Social media and other form of media have a major influence on people in the United States and the world. Some people are even consumed by social media and constantly checking their feeds, as well as posting, to ensure that they have a presence in social media to the world. Not only does it have an influence on people individually, but it also helps to connect people all over the world in many different ways.
Through the use of media, we are given ways for all humans to bond over commonalities. Whether it be discussions on new popular music, TV shows like The Bachelor, or having the abilities to discuss world news, whether it be good or bad. By watching the news or scrolling through trending news on social media, we are all interconnected. By using skills discussed in Chapter 3, such as the three tasks of information processing (filtering, meaning matching, and meaning construction), we are able to see different topics in the media, filter out what we think is important, match the message to our previous memories, and then decide what it means to us. After we create our own meaning to a message we can openly share it across any or all of our social media platforms.
Social media allows me to be connected to friends, families, and coworkers in both a friendly and professional manner. Through websites such as SnapChat, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook I am able to keep in touch with my friends from high school and my family who I am not able to talk to frequently. It helps me to still be involved in their lives and to have a way to celebrate their accomplishments with them or to console them in times of need. Through websites such as LinkedIn and Twitter I can be connected to future, current, and past employers as well different organizations that follow my interests. When using these professional websites I can observe for different possible jobs and see when there is new news contributing to my group interests.
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