Social Media Is Inherently a Selfish Medium

 Social Media Is Inherently a Selfish Medium 

Introduction

• The advent of the Internet has given birth to social media, which has brought the world closer together. There are hardly any people who use the Internet and do not have a social media account.
• Social media are mainly Internet-based platforms such as Facebook, Snapchat, WhatsApp, and Instagram, which allow sharing of information, connecting with others, and expressing views.
• There is a considerable debate about the misuse of social media in general and their selfish use in particular. What makes these media selfish and to what extent?
• Main idea of the essay: Social media present an opportunity whether they reduce to selfish media or turn into media of positive social change depends on how we utilize them.

Body

What makes a medium of interaction selfish?

• Any medium of interaction that does not allow for equal sharing of data/information or ideas among interacting parties can be considered selfish, as only one party may be imposing themselves upon the remaining users.
• If a medium of interaction only serves the interests of one user and not others, it becomes inherently selfish, as it does not benefit others.
• If a medium serves its own interests and not even that of its users and other stakeholders, again it can be considered selfish.

How are social media selfish?

• Social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram allow for continuous flow of information from its users, who often exhibit personal information such as their photos and life events in order to get appreciation and recognition.
• Many companies make use of social media only to serve their interests such as getting more customers and advertising. Social media platforms earn mostly from such advertisements.
• It is argued that social media sites ultimately serve their own interests as, by providing free access to their websites/apps, they gather tons of personal data about their users, which they use for their own commercial interests.

How are these not selfish media and how do they become so?

• Social media allow people to connect with their friends and family across the globe for free. One only has to pay for the Internet connection and use the apps for free. Therefore they cannot be labelled entirely selfish.
• Many people and organizations raise funds for social causes and for the needy through social media platforms. In such cases, the selfless nature of social media and their users becomes apparent.
• Social media are used to spread awareness and generate opinions about issues such as violence against women, caste bias, and corruption. This positive use of social media certainly make them selfless.
• Alternatively, it can also be argued that not only social media, but ill media of communication are selfish. For instance, news channels only show the content that they want to show and which will fetch them higher revenue. Same is the case with newspapers. Consequently, social media alone cannot be singled out for being selfish.

Conclusion

• A medium of interaction can be considered selfish if it allows only one-way sharing of information and serves the selfish interests of its users or owners.
• Social media can be considered to be selfish as their users often share one-way information to gain appreciation, for profits, and to increase their business. Social media platform owners also have selfish motives to gain from advertising and user data.
• However, social media cannot be said to be entirely selfish, as they are used by people to raise funds for charitable causes, increase awareness about social issues, and to freely interact/connect with friends and family.
• Overall, even if we gram that social media are selfish; all media of communication seem to have a selfish component in them. Therefore it is up to social media users to ensure that they are used for consciously.

Notes

• Keywords: social media, selfish medium
• This is a very interesting topic but not many candidates would choose it given other more popular topics in the section; therefore one would benefit from writing on this topic.
• The crux lies in understanding and explaining properly what you mean by ‘selfish medium’.