Social Media

Social Media and Society
Social Media is a type of web technology that allows the sharing user created content. Users are able to share personal experiences and interests with their friends and family. This allows for individuals to upload HyperMedia to be seen from other users worldwide.

Web 2.0 and Social Media
Social Media was introduced with the implementation of web 2.0. This version of the semantic web was

produced by Tim Berners-Lee and allowed for users to upload their own information to the web, as well as comment and interact with the content of other users. With Social Media, users are able to create their own profile within a specific platform.

Popular Social Media Platforms

 * Facebook
 * YouTube
 * Instagram
 * Twitter
 * Reddit
 * Vine
 * Pintrest

Issues with Social Media
With the ability for users to put all of their personal experiences and interests online, there comes the issue of protecting user information. There is no way to truly understand the size of the audience that is able to see the information each user places on their social media pages. The information users palce on social media leaves cyber footprints. These are ways for these platforms to track user information to be used for research purposes.

There also comes the issues of individuals taking all information they see to be true. While anybody can post a link from any site without thorough fact checking, individuals world wide may believe a fake news story to be true. When these fake stories gain attention at a larger level people will be misinformed about events in the world, which could potentially put individuals in danger.

The Future of Social Media
While Social Media is already a large part of most individuals lives, the future of these platforms will most likely aim to mediate the information that is seen from users world-wide. While these platforms should act as a way for people to freely post on their page, the issue of fake news needs to be further addressed to prevent the potential harm of individuals.