In this day and age, the growing influence of social media has always been a heated social debate. Numerous individuals hold the view that social networking sites have a negative impact on their users. From my perspective, I partially agree with this statement as mass media also embraces inumerable valuable merits.
On the one hand, accessing to mass media can lead people to information overload. This is because news, informations, knowledge ,and datas are uploaded on the Internet non-stop, some of them may also lead to eye-catching debates as these infomations are controversial. This may result in the invasion of perspectives and ideas on the social websites. When neutral users read or expose to these opinions, they may be confused whether this or that thought is correct. For instance, these days, in Vietnam, there is a fierce argument on Negav -a famous singer drop out of school. There are two main aspects on this debate, some argue that he just gave up his study to concentrate on his career path and it is okay; however, others believes that his action might negatively impacts on his fans. As a neutral viewer, when I saw this argument, I was under confusion due to a profusion of ideas and opinions. Moreover, using these social media is also a waste of time. When users are engrossed in the online news, they find it difficult to escape from grasp of mass media whether they are at homes or workplaces. As a result, this constant distraction impedes users’ ability to concentrate on their tasks or spend quality time with their loved ones.
However, mass media can also bring a host of benefits. To begin with, social networking sites provide their users with valuable sources of information. For example, British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) news provide not only the British but also people around the globe with valuable sources of information, or local radio channels offer weather forecast, traffic conditions during rush hours enabling dwellers to plan their days better. Therefore, the mass media facilitate individuals to improve their qualities of life. Another benefit from the aformentioned practice is the high level of social awareness. The press usually post news about the social isues: crime, environment, wildlife, and severe disease. This may raise and foster public awareness towards these social problems making them better-prepared of these issues leading to a better world.
Taking everything into consideration, despite the fact that mass media do harm to individuals in terms of time consuming and misunderstanding, social networks also help people raise their awareness towards social problems and supply their users with valuable knowledge. Personally, I believe that individuals should use the mass media; however, they need to limit their online time.