Essay about Advantages and Disadvantages of Social Media and Easily Obtainable Information

Words: 1045
Pages: 5

Internet Education

HUM/186

December 5, 2013

Internet Education

In the modern world people operate their businesses and practically live their lives through the Internet, the use of social media, and easily obtainable information. Although easy access to nearly everything and everyone has many advantages, there are plenty disadvantages that accompany social media and easily obtainable information. If the world only knew how becoming aware of the rewards and drawbacks of social media and the ability to access information with ease people may change how they practice and consume it, especially when understanding the need to further question the reliability of their sources. It is important to understand the advantages,
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Many people suffer from adverse effects of continual social media usage. Once people understand both the good and bad repercussions of using social media, they may choose to modify their usage of it. For instance, people may read blogs and websites, such as Wikipedia, differently once they become aware of the fact the listed information may not be completely correct. Businesses may choose to alter their advertisements per location. People may take more precaution when making online purchases and some people may choose to limit information they post on websites such as Facebook and Twitter. Businesses and individuals will make different decisions when using social media once they are aware of its advantages and disadvantages. The Internet is a place just about everyone uses to gather information for themselves, but how is a person to know for certain whether or not the information he or she is consuming is credible. Burbules (2001) suggests a person may need to research several websites involving the information of one topic to conclude the material sought is correct. In reference to the Internet Burbule states, “Referencing and organizational systems that are available, for example, in libraries, do not exist here” (3). Many mock websites exist simply for amusement purposes and are deceptive to some people. For example, a website containing