by Delaney Letts

   Social media has a huge impact on our society, shaping new ways in how our internet-based world operates. Social media includes Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter and many other applications. The 21st century relies heavily on social media, feeling as though they cannot live without it. People are constantly checking their phones for the latest posts or current events. College students especially are constantly found on social media accounts whether it be during class or while they’re waiting around to hang out with friends. They are continuously using it to communicate with friends and family, discuss the latest world news, and post photos in order to stay up to date.

   However, social media isn’t always glamorous. Cyberbullying, gossip, inappropriate pictures and other derogatory behavior are displayed on all these apps. People are now discussing whether or not social media should be censored more in order to stop hurtful actions. Many people see social media as a competition or an open place to say words that would often not be said face to face. People send nasty messages to instantly get their anger out or post blackmail photos out of revenge.

   Personally, I find social media very useful as it allows me to keep in touch with my family back at home — whether that be through sending messages on Facebook or sharing pictures on Instagram — while I go to school here in Grand Junction. Also, Facebook has been very useful for me in college because with every club/activity I have joined, a Facebook page has been created to post updates and send out schedules for the week. Social media is an easy way to spread information to a large number of people all at once. I think, college life would be a lot more difficult without social media, but let’s see what some other CMU students had to say about the topic.

Juan Sulub

“I find myself mostly on Facebook because my family all have accounts too. Since I don’t usually get to talk to my family being in college, Facebook is a place for me to see what they’re up to. I think social media creates problems too, though. For me, I literally spend hours on Facebook, and I’m not even doing anything. I’m literally scrolling down, down, down, just going through my feed and wasting time. However, accounts like Facebook and Skype give people who have families out of the country the opportunity to see each other and communicate in a more personal way. To be honest, I really like social media for the gossip—I like hearing about the latest scandals in Hollywood or even sometimes just reading about what’s going on in the lives of people I know.” 

Taylor Knight

“With the presidential election coming up in November, I think social media is being swamped with campaign advertising. Lately while listening to music on Spotify, I have heard many Hillary Clinton ads—like one after the other. Also, my Facebook feed in general has been infested with these types of commercials. I find this interesting, noticing that the candidates are taking additional steps, using social media to target the younger generation of voters instead of calling or sending out flyers like they did religiously before social media was popular. Although, my dad still gets a call from Donald Trump every day at 9:34 am. In the form I use it, I see social media in general as a positive attribute to society because it allows me to get to know people more… I definitely use Twitter more in college now to easily follow people on campus including students, clubs and different organizations, and especially Maverick football.”

Bonnie Wilhelm

“…Social media pressures you to feel obligated to share your life story. With social media, you can easily get inspired by searching for something though maybe Pinterest or even just looking at photos on Instagram. However, you tend to compare yourself to other people or other relationships, questioning why you’re ‘not good enough.’ …Social media is sort of an aesthetic thing, but it’s nice to be able to share fun life adventures.”

Natalie Schievelbein

“…Overall… I think social media has actually separated us more as people because we all see each other on social [media] as having these ‘splendid lives.’ Instead of connecting with each other in real life, you see everyone on their phones or on their computers instead of making those real personal relationships. There’s also a lot of disrespect found within social media because when you’re typing on a computer a lot of times you send stuff without thinking through the repercussions for yourself and the repercussions for that other person. I gave up social media for Lent last year and thought it was great—so, I definitely think our society could function without it, but it does come in handy for many different reasons.”