Comparison of Positive and Negative Aspects of Social Media on Internet

This report compares and contrasts the positive and negative aspects of social media on the internet. It discusses the challenges and measures of security and privacy for using social media services online. It also provides a comparison of features, applications, and suitability for businesses of Facebook and Twitter.

Individual Report

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................1
Compare and contrast between the positive and negative aspects of social media on Internet. .1
Challenges and measures of security and privacy taken for using social media services are
used online..................................................................................................................................3
Two examples of Social media along with a comparison and contrast of their features,
applications and suitability for businesses..................................................................................4
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................8

INTRODUCTION
Digital technology is the emergence of a technology for doing the activities in a whole
new way. Many benefits have been gained by the organisations and people using it however, the
negative aspects cannot be ignored (Aksal, 2015). Social media is a part of digital technology
which is being used at huge level around the world. There are many platforms that have gained
popularity with the time and directly or indirectly provided numerous advantages to the users of
such platforms. This report is about comparison between the positive and negative aspects of
social media, the relevant challenges and measures of security and privacy and features of two
examples of social media.
MAIN BODY
Compare and contrast between the positive and negative aspects of social media on Internet
Internet is a global wide area network which forms a connection among the computer
systems across the world. There are lines in different parts of the globe which makes the
connection successful through the used of web servers and ISPs. Social media is all about the
applications and websites which have been developed to allows people to share content quickly,
efficiently and real-time (Baym, 2015). A comparison and contrast between positive and
negative aspects of social media has been provided below:
Positive aspects of social media on the internet
Medium of communication- Social media helps in connecting the people living miles
apart. It is a convenient way of interaction which provides range of opportunities to connect with
the people in a better way. Also, it is a mode of sharing the information and content in a rapid
manner. This helps in connecting the individuals from one corner to another.
Business opportunities- It is useful for pumping the growth of businesses as social
media is a platform which provides various updates that can be valuable for the organisations.
Furthermore, it can prove to be way of promoting the products and services to a large number of
target customers. The name of the brand can become popular by promoting the products in the
right manner (Ellaway and et. al., 2015).
Platform for education- It can be used for the purpose of education in order to let the
students and other people become aware about new skills which may be related to technology.
This enhance creativity in them leading to improved quality of education.
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Blogging- It can be a place for blog which includes variety of different contents written
by the bloggers. It is the cheap way of going through the relevant information without have to
move from one place to another. It is gaining popularity because one can go through different
perceptions of the people writing the blogs.
Information and updates- It has increased the usage of mobile phone for operating
social media profiles. This has made it very easy for the individuals to take the helps of social
media more often. This has also useful in getting aware of news of the events happening around
the world. In this way, latest information can be known to the users (Flewitt, Messer and
Kucirkova, 2015).
Negative aspects of social media on the internet
Cyberbullying- The very first negative aspect of social media on the internet is
cyberbullying. There were existence of such events even before the introduction of social media.
It was done face-to-face earlier but now it has taken a new form which can be seen on social
media. The number of cases of cyberbullying has increased with the use of internet services for
social media (10 Advantages and Disadvantages of Social Media for Society, 2020).
Psychological behaviour- The addiction of social media is becoming a psychology
problem which directly impacts the brain of the individual. This can be a reason which
transformed the behaviour of people using the internet for social media. Such type of mentality is
the reason behind the aggressive behaviour of teenagers.
Excessive usage of mobile phones- The usage of mobile phones has increased leading to
increased emission of electromagnetic radiation which effects the brain and body. In this way, its
making people unhealthy and changing their lifestyles in an undesirable and unsuitable way.
People have become dependent on their phone and also use while driving which leads to high
number of accidents every year (Goldie, 2016).
Internet fraud and hacking- There is always an issue of online fraud by using the
personal information uploaded on various social media sites. Any loophole in the security
aspects may give rise to hacking, use of personal information in a wrong way, and what not.
With the advancement in digital technology, online frauds have increased as users have found
the wrong ways to use the personal data.
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Data protection issues- This can hamper the confidentiality and raise the events of
misuse of the data as provided by the users. This shows the high risk factor for using the such
platforms with the use of internet. Even when there is laws related to data protection, social
media service has failed to adopt the whole security.
In nutshell, it can be said that social media has both positive as well as negative aspects
on the internet (Grand-Clement and et. al., 2017). It should be the decision of the user to limit
adverse aspects and focus more on positive ones for better results. This can be done in many
ways for achieving desirable outcomes.
Challenges and measures of security and privacy taken for using social media services are used
online
Social media is being used by so many people around the world. The main aim of such
platforms is to make the communication easy. These may contain private as well as professional
conversations which should be provided adequate safety and security. However, there are some
challenges possessed into the implementation of safety and security. In order to overcome these
issues, the measures have also been discussed underneath:
Challenges exists in security and privacy of social media services
Phishing attacks- This attack is done by acquiring the personal identity of the an user by
creating a fake profile with the use of that user's personal information. This is done to make
friends with other individuals who know that particular person. It is very easy to extract the
details from the social media account of someone as there may be confidential information
available on the profile. Also, details related to bank and other sensitive data can be there. The
main purpose is to steal such data for misusing them (Gretter and Yadav, 2016).
Spam attacks- This takes the form of messages which comprise of some links that are
dangerous as clicking them can make all the information get stolen. Also, there are
advertisements shown on different sites which can lure the users to click on them and get
involved in the trap. Such messages can be seen in the e-mail of the users for engaging them in
fraudulent acts.
Theft of identity- This is one of the most committed cybercrime which possess high
threat on the private information of the users who have their account on various social media
sites. Also, it is very common and used widely by the hackers and wrong doers. The private
information which is confidential can get stolen for illegal or wrongful purposes.
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Brand Impersonation- This is done to promote the brand in an entirely wrong way. In
this challenge, hackers design and promote things which are not true about the brand. This can
take form of a fake business account of the entity. This is done to destroy the name of the brand
on the basis of false information.
Measures implemented for preventing the problems connected with security and privacy of
social media
Putting a strong password- Password is the way to operate the profile on social media.
It is a security step which ensures that only that person who is in the possession of the password
of the account (Jacobs, Amuta and Jeon, 2017). It is helpful in preventing the chances of
hacking. Furthermore, there must be a strong password comprising of number, alphabets and
other symbols for creating a strong password. It is not easy to crack and use by the hackers.
Two step verification- It is also known as dual-factor authentication which helps the
users to have two different authentication factors for the verification. It provides additional
security to the user for enhancing the level of safety and security. However, the user is required
to enter some extra information for the authentication purpose.
Clicking on suspected links should be avoided- Hackers use this way for stealing the
information which raise the issues of online fraud and other cybercrimes. By clicking on such
links, the users may invite viruses which may destroy the security of confidential information.
The links may be similar to any other links which may not even look fishy at all. This might give
rise to unfavourable outcomes.
Requests from unknown profiles should be avoided- A person should not accept the
requests of unknown individuals. Even if there is little doubt about the profile being displayed on
the friend request tab then also such requests should be avoided. Furthermore, every detail
should be checked before accepting any request that has popped up on the screen (Keengwe ed.,
2015).
Two examples of Social media along with a comparison and contrast of their features,
applications and suitability for businesses
There are many social media sites and applications which are popular and used hugely
around the world. Every such platform comprise of different features which have been
incorporated by taking into consideration, the demand of such applications. In order to
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understand the use of such sites a comparison has been conducted between Facebook and
Twitter. This has been presented in a detailed form below:
Facebook- It is a social media platform which has been originated from America. It is an
incorporation which has its headquarters in California, U.S. It was the idea of Mark Zuckerberg
along with some of his roommates from the same college. Facebook is one of the most popular
websites for social networking and also highly valuable companies (Difference Between
Facebook and Twitter, 2020).
Features of Facebook- Facebook 360- This feature enables the user to share a 360 degree view videos as it is a
virtual reality thing. This shows the trending content on Facebook which can also be
saved in the collection. Messenger- This feature allows the users to communicate with each other in a speedy
manner. It is helps in having a real time conversation in which numerous details can be
put. Facebook Live- This amazing feature gives a chance to the users to go live on their
Facebook profile. This starts broadcasting directly from the Laptops or Personal Desktop
or phone. Also, the viewers can add their comments on the liver video.
 Advertising capabilities- Facebook can a great platform for promoting the brand in order
to reach large number of customers. It charges a minimal charge for publishing the
advertisements related to the company.
Application of Facebook- Primarily, it is a social networking site for connecting the
people from different areas. For this purpose, the above-mentioned features may be used. It is
widely used for obtaining updates which may be useful for the person. Also, it can be used for
promoting the brands. There can be people from the age-group of 18 and above (McKnight and
et. al., 2016).
Suitability for business- It is highly suitable for the businesses as it is cheap to use the
platform. There are many active users on Facebook who can become aware about the new
companies and their newly launched products or services. Also, it comprise of reviews provided
by the past users. This can be beneficial in making decision about the purchase of product or not.
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Twitter- This social media platform is an American micro-blogging and social
networking service site which allows the users to post and interact with each other through
messages which are called “tweets”. It was founded by Jack Dorsey, Noah Glass, Biz Stone and
Evan Williams in the year 2006. Its headquarters is situated in California, U.S.
Features of Twitter- Pin your top tweets- This feature allows the user to highlight the tweet by pinning it. In
this way, one can get the attention so as to increase the engagement of many people. This
is done by clicking and liking the tweet (Mihalcea, 2017). Create a twitter moment- This feature gives the chance to an user to shine among other
people. This also leads to greater engagement on the particular twitter profile.
Furthermore, stories can be created by highlighting the best tweets along with this, photos
can also be added to this story thing. Tracking followers and conversations- According to this feature, the users may have
records of the latest trends as well as the conversations with the followers. It is an
effective way to keep the information about the followers, latest news and other trending
topics.
 Create photo collages- This feature is popular in which many different pictures can be
used in a single tweet. This allows to include number of photos to the users to have a look
on all the pictures in one go. Furthermore, more pictures can be added by clicking on
“add more” button (Tømte and et. al., 2015).
Application of Twitter- This social media platform helps the users in reaching large
number of individuals through tweets and retweets. It is more beneficial for obtaining opinions
or knowledge from the experts. One can create an account by putting all the details.
Suitability for businesses- This platform is used greatly for raising the trending issues
which can be brought in front of large number of users. It can help in building relationship with
the experts in specific fields by following them. Also, there can be short messages only so it is
not that suitable for the businesses.
From the above comparison, it can be said that Facebook can prove to be a more useful
platform for carrying business as compared to Twitter. The success of an organisation greatly
depends on the messages it deliver which is done through communication. This can be short as
well as long. Therefore, Twitter is not suitable for business ventures.
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Social media helps the users interacting with lots of people in an effective way and by
exchanging the information and ideas in virtual communities. It forms a network which allows
the companies to promote their brand with effective strategies and plans online. Every business
organisation has their target audience and from the current data, a large number of world's
population has become dependent on the internet. It can also be used as marketing tool as social
media allows users to see and read the details about the products simultaneously.
CONCLUSION
From the above report, it has been concluded that digital technology is the main element
in connecting the world from one place to another. There should be internet service in order to
use it. Furthermore, there can be positive as well as negative aspects of social media where the
negative aspects should not be left to overpower the negative aspects. Furthermore, there are
numerous challenges which should be removed by implementing the measures which are useful.
In addition to this, there are features of every social media platform which should be known
before choosing one for the business purpose. However, there should be adequate safety and
privacy for maintaining the confidentiality of the information.
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REFERENCES
Books & Journals:
Aksal, F. A., 2015. Are headmasters digital leaders in school culture?. Education &
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Baym, N. K., 2015. Personal connections in the digital age. John Wiley & Sons.
Ellaway, R. H. and et. al., 2015. Exploring digital professionalism. Medical teacher. 37(9).
pp.844-849.
Flewitt, R., Messer, D. and Kucirkova, N., 2015. New directions for early literacy in a digital
age: The iPad. Journal of Early Childhood Literacy. 15(3). pp.289-310.
Goldie, J. G. S., 2016. Connectivism: A knowledge learning theory for the digital age?. Medical
teacher. 38(10). pp.1064-1069.
Grand-Clement, S. and et. al., 2017. Digital learning. Santa Monica, CA: RAND corporation and
Corsham institute.
Gretter, S. and Yadav, A., 2016. Computational thinking and media & information literacy: An
integrated approach to teaching twenty-first century skills. TechTrends. 60(5). pp.510-
516.
Jacobs, W., Amuta, A. O. and Jeon, K. C., 2017. Health information seeking in the digital age:
An analysis of health information seeking behavior among US adults. Cogent Social
Sciences. 3(1). p.1302785.
Keengwe, J. ed., 2015. Handbook of research on active learning and the flipped classroom
model in the digital age. IGI Global.
McKnight, K. and et. al., 2016. Teaching in a digital age: How educators use technology to
improve student learning. Journal of research on technology in education. 48(3).
pp.194-211.
Mihalcea, A., 2017. Employer branding and talent management in the digital age. Management
Dynamics in the Knowledge Economy. 5(2). pp.289-306.
Tømte, C. and et. al., 2015. Educating online student teachers to master professional digital
competence: The TPACK-framework goes online. Computers & Education. 84. pp.26-
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Online
10 Advantages and Disadvantages of Social Media for Society. 2020. [Online]. Available
through: <https://www.techmaish.com/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-social-media-
for-society/>.
Difference Between Facebook and Twitter. 2020. [Online]. Available through:
<https://keydifferences.com/difference-between-facebook-and-twitter.html>
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