it would run. There have also been reports of users posting photos and then
they end up being copied, exposed, and misused in some way; similar to the personal
information submission for account activation, users all too often forget about privacy
enforcement when posting pictures. Pictures can be easy exposed not only if they are made
viewable to the public, but if a user’s friend is tagged in a picture, the friends of the user’s friend
can see the photo the user posted, and a lot of those users are more than likely strangers to the
user who originally posted the picture. Along with the personal information exposure that has
occurred, it has also physically affected the functioning lives of a lot of humans; Professor Larry
Rosen had interviewed kids about socializing, and he claimed that “Many kids say that they
prefer not to talk face to face” (Clemmitt “Social Media Explosion”). Adults are even being
highly affected by evolving social media as well; due to constant usage of mobile phones
nowadays, social media is “an even more integrated part of social life”, according to Marwick
(Clemmitt “Social Media Explosion”).
Along with physically disrupting people and putting them at risk of exposure, social
media has been misused in other public ways. The main way involves fraudulent ownership of
user content. Clemmitt stated in her article that retail sales of gifts for Christmas are dominating
the rates of gifts being sold via social media, and that sources of social media are trying to make
money, but they are also dealing with heavy competition. Instagram even tried to misuse photos
of users by advertising them as well as exposing their information all without their consent to
take into ownership for money. However, CEO Kevin Systrom found out about the hoax and
claimed that “We don’t own your photos-you do” (Clemmitt “Social Media Explosion”).

3. Christopher Swires
November 13, 2015
What are the benefits discussed in the article? Most of the benefits of social media are
relevant to the original intentions of developing the sources. Social media was made for people
to keep in touch and stay connected, and it undoubtedly does help ensure that close friends and
family stay in touch. There are a few other sociological benefits that were not intended, but they
have undoubtedly helped people, especially in terms of comfort levels, judgement, and mood.
According to Larry Rosen, having a lot of Facebook friends and positive comments on Facebook
can help to cure depression and encourage positive attitudes. It has also proved to help users
make decisions, because users can post multiple pictures of something major such as a wedding
dress and a painting and request input from friends. Basically, it’s the support from friends and
family and positive inputs and opinions from others that make social media beneficial.
What are the concerns discussed in the article? Most risks that Clemmitt had wrote about
involve technological communication perhaps making traditional face-to-face communication
obsolete. With so many people communicating with friends and family as well as strangers
online nowadays and it being so convenient as well as reassuring due to not being able to see the
person’s facial expression, hearing their tone, or risking harm in an angry situation, people are
more than likely starting to think against face-to-face communication, because a ‘better’ form of
communication has taken over. Another concern about social media, according to Facebook
CEO Mark Zuckerberg, is that “privacy is no longer a ‘social norm’”, because people nowadays
are more comfortable with sharing information as well as self-portraits with the public (Clemmitt
“Social Media Explosion”). Last of all, there is a concern of the government taking over social
media and constantly supervising activity of all users. With all of the government action taking
place, Joseph Kahne of Mills College believes that culture is also changing due to political
intervening within social media.

4. Christopher Swires
November 13, 2015
What are the ways that Social Media has effected Democratic Societies within the article
Social Media Explosion? Within the article, there was a theory made. Kahne told Clemmitt that
social media is perhaps increasing political activity; people have used Facebook and Twitter to
share articles and videos of news stories and political debates, and users who excessively use
social media are very likely to scroll through their news feed and encounter a political story.
Kahne also got a score of 41% of social media users researching and sharing political
information just for recreational purposes. However, after a breast cancer cure fund went wrong
in January 2012, due to improper social media promotion as opposed to being funded via a
political resource, Kahne proved his theory wrong and figured that people who use politics for
recreational purposes are already interested in them.
In Social Media Explosion, Clemmitt has done a lot of research and interviewing to get
facts about changes induced by social media. There is controversy, but there are a lot of good
and bad things that have happened on social media. Some believe that the use of social media
can have major negative effects; one of the most major risks of using social media to
communicate include forming a relationship with a criminal who creates a dating profile full of
fraudulent information and pictures that they do not own. Manti Te’o of Notre Dame University
was a victim of that, which caused athletic director Jack Swarbrick to believe that “social media
is a tool in some really bad stuff” (Clemmitt “Social Media Explosion”). Others believe that
social media is beneficial for relationships; assistant professor Katie E. Davis believes that online
makes relationships stronger because “it feels much safer to broach unbearable subjects when
you don’t have to look someone in the eye” and “it takes the messiness out of relationships”
(Clemmitt “Social Media Explosion”). Whether social media is positively or negatively affecting
society depends on how it is perceived by a specific individual.

5. Christopher Swires
November 13, 2015
The Benefits of Social Media
Social media is influential for helping young children learn, according to Patricia
Thibaut, author of Social Network Sites With Learning Purposes: Exploring New Spaces For
Literacy And Learning In The Primary Classroom. Within her article, Thibaut states that the vast
information found online “can provide an entry point for interactive, informative, multimodal
and collaborative learning” (91). There’s allegedly better social organization. In her conclusion,
Thibaut states “The success of integrating digital technologies in the classroom and preparing
young learners for challenges yet to emerge, post great demands on teaching today” (92).
Social media is beneficial for helping children develop a strong social life, according to
Stephanie Huffman, author of Benefits And Pitfalls: Simple Guidelines For The Use Of Social
Networking Tools In K-12 Education. Within her article, Huffman states that “As children
develop, they attempt to self-identify” (154). Huffman believes that children should be exposed
to social media at early ages so they can explore more and find more people to relate to. In her
conclusion, Huffman states “When used appropriately and wisely, teachers, students, and
classrooms are transformed into a rich interactive environment” (160).
Social media is helpful for those with mental disabilities, according to John Naslund,
main author of Naturally Occurring Peer Support Through Social Media: The Experiences Of
Individuals With Severe Mental Illness Using Youtube. In his article, Naslund states that
“individuals with SMI are more likely to share personal views through blogging, build
friendships on social media, and use the Internet for accessing health information than people
without mental illness” (2). Naslund believes that usage of social media leads to better support.
In his conclusion, Naslund states “Whether or not this platform can provide benefits for a wider
group of individuals remains uncertain” (7).

6. Christopher Swires
November 13, 2015
Works Cited
Clemmitt, Marcia. "Social Media Explosion." CQ Researcher 25 Jan. 2013: 81-104. Web. 16 Nov. 2015.
Thibaut, Patricia. "Social Network Sites With Learning Purposes: Exploring New Spaces For Literacy
And Learning In The Primary Classroom." Australian Journal Of Language & Literacy 38.2 (2015): 83-
94. Academic Search Premier. Web. 17 Nov. 2015.
Huffman, Stephanie. "Benefits And Pitfalls: Simple Guidelines For The Use Of Social Networking Tools
In K-12 Education." Education 134.2 (2013): 154-160. Academic Search Premier. Web. 17 Nov. 2015.
Naslund, John A.,et al. "Naturally Occurring Peer Support Through Social Media: The Experiences Of
Individuals With Severe Mental Illness Using Youtube." Plos ONE 9.10 (2014): 1-9. Academic Search
Premier. Web. 17 Nov. 2015.