Texas Tech University Internet & Bullying Discussion

I’m working on a humanities discussion question and need an explanation and answer to help me learn. Question: Make sure you read the two posts below and make two separate peer-reviewed posts on these two comments, research their item and provide additional information.

The posts below talks about the philosophical discussion about social media and technology

Post 1:

The Internet can be a wonderful place that can nurture friendships and allow friends to keep in touch, but it can also lead to bullying. With the rise of social media comes new possibilities for social networking. The Pew Research Center found that “Nearly two-thirds (64%) of teens who have made a new friend online say they have met new friends on a social media platform” (Lenhart, 2019). Social media can create friendships that are long lasting and carry over into real life. Social media not only can create friendships, but also sustain friendships. However, social media can lead to deterioration of the very friendships it creates and nourishes. For example, “42% of teens have had someone post things about them that they cannot change or control” (Lenhart, 2019). Cyberbullying is a real problem that social media has exacerbated. Teens often use social media as a way to form social bonds, but those bonds can be both helpful and hurtful. Being able to hide behind a screen gives teens a sense of anonymity that makes them feel as if they will not face repercussions–and oftentimes they do not. Overall, social media is a blessing and a curse. It can give a place for teens to have amazing friendships, but it can also have detrimental effects.

Works Cited

Lenhart, Amanda. “Social Media and Teen Friendships.” Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech, Pew Research Center, 31 Dec. 2019, https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2015/08/06/chapter-4-social-media-and-friendships/.

Post 2:

A lot of people want to be an Instagram influencer now. This is because social media has taken over the lives of many people, and being an influencer is suddenly a new way to support yourself. Many influencers have just blown up and earned hundreds of thousands of dollars because of their internet fame. The most common articles that pop up when I searched “being an Instagram influencer” are articles on how to become an influencer. Clearly, it is a very widely wanted profession. This idea is very foreign to many middle-aged to older people, as the option to make money off of social media didn’t exist. The technology of social media has completely revolutionized the world because of the opportunities that are now available to people. Making money off of posting ones life on social media was never an option.

As Jessica Booth (2020) stated in her article, being an influencer is seeked out by many people, but also thought to not be a valid profession by many others. This is one of the reasons it can be difficult to be an influencer. Many people don’t recognize it as a real job. Booth (2020) went through a list of what being an influencer truly looks like. The most interesting points she made is that there is basically never a “break” from the job, and it takes a while to start earning money. Even when you begin earning money, it can be very unpredictable as it usually relies on interaction with your account, such as likes.

Influencers usually don’t have “breaks” from their job because they don’t work a traditional 9-5 job. When someone becomes an influencer, their entire life is on social media. If they are famous enough, even when they aren’t actively updating on social media, they are often followed by paparazzi or fans recognize them and go up to them. Additionally, Booth (2020) mentioned that influencers have to be authentic 100% of the time. There aren’t any breaks when they always have to be upholding an image, for fear that someone will judge them or try to cancel them and they will lose their only source of income.

Source: Booth, Jessica (2020). What it’s really like to be an Instagram influencer. The List. https://www.thelist.com/144932/what-its-really-lik…

Additional info for your help: While you are welcome to disagree with the posts, all responses must be appropriate, and grounded in sociological/technical examples. Responses must be a minimum of 250 words not including direct quotations. Also, you need to use in-text citations, as well. When responding to posts, some suggestions

Include: Compliment (examples: “I like how…”)

Comment (examples: “I agree that…” “I disagree that…” “I found it interesting that…”)

Connection (examples: “I also have thought about…”)

Clarification (examples: “I wonder why…”)