Academ
Jul 09, 2014 | #1
Essay paid by: Gustavo Guerrero from Dallas, TX. He lied he or his fraudulent friend hasn't received it.
One of the critical issues in relation to the advance of modern society is how to keep in contact with friends and family that may live thousands of miles away. One argument claims that old-fashioned traditional means of communication such as, phone calls and letters are more effective if one cannot talk face-to-face. The other argument claims that social media such as, email, Facebook, and Twitter are the primary means of communication used by the current generation because they are easy to use, are cost effective, and provide instantaneous communication. Social media is a more effective tool for communicating with distant friends and family than traditional communication methods for several reasons including, cost, accessibility, and speed.
Using social media is more cost-effective than using traditional methods of communication such as, letters or phone calls in the case that a person cannot communicate face-to-face with someone. First, the cost of stamps rises on a bi-yearly basis and has risen more than 20 cents since 1990 (the year the internet began to become popular). Second, phone calls are also increasingly expensive with some international calls costing up to $30.00 USD per phone call. Thirdly, most businesses, public libraries, and in many cases residential condominium and apartment complexes offer free wireless internet as a means of attracting people to their business. This means that unless one is using a pay-for-service email provider such as, America Online (AOL) (who does these days?), access to social media like Facebook, Twitter, or basic email is free. Given the current state of the economy, many people find traditional methods of communicating with others to be cost-prohibitive. For example, few people have landline telephones in today's society and even fewer utilize the United States Postal Service on a regular basis.
Social media is often more accessible. Every single person can access social media through their cell phones, free public or college library computer access, private desktop or laptop computers, tablet PC, and on their e-reader devices. As stated previously many businesses, libraries, and residential housing complexes also offer free wireless internet. This means that unless one live in a remote region with bare bones dial-up or satellite internet, one can probably get on Facebook to communicate with family and friends. In contrast, many people do not live within close distance of a local post office even within a city meaning that it is not convenient to either mail letters or purchase stamps. Furthermore, modern work schedules are such that it is not always convenient or accessible to make telephone calls since people may be awake and at home at different times of the day.
The final critical aspect of using social media in comparison to traditional means of non-direct communication with others is speed. Depending on where one live a letter can take almost two weeks to reach its target from the time one put it the mail to the time the target removes it from their mailbox. In addition, this is not to say that the target of the letter reads it right away or even at all. Telephone calls are similar. While one may instantly reach the person, one may also end up spending up to an hour on hold if they are busy, or may have to leave a voicemail message and call them back later which is slow and inconvenient. With social media, one can post a message to their wall or send them an email and if they have access to portable electronic devices such as, cell phones, tablets, or laptops they will be able to reply instantly.
This is not to say there are not some drawbacks to social media. For example, older adults are often not familiar with nor comfortable with computers or cell phones. This means that they would have to learn how to use these devices before they were able to use social media. Another critical issue is privacy. When one put information on the internet it is not always private and even if a website states that oner private information will be kept private there is a chance that their website could be hacked and oner personal information could be stolen. Finally, some people argue that social media does not allow them enough words to say what they want to say effectively. For example, Facebook has a 450-word limit and Twitter has a 150-character limit and most email services place a data cap on how much mail one can send and store.
In conclusion, social media is the wave of the future. It offers users a means of communicating with others that is faster, cheaper, and more accessible than more traditional communication methods. These methods have allowed users to be contacted by friends and family anytime, anywhere. While there are deficits and risks to using these communication methods in many cases they are more secure than communicating with others using traditional methods. Most have overall had a positive experience using social media as a primary means of communication and would highly recommend social media formats to others. The primary reason for the difference in opinion is generational rather than out of any real or true differences in ability to communicate with each other over long distances.
Social Media Technology of Communication
One of the critical issues in relation to the advance of modern society is how to keep in contact with friends and family that may live thousands of miles away. One argument claims that old-fashioned traditional means of communication such as, phone calls and letters are more effective if one cannot talk face-to-face. The other argument claims that social media such as, email, Facebook, and Twitter are the primary means of communication used by the current generation because they are easy to use, are cost effective, and provide instantaneous communication. Social media is a more effective tool for communicating with distant friends and family than traditional communication methods for several reasons including, cost, accessibility, and speed.
Using social media is more cost-effective than using traditional methods of communication such as, letters or phone calls in the case that a person cannot communicate face-to-face with someone. First, the cost of stamps rises on a bi-yearly basis and has risen more than 20 cents since 1990 (the year the internet began to become popular). Second, phone calls are also increasingly expensive with some international calls costing up to $30.00 USD per phone call. Thirdly, most businesses, public libraries, and in many cases residential condominium and apartment complexes offer free wireless internet as a means of attracting people to their business. This means that unless one is using a pay-for-service email provider such as, America Online (AOL) (who does these days?), access to social media like Facebook, Twitter, or basic email is free. Given the current state of the economy, many people find traditional methods of communicating with others to be cost-prohibitive. For example, few people have landline telephones in today's society and even fewer utilize the United States Postal Service on a regular basis.Social media is often more accessible. Every single person can access social media through their cell phones, free public or college library computer access, private desktop or laptop computers, tablet PC, and on their e-reader devices. As stated previously many businesses, libraries, and residential housing complexes also offer free wireless internet. This means that unless one live in a remote region with bare bones dial-up or satellite internet, one can probably get on Facebook to communicate with family and friends. In contrast, many people do not live within close distance of a local post office even within a city meaning that it is not convenient to either mail letters or purchase stamps. Furthermore, modern work schedules are such that it is not always convenient or accessible to make telephone calls since people may be awake and at home at different times of the day.
The final critical aspect of using social media in comparison to traditional means of non-direct communication with others is speed. Depending on where one live a letter can take almost two weeks to reach its target from the time one put it the mail to the time the target removes it from their mailbox. In addition, this is not to say that the target of the letter reads it right away or even at all. Telephone calls are similar. While one may instantly reach the person, one may also end up spending up to an hour on hold if they are busy, or may have to leave a voicemail message and call them back later which is slow and inconvenient. With social media, one can post a message to their wall or send them an email and if they have access to portable electronic devices such as, cell phones, tablets, or laptops they will be able to reply instantly.
This is not to say there are not some drawbacks to social media. For example, older adults are often not familiar with nor comfortable with computers or cell phones. This means that they would have to learn how to use these devices before they were able to use social media. Another critical issue is privacy. When one put information on the internet it is not always private and even if a website states that oner private information will be kept private there is a chance that their website could be hacked and oner personal information could be stolen. Finally, some people argue that social media does not allow them enough words to say what they want to say effectively. For example, Facebook has a 450-word limit and Twitter has a 150-character limit and most email services place a data cap on how much mail one can send and store.
In conclusion, social media is the wave of the future. It offers users a means of communicating with others that is faster, cheaper, and more accessible than more traditional communication methods. These methods have allowed users to be contacted by friends and family anytime, anywhere. While there are deficits and risks to using these communication methods in many cases they are more secure than communicating with others using traditional methods. Most have overall had a positive experience using social media as a primary means of communication and would highly recommend social media formats to others. The primary reason for the difference in opinion is generational rather than out of any real or true differences in ability to communicate with each other over long distances.