Introduction
There is exponential growth in social media usage to acquire and spread information. One of the reasons for the popularity of social networking sites is that they allow users to create, receive and share public messages at a cost-effective price. Moreover, there is significant internet penetration across the globe, and most adults can afford electronic gadgets such as smartphones. The downside of social media platforms is that they tend to collect personal and private data, thus causing ethical issues. Although data mining helps to provide customized experiences, there are risks for personal data getting into the public domain.
Collection of Personal Data and Influence on Behavior
Social media platforms are used for the creation and sharing of content online. Notably, more than 2.8 billion people in the world are active members of at least one platform, such as Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and WhatsApp (Taylor & Pagliari, 2017). People post personal data like photos, curriculum vitae, text messages, and other documents on these platforms. The social media platforms then get access to such content and use it to customize the customer experience.
Past posts, profile pictures, searches, and areas of interest are often used to offer suggestions to web 2.0 users, thereby influencing their behavior. Notably, on social networks, algorithms, names, mobile phone numbers, and device locations are also collected in history to enhance the visibility of a real user (Hruska & Maresova, 2020). Also, peer interactivity through likes, comments, and retweets is heightened to influence online behavior. For example, if a person is a follower of a given personality, they automatically get their tweets and the thread of responses. Thus, the collection of data influences the time spent by users on social media and the content they consume, which then affects their daily lives.
Benefits, Risks, and Advantages of Social Network Collection of Personal Data
One of the benefits of social media platforms collecting personal data is customized experiences regarding marketing, news feeds, and friend suggestions. For instance, advertisers often look for a specific target group by assessing gender, location, interests, language, and age for appropriate branding (Rodgers, 2020). The algorithms also develop demographic groups using the information they obtain from personal data. They can then give suggestions for groups, friends, and celebrities that may be of interest to the individual. Hence, the users benefit from customized information, strategic network expansion, and building a social media community with similar interests.
The risk is that spammers, cyberbullies, and other fraudulent users can access private information and use it to harm unexpecting users. According to Barrett-Maitland & Lynch (2020), the digital world has no privacy because personal gadgets like smartphones and laptops are connected to a global positioning system (GPS) and geo-maps. People with social networks can easily be tracked by criminals who steal or blackmail them. The threat of a virtual or physical attack is possible when people with ill intentions get access to vital information such as user location.
Unethical use of social media platforms causes a breach of information security and individual practice, which is difficult to detect. For example, findings indicate that minors ages 8 to 11 spend about 13.5 hours weekly on such platforms, while 18% are active members (Barrett-Maitland & Lynch, 2020). The disadvantage is that children easily trust strangers who can take advantage of and harm them. The other disadvantage of social media is that it diminishes understanding, leads to inauthentic expression of feelings, and causes emotional disconnection.
Impact of Social Media on Society
Social media remains one of the dominant internet services, which offers a new interactive opportunity. Humans are increasingly using social media to campaign for political support, humanitarian aid, group activities, and business marketing and selling products (Barrett-Maitland & Lynch, 2020). In turn, people can interact without moving from their physical location. Some businesses, such as Amazon, operate through their website and finish transactions with the customer without meeting face to face. There are also rampant schools and other educational institutions which offer electronic learning for distance learning. Thus, service delivery in business and education is possible.
Communication and interaction between people are the other facets of a society transforming due to social media. Statistics indicate that youths spend approximately six hours online (Hruska & Maresova, 2020). The implication is that physical communication is reduced. People increasingly prefer casual communication through digital media at the expense of meeting and building intact relationships. Also, people are often in dire competition to portray a good image or appear fashionable to get more likes and comments and attract followers. Thus, social media can increase pressure to show off a fake life while one suffers from depression and low self-esteem.
Summary
In summary, the increase in the number of people using social media has changed interactions and activities in society. Many people are engaging in businesses, education, and long-distance communication online. Moreover, personal data is collected through algorithms to enhance the individual experience by receiving customized advertisements and connecting with like-minded people. However, collecting private data such as user location, number, and name is risky when accessed by cybercriminals. There are also privacy and ethical concerns for social media users who are inexperienced in navigating online platforms. Thus, both the positives and negatives shape human behavior, communication, and interaction patterns.
References
Barrett-Maitland, N., & Lynch, J. (2020). Social media, ethics and the privacy paradox. Security and Privacy From a Legal, Ethical, and Technical Perspective, 1-14. Web.
Hruska, J., & Maresova, P. (2020). Use of social media platforms among adults in the United States—Behavior on social media. Societies, 10(1), 1-27. Web.
Rodgers, N. S. (2020). Understanding personal data in the world of social media. Utah State University. Web.
Taylor, J., & Pagliari, C. (2017). Mining social media data: How are research sponsors and researchers addressing the ethical challenges? Research Ethics, 14(2), 1-39. Web.