Siddarth Kamath Week 2: Social Implications


Social Implications

    In the article written about by Micheal Bass describing five intricately described passages detailing the ideas on the urge to share our true identity in social platforms. Micheal Bass makes claims people confess to structure their identity in a light they find, the disadvantages of posting the truth about oneself, and to assert their influence upon other people as a means of presenting themselves in a different way. Bass writes about the influences such as peer pressure or from relatives in competition to gain popularity.

These ideas are present in the ways in which today’s society functions. A classic example of a cyber bully exists when they try to assert their dominance over another individual over a source of online communication methods. The identities of the two people are mixed up and one person tends to be hurt. These stereotypical “bullies” are shown to be quite sensitive on the inside and extend their influence on other people to cover up their true feelings. This is one basis for the line of reasoning of intense behavior on social media platforms. 


Social media also is in the pockets of every individual. The whole world now carries their phones and with just a click, a picture can go viral. A person’s picture of their own identity can be lost within a few seconds, learning of chronic illnesses such as depression if repeating and deadly to the person’s mental and physical state. Once the picture is taken to a wider audience, the impression of the individual can be used by unwanted people. For example, a description of a person’s secrets can be told over social media and sent to thousands of people quickly. These people can use this information over the original individual causing a great deal of harm and internal damage. The pressure of a person’s intensity increases.


Now, social media is not a complete disaster of identity building. Some people find being successful when creating an identity for themselves. These positive outcomes lead certain individuals to find friends they never had before even though in reality it may be a “fake friend.” Experiences such as these may not be found through typical interaction from face to face. Therefore, social media could be very beneficial and have desired implications for the world and its people.


Source: https://medium.com/@michaelgbass/identity-is-social-media-2c50cf25b429


Comments

  1. Allison September 14, 2023 at 2:00 PM

    Hi Siddarth! I agree that how we present ourselves is very important on social media. You mentioned how “people can use [negative] information over the original individual” to cause them “a great deal of harm and internal damage.” Getting “canceled” over social media generally does not cause any physical problems but certainly impacts an individual negatively. I find it crazy how influential figures can get their image completely tarnished and maybe even destroyed by a small slipup such as a slur or a controversial message. Even if our career isn’t on the line in our social media, how people think of us still impacts us a great deal. When I was twelve, I commented on someone’s post defending an artist I liked. The poster, someone who was hating on my favorite artist’s art, replied to my comment, cursing and shaming me. Although he was a random person online that I would have probably never seen again, the insult was so difficult for me to shake off that I thought about it for days. I can’t imagine how much worse this would be if that person was someone who could interact with me in real life. I also like how you mentioned how people could “find friends they never had before even though in reality it may be a ‘fake friend.’” This is interesting to me to think that a “fake friend” could be positive. Perhaps it is sort of like how a sugar pill could cure people’s diseases if they believe it is actually medicine. Although the friend is fake, they are still able to bring happiness to us, at least in the moment.

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  2. Muhammed AliSeptember 19, 2023 at 10:56 PM

    Hi Siddarth! You did a fantastic job demonstrating the dangers of social media in our society, and I really liked how you made it feel like a genuine threat. Rather than just talking about its good side or its bad side specifically, you presented the reader with a solid showcasing of both sides in a short blog post, and I felt that was done really well. It's scary how social media can literally make or break someone's life in terms of the way people view them, but it's also incredible how it can promote its users and do so much good at the same time. It's a difficult line to walk, but I felt that your last sentence summed it all up very nicely. I also like your take on the cyber-bully and how it humanizes them, in the sense that it shows that they aren't just heartless people. They are often acting out of insecurity, and that's something a lot of us may forget. The incorporation of Michael Bass's article was also a nice aspect of your post. However, you might want to consider further incorporating his work throughout the post rather than just stopping after the first paragraph. Overall, really interesting article, great job!

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  3. Anushka ReddySeptember 20, 2023 at 11:05 AM

    Hi Siddarth! I really enjoyed reading your very insightful blog and it made me reflect a bit as well. Nowadays, social media has a lot bigger impact and has a big impact on who we are as people. I agree on your take of cyber bullies and how they are just masking their own insecurities. It is scary to think about how much power social media has on your reputation, even the smallest mistake can ruin your reputation completely. "Cancel culture" — a movement to remove someone of influential status on social media for saying something offensive — has growth very popular in our age and is very harmful. It violates the First Amendment and can severely ruin someone's career and future. However, I like how you demonstrated how social media also has a positive aspect. I agree how social media can help you create an identity for yourself and how it can be beneficial to one's social life and self-confidence. The dual nature of social media is both inspiring while also cautioning you to be careful.

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