Digital world surfing tools or what is usually called social media are inherent in every human’s life. Morning, noon and night are greeted with various information from all over the world, it is very easy to find out what is happening in other parts of the world. The definition of social media is a platform that can reach all its users and create new social interactions, where these interactions can be done remotely, not bound by distance and time. Social media is also a tool for self-expression, sharing interests or hobbies, collaborating between artists, raising funds for humanity, and increasing business relationships. There are three forms of social interpretation: introduction, communication and cooperation. After understanding and knowing a brief explanation of social media in general, the next step is the function of social media.
The first function of social media is interaction, social media has developed from a tool for sending messages into a different world for its users. They are free to do anything and share anything. Interaction is a fundamental activity of every individual. Second, building user identity, users can freely introduce themselves. User branding is often in a unique and distinctive way. They always have a way of introducing themselves in an interesting way. Third, as a business field, in Indonesia itself TikTok has turned into a business field.
They use live TikTok to sell products. A few offers can increase sales. Fourth, there is marketing, the benefit of using social media is that communication occurs between buyers and sellers online. Consumers can see every available product catalog. then from there we can make a consumer interest survey. This can be seen from the goods that run out quickly. Once we master these factors, we can increase product sales and productivity. What we discuss after this is whether social media is beneficial or detrimental.
The advantages and disadvantages of social media are sometimes relative, for example currently. During a demonstration, one person shared his experience on one of the platforms in video form. In the video, law enforcement officers carried out repressive actions against the demonstrators. The advantage of this video is that we can sue the authorities because there is related evidence and the disadvantage of this video is that it is not an appropriate viewing for a minor. Starting from the benefits, first there is access to communication.
The convenience offered is certainly very useful for every individual who is separated by distance and time. Because interaction is a human need as a social creature. Second, we get information from anywhere, with the agility of our fingers we have access to all photos, videos, content, news and articles. This is the reason why users are always up-to-date because it is easy to access it. Third, establish useful relationships. On LinkedIn we can follow each other’s users who are aligned with our work. Maybe following each other on other days is useful for working together about work or just having similar interests.
When artists post their work, they can immediately get feedback from their audience or an architect who draws a building plan and then that drawing is the beginning of a collaborative project. Fourth, increase awareness and support in the name of social causes, fundraising in various places experiencing disasters can be done more easily. Social media is also often used for campaigns and to voice social issues such as racism in America and genocide in Palestine. Voicing social issues has brought real change in society. The final benefit is to improve the welfare of small and medium businesses. In the cities of Malang and Surabaya, business people often use email to follow up with their customers. This aims to build relationships between sellers and buyers.
It’s not complete with just advantages, everything has disadvantages. The disadvantage of social media, firstly, is the age filter which does not work optimally. The age at registration or registration can be circumvented by changing the year of birth, of course this has an impact on children who receive information that is not appropriate for their age. Children can see violence, sexual content and even murder. The effect of this spectacle when children grow into adults is that they will become accustomed to committing violence, both physical and sexual. Second, they waste productive time, users are often careless.
When they feel the fun of surfing in the digital world, they waste time reading useful books, doing their duties, socializing with those around them. The most obvious impact is reducing productivity. Third, personal data can be accessed by all users, privacy is no longer important here. The increase in criminal activity begins with criminals taking personal data such as name, date of birth, place of residence and even identity cards, which can be misled. Fourth, there are hoaxes that are spread, some people tend to immediately believe confirmed information. They don’t look for the truth of the news, this shows that interest in literacy nowadays has really decreased. Fifth, bullying by irresponsible individuals, they are free to respond without thinking about someone’s condition. being judged and blamed is something that will definitely be found in the comments column. The consequences lie in the user’s mental and emotional condition.
Human resources are an important factor in using social media, human resources with higher education are wiser in responding to the information disseminated, they understand that the digital world is not always right. The solution to the problem should be to build an understanding that all information on social media cannot be immediately trusted to be absolute truth, users must have a filter on what they see and listen to. The higher our level of education, the more we grow in wisdom, not just knowledge. It’s nice to blame other people and stand on the truth in our opinion, but that will only harm fellow users. The presence of social media has many benefits to offer, with the various services provided by social media having changed the way people interact. It also spans all means of communication such as business communication, education and politics. In the face of all the shortcomings of social media, we can improve our lives if this tool is used wisely and correctly.
By: Muhammad Fatkhi Assidiqi
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