Media technologies in recent years have changed the socioeconomics
in the United States and around the world in a large way. People are now more
than ever looking online at products and discussing them with other people who
have tried them to get the best product possible. The ability to share products
that one likes and dislikes has obvious implications if a product is good or
bad depending on the person’s opinion and the people that they know. Not that
one bad review can ruin a products possibility of being popular and making
money but if multiple people dislike or like the product it could determine the
amount of money that a producer makes on that product and possibility others as
well.
This is not the only way the socioeconomics is affected by media
technologies though. Product makers also have a broader platform for sharing
their products on things such as social media. Because of the popularity of
social media it has a large amount of possibilities that still have not been
completely taped in to yet. This can be a very positive thing for businesses
because for those who may have not known about them before they can reach those
people on websites such as facebook.com. The best way to describe this
phenomenon is: “Whether discussing
consumer products or organizing political movements, people around the world
constantly use social-media platforms to seek and share information. Companies
use them to reach consumers in new ways too; by tapping into these
conversations, organizations can generate richer insights and create precisely
targeted messages and offers.”(Chui
et al., 2012, para. 1).
The consequences of
have this global economy is that it makes it harder for small business owners
to make it because there are so many different options for buyers. It also
takes money out of the small communities and into bigger towns and corporations
or overseas. When more money goes overseas that means there are fewer jobs
locally; making it harder for people to make enough money to afford things. With
free flowing information around the world people can access things that they
were never able to access before and in theory getting a better bang for their
buck. (McKinsey Global Survey,
2012)
While internet has
help millions of people connect with people they may have never met, it also
has negative effects. In today’s society one is more likely to email or message
their friends and family on social media websites instead of going and seeing
them in person. This can cause alienation because that is the only form of
communicate that they use. Also it makes it easier for one to not communicate with
friends and family at all, which alienates them even more. Also another problem
with the internet and social media is that it is very easy to become addicted
to a website such as facebook and using that as one’s only form of being
social. Then one may alienate themselves at home and never be social outside of
the online world. (Baker)
The danger of
alienation is that one will feel disconnected to the outside world. When this
happens one will feel like they have no connection with their life and no
choice in how they are living. Because of this the person learns to dislike
society in general. One must be careful to not get so involved in social media
that this happens. (Health,
2003)
It is important for one to understand the influences of media
technologies because it is a large aspect of almost everyone’s everyday lives.
One must realize that advertisers are trying to make money off of them
regardless of it being the internet. One must also realize the dangers of
alienating themselves and only living in the online world. If one is aware of these two things then they
are more likely to have media technologies impact them in a positive way.
However, if they are not they could end up being impacted in negative ways.
Being educated in these areas is the best way to defend oneself against the
negatives that internet can bring.
In the next 5 years I think that the divides are going to
continues on the rapid progression of broadening. This is because it is the age
of technology. It seems as though people cannot get enough of the newest and
hottest thing. Every time one turns around there is a new way to access the
internet or a different newer form of technology. Because that is going on now
I think it will continue. However, it will have to slow down eventually and I
think that 25 years from now the progress will be slower.
Media technologies have several positive and negative effects on
people and the economy that they live in. One needs to educate themselves in
how the internet can impact their life because it is nearly impossible to
completely avoid it in this day and age. Being conscious about things when it
comes to social media is important. It is also imperative that one does not
alienate themselves to the internet world but gets out and socializes. In the
years to come it will continue to remain important to remember these things
because technology is going to continue to progress.
References
No comments:
Post a Comment