Social Media: An Argumentative Essay on Its Positive Impact

This argumentative essay explores the benefits of social media, asserting that its positive impacts outweigh the drawbacks. The essay references articles discussing social media's role as a platform for human connection, exploration, and assistance during times of crisis. It highlights how social media facilitates communication, enables constructive discussions, and transforms the entertainment industry by providing celebrities with a direct channel to their fans. While acknowledging potential downsides such as the spread of misinformation and pressure on young people, the essay concludes that social media has overall improved communication, fostered positive conversations, and revolutionized entertainment, dismissing the myth that social media inherently causes anxiety in teenagers. The essay is contributed by a student and is available for review and study on Desklib, a platform offering various AI-based study tools for students.

Cyntoria Darling
Dr. Pombo
Eng 095
Argumentative Essay
“You can buy attention (advertising), you can beg for attention from the media (PR), you
can bug people one at a time to get attention (sales), or you can earn attention by creating
something interesting and valuable and then publishing it online for free,” said David Meerman
Scott. Social media refers to websites and applications that are designed to allow people to share
content quickly, efficiently, and in real-time. The first recognizable social media site was created
in 1977. From then to now, social media has played a major role in everyday life. After reading
the articles Does Social Media Have a Positive Impact on the world and How evil is tech, the
evidence states how the benefits of social media outweigh the drawbacks because social media is
an “online place for human contact,” “a place for exploration” and “it assists during times of
catastrophe.”
Social media use has made it more convenient for people to communicate with their
friends and colleagues. Social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, tinder
and Snapchat are increasingly being used as a convenient platforms for keeping in touch with
friends and close associates. Some of their features such as instant messaging allows
communication to take place within a matter of seconds ("Social Media: Does social media have
a positive impact on the world?" Issues & Controversies, InfoBase Learning, 5", 2016).However,
social media is also used to spread false information which might be catastrophic.
Additionally, social media has provided platforms where individuals can learn and
engage in constructive discourses. It is widely evident that social media has significantly
transformed the world in a positive way. Through the use of social platforms such as Facebook

and twitter, people are able to share important ideas and express themselves on social and
political issues ("Social Media: Does social media have a positive impact on the world?" Issues
& Controversies, InfoBase Learning, 5", 2016). Besides, social media has made it possible for
people to take part in important social and political discussions. It can however lead to hatred
and name-calling especially where people hold divergent opinions on certain issues.
The impact of social media on the entertainment world has also been immense. In the
previous years, it was quite challenges for musicians, comedians and other celebrities to reach
out to a large audience. However, with the invention of social media it has become easy for
celebrities to market their brands ("Social Media: Does social media have a positive impact on
the world?" Issues & Controversies, InfoBase Learning, 5", 2016). Celebrities such as Rihanna
and Katy Perry are in the list of most followed musician on twitter with 95.7 M and 108.4 M
followers respectively. With such a huge following it is quite easy to share their latest releases
and keep their fans updated on various issues. On the contrary, celebrity lives may pressurize
young people as they strive to meet the standards set by celebrities online.
Additionally, there is no empirical evidence to support the assertion that social media use
causes anxiety in teenagers and makes them unable to focus. According to Friedman (2018), the
popular assumption that the use of social media leads to anxiety is a myth.
In conclusion, the use of social media has improved the ability of people to keep in touch,
enhanced positive conversations and transformed the entertainment industry. However social
withdrawal and addiction are some of the aspects that discredit the popularity of social media

References
Friedman, R. (2018). Opinion | The Big Myth About Teenage Anxiety. Nytimes.com. Retrieved 21
February 2020, from https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/07/opinion/sunday/teenager-anxiety-
phones-social-media.html.
"Social Media: Does social media have a positive impact on the world?" Issues & Controversies,
Infobase Learning, 5. Icof.infobaselearning.com. (2016). Retrieved 21 February 2020, from
http://icof.infobaselearning.com/icofprintarticle.aspx?articleID=1789aa&citation=mla.