Social Media

After today's lecture, I realized what an impact social media has on us. I think almost every Ball State student is involved in some sort whether it is participating in blogging, Twitter, Myspace, Facebook, etc. I feel like this "social media" is really getting bigger each year, especially in classrooms. Three out of my four classes entail keeping a blog throughout the semester. Last semester, I only had one blog. I really like this idea because it gets your ideas out there and you can also see your classmate's responses to the same issues. Also, I like the idea of blogging because it doesn't feel like you can be attacked for your thoughts about a sensitive issue.

I found this interesting that I feel comfortable typing out my thoughts to a computer. In one of my other classes, Comm 351, we recently talked about "flaming." An example of this idea is where you feel more comfortable being negative or mean over the internet rather than face to face. I thought this was so interesting because when I blog I might be saying something that someone doesn't like or disagrees with, in other words a gateway to a conflict. Not saying that when I blog I'm particularly negative or trying to be mean, but there is always the chance of someone disagreeing or challenging your beliefs, similar to a conflict that occur over the internet, instant messenger, etc.

To sum things up, I believe that social media is becoming a huge factor in today's society. I do not know if I think it is affecting us negatively or positively. I think there are pros and cons to social media and they affect each person a little bit differently.