Question

How does social media affect the process of globalization? Give examples. In what ways does social media help in creating global communities? Discuss other positive influences of social media. What might be the adverse effects of excessive use of social media?

Answer 1

Social media positively affects and impacts the process of globalization. It should be noted that globalization is the growing interdependence of the world's economies, cultures, and populations. This interdependence is caused by a host of factors like cross-border trade in goods and services, technology, and flow of information. Social media is a part of technology and flow of information. Social media has reduced the significance of geographic distance and has allowed people in different countries to be connected on a real time basis. This has grown the level of interdependence and hence degree of connectedness between people, countries and systems of economy and governance. For example social media tools and sites like Facebook and Instagram allows people in different parts of the world to remain connected with each other. It allows a company in USA to market its products to consumers in Asia and so on.

Social media helps in creating global communities in a systematic and structured manner. Global communities is a social infrastructure tool and as social media helps in strengthening social relationships and bringing people and communities together it leads to creating a string global community. Moreover social media plays an important role with regards to building a global community of politically active citizens who are conscious of the optimal functioning of their community. Other positive influences of social media are that it helps in bringing people together for a common cause or purpose. This gives the people the power to unite and combine to solve a social problem and remedy a faulty situation affecting the society at large.

The adverse effects of excessive use of social media are that it may harm the mental well-being of individuals who are the part of a community and society. This is because heavy use of social media is linked to an increased risk for depression, anxiety, loneliness, and self-harm. Social media can also propagate and lend support to false, untrue and even the wrong and unethical issues and many followers in social media often do not check the veracity and authenticity of many claims. As such they end up supporting a wrong cause or an unjust cause even without realizing it.