Diffusion of Social Media

The Diffusion of Social Media 

Throughout time our human communication has advanced as technology has become more intelligent, faster, and more efficient, updating every day. A Communications Professor named Everette Rogers published a book in 1962 titled Diffusion of Innovation. The theory of Diffusion was a scientific concept studied in the 19th century that is used to help explain society's response and acceptance of an idea or product over time. 

Social media is now a prominent part of society and is used globally by an estimated 4.7 billion users. When you think of social media, you automatically think of popular platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, TikTok, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and YouTube. What people do not realize is that the term Social media is a collective term for forms of electronic communication (such as websites for social networking and microblogging) through which users create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages, and other content (such as videos). This all-encompassing term for social media does not just mean mainstream social networking sites but also includes dating apps, professional networking sites, and even blogs, email, and messenger systems. Digital communication overall has a hold on society, and technology is basically required in order to be an active participant in society.  

The use of social media has rapidly grown since the end of the twentieth century and has changed how we communicate with others. It has had an immense impact on society by connecting the world and giving a close-up look into each other's lives. Many positive impacts include increased communication, networking opportunities, long-distance/global communication, brand growth, employment opportunities, content creation, (mostly) a marketplace of ideas, increased creativity, and creating a place of belonging. Some negative impacts include cyberbullying, cybersecurity, stalking, phone addiction, fake news, body image issues, mental health issues, FOMO (fear of missing out), suicidal thoughts, eating disorders, and anxiety. Many of the positive impacts listed above are why users choose to join social media and are active on their accounts. Of course, the negative impacts are reasons why the small percentage of people who are not on social media choose not to be. 

Diffusion of Innovation Adapter Categories   

 The rise of social media's popularity did not happen instantly. Social media was adopted, updated, and evolved to become the platforms we see today. As social networking sites gained more and more users, popularity grew hand in hand with the growth of technology.  The theory of diffusion uses five major elements of adapter categories to describe the diffusion of social media over time. 

The Innovators: The people are the guinea pigs of innovation. They want to be the first to try the innovation, explore its qualities and are willing to take risks. When relating to social media, these are the users that are interested in and curious about what these platforms have to offer to society.

Early Adopters: These are the people who are ring leaders for innovation. They embrace change and are open to updating the innovation. They are willing to adapt too changes and have their opinion heard to advance whatever innovation they are pursuing.

Early Majority: These are the people who are willing to adopt ideas before most but still need to see evidence of its success and the advantages of the innovation. They need to understand and know its effects on society and how others will react to the innovation as well.

Late Majority: The are the ones who are skeptical of change and are only willing to adapt to innovations if it is shown to be a solid and established success. 

Laggards: These people are bound to traditions and will not budge to change things if it does not need fixing. They are usually the hardest group to persuade to adapt to change in innovations. Usually, these people will only consider changing if they are pressured, forced, or shown statistics that will 100% endorse the innovation.  

I believe that in terms of social media, many of the people who fall into these different categories will be determined by their generation. Many of the innovators, early adopters, and early majority would fall into Generation Z, Millennials, and Generation X. Many of the Late Majority and the Laggards would fall into the Baby Boomer and Silent Generations. Each generation has experienced different innovations in technology and, therefore, different innovations in social media. We see it so often in today's world where the age gap causes a technology gap where the Baby Boomer and Silent Generation struggle to learn how to use new technology and social media pages. Then we see four-year-olds already efficiently using iPads. These innovations are open to everyone, but I believe that age is a definite factor when looking at the diffusions of social media.  

Social Media's Diffusion in the 21st Century

Social media's large presence in society grew, as mentioned above, hand in hand with technology. With the updates in technology occurring, specifically "smart technology," the expansion of social media was widespread as Innovators began creating more and more ways for digital communication, thus increasing the usage of social media. You see a rise in social media in the 21st century after technology companies like Apple begin creating and updating their smartphones, laptops, iPads, and more. 

For example, one of the leading social networking platforms, Facebook,, was created by Mark Zuckerberg only eighteen years ago. Facebook now has an estimated 2.9 billion global users and is still currently ranked 1st among the world's most active social media platforms. The rise of this platform influenced the rise and creation of other platforms such as Instagram and Snapchat. These social media platforms have now become a main channel of communication and have taken over society. It spreads from the innovators to the early adapters who share these platforms with friends, who share with their friends, who share with their friends, and so forth. 

Overall, I know there are positives and negatives to these innovations and especially social media. I do believe that the positives outweigh the negatives, although I do believe the negatives are valid reasons for laggards not to want to join social media platforms. There is always a risk with any innovation, but, as the diffusion theory has shown us, when one is willing to jump, others will always follow; it's just a matter of how many. 

Antiwar

 Antiwar

    War has always been a controversial topic for Americans. America has a reputation for inserting itself into international affairs that they do not belong in. Many headlines on Antiwar.com will show where our taxes go when we insert ourselves in international affairs that we originally were not a part of. On the contrary, we also have been called un-American for not supporting wars and other global affairs we were expected to support due to our values and foundation of democracy. Every war we enter has different reasons for why we are engaging in war, but one of the biggest reasons is the profit made. War has always been profitable for the United States and is almost always a factor in the decision to go to war. Money makes the world go round, and that rings true in America, for better or worse.

The Silence and Censorship

     The decision to go to war is not taken lightly by American citizens. This decision affects them all, and they let that be known. Or do they? Many websites, such as  Antiwar.com and TheAmeicanConservative.com, are forums for citizens to speak out on their opinions and thoughts on the government when the government tries to silence them on other social platforms. Antiwar is not the only topic that has been silenced by the government. They try to silence any voices and opinions that do not align with their decisions, and you can see that prominently on these websites. The government has been known to silence users from speaking out against government decisions. For instance, many Twitter users were silenced when they spoke out against or questioned the COVID-19 vaccines and procedures. The government was found to be working with this large platform to silence these users, and it is not the first time they have done this. 

   The government will silence whistleblowers, who are workers from inside the government who expose and reveal the true intentions or actions behind their decisions. This makes you question how much of a voice we actually have in our democracy and government. The opinions on antiwar are not unpopular but very quiet opinions that you do not see much. 

The chilling effect and the spiral of silence make it extremely difficult for peoples' voices to be heard. The chilling effect is when the government can't directly silence you but can threaten and scare you into censoring yourself. The spiral of silence goes hand in hand when the government intimidates you into silence by making you uncomfortable in your stance. These two theories and techniques are often used by the government, and it is our duty as citizens to stay true to our values and opinions. We need to recognize this and not allow the government to take away our freedoms of thought and speech. 

Overall, we need to take a step back and reevaluate if our society is truly a marketplace of ideas as it is meant to be. We cannot let the government continue to push its own agenda at the expense of our freedoms and rights. We must make our voices heard in order to keep these rights before we completely lose the grasp of democracy. 

Each One Teach One: Carrier Pigeons

    Carrier Pigeons EOTO

     In our Each One Teach One presentations, I learned so many new things about topics I would not have even realized would fit into the Communication Technology Timeline. This included the Carrier Pigeons presentation. I found the presentation so interesting because I would never have thought that pigeons would be a part of this timeline. Listening to Kristen's presentation was so much fun hearing about this history; I would not have learned it if we had not had these EOTO presentations. 

    I loved learning about how the carrier pigeons used their compass sense and map sense to find their destination and then return home. I have always wondered how people found out that they could be message carriers. I enjoyed the biblical reference that Kristen made to Noah and the dove when he sent it out to see if it was dry or not on the land. This relation in ideas to the pigeon carrier made so much sense, and it is fascinating how they have a natural sense of direction.

    We learned that animals, in general, have been used for communication since the beginning of time. They are extremely intelligent beings and the innovative idea to use them as means of communication when there was no technology was game-changing for long-distance communication. 

    We learned how vital they were during times of war because the factor of time could change history. They would be used to warn cities of war or invasions and were used to share important information, like during the Olympics. They played a significant role in the Franco-Prussian War, Civil War, and World War I. 

    Finally, I learned that that way of messaging decreased due to them carrying diseases and hunters killing them, lowering the population significantly. When thinking of pigeons now, I relate them to the millions of pigeons in New York City. It is crazy to think that they used to be such a vital part of communication in the world. Each One Teach One was a very beneficial project to learn more about the history of communication. 

The History of Social Media and it's Impact

History of Social Media 

Social media is a collective term for forms of electronic communication (such as websites for social networking and microblogging) through which users create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages, and other content (such as videos).  

The use of social media has rapidly grown since the end of the twentieth century and has changed how we communicate with others. There are currently an estimated 4.7 billion users around the world. Social networking sites, such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, TikTok, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and YouTube, have had many an immense impact on society by connecting the world and giving a close-up look into each other's lives. 

While most of the major social media that are popular today were created and developed during the 21st century, we see the first signs of social media were in 1844 with the telegraph, created by Samuel Morse, used to send messages to Washington D.C. The development of new technology over time, including the telephone, computer, and radio, sparked the revolution of social media.  

Positive Impacts 

Social media platforms from the beginning of the telegraph have given us a way to virtually connect with others. It has changed the way we communicate with others and the way we brand ourselves. 

Social media was created to be a form of instant connection and communication virtually. There is now a multitude of social networking sites and platforms that users and companies can use to share content, connect globally, grow brands, and share information. People are able to find employment opportunities and network on site and are able to acquire remote jobs from the comfort of their own homes. Media platforms also covered dating apps and websites such as Tinder, Hinge, Bumble, Riya, and eharmony. This allows people match with potential love interests and find significant others with similar personalities, interests, and values.  

Social media platforms are also a main place of free expression where people can share their thoughts, feelings, and opinions. Although private companies can censor inappropriate content, it is still a marketplace of ideas where people can post discussions and topics of interest. People can find belonging within social media and meet others with similar view, values, and interests. Overall, everyone in the world has become more connected because of social media, and we have reaped the benefits of its creation and updates throughout the years.

Negative Impacts  

  Although social media was revolutionary for our world and the media, social media also had many negative impacts. Social media has significant effects on the mental health of users. Concerns about the effects of social media on mental health have been emphasized and brought to light in recent years. Many social media platforms have been found to increase rates rates of body dysmorphia, depression, suicidal thoughts, FOMO (fear of missing out), eating disorders, and anxiety. Research has explored the influence of social media and has shown that sometimes it is more hurtful than helpful. 

Social Media has also increased the amount of cyberbullying, adding to the effect that social media has on mental health. Harassment and bullying on an online platform has increased especially in an anonymous form. Access to direct contacts of others makes it so dangerous for anonymous bully as well as anonymous threats. Everyone's personal and private information can also be more easily exposed and permanently live on the internet. This causes an increase in stalking, identity theft, fraud, and account hacking. Although, this did increase the strength of cyber security and helped create better media laws on the internet. 

Overall, social media is ever-changing and will continue to evolve over the years and influence the way our society runs as a whole. Social media does not discriminate. It is used all around the world by users of all ages, races, religions, etc. Therefore, it affects us all and will continue to integrate into our daily lifestyles.  

The Eight Values of Free Expression

Free expression has been the foundation of our nation since the very beginning. It is the reason so many people from all over the world choose to come to America and chase the "American Dream." The values of free expression in America are enticing to many whose governments have silenced and restricted them from personal freedoms. The importance of free expression has been defined in eight ways: The Marketplace of Ideas, Participation in Self-Government, Stable Change, Individual Self-Fulfillment, Check on Governmental Power, the Promotion of Tolerance, The Promotion of Innovation, and the Protection of Dissent. All eight values of free expression show the importance of our right to be genuinely and fully ourselves. 

When reflecting on the Eight Values of Free Expression, one that resonates the most with me is individual self-fulfillment or self-actualization. This is the human liberty given to us to express ourselves and create our own identities. I feel this value is most important because it is the basis of every other value. Our freedom of speech was described as "an aspect of human dignity, human agency, and autonomy." I believe that in order for us to make our own opinions and decisions, we need to be able to fully express and know ourselves before anything else. It is important that we know who we are as an individual, which is why individual self-fulfillment is a vital value of free expression.  

Another value of free expression that goes hand in hand with self-fulfillment is protection of dissent. In today's world, social media allows everyone to share their thoughts, views, and opinions with just the click of a button. Protection of dissent is so important especially in the tense political climate we are in today. As mentioned in Speech Theories, it states "In fact, it is your patriotic duty to criticize the government." Above I talked about how so many people travel to America in hopes to have the "American Dream." I believe that a huge part of the American Dream is free expression, and protection of dissent is a privilege to most who have had no personal freedoms, much less freedom of expression. 

Finally, Marketplace of Ideas is another value I feel is vital within the world of social media. This is the concept that different beliefs can be freely posted on the same platforms and not be censored by the government. Social media is mostly meant to be a marketplace of ideas where people are supposed to be able to freely express themselves to a certain extent. Currently, this value, as well as others, are being violated. Twitter has been seen working with the government to ban certain accounts that speak out against the government in a negative way. This censorship from the government through a private company is violating this value, and it makes me wonder just how much our government is actually giving us the freedoms we are meant to have promised to us. 

Overall, all eight values of free expression are vital to our society and our government. Being able to truly and freely be ourselves is what sets us a part from other countries and makes America what it is. 

The Supreme Court of the United States

The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the head of the government's judicial branch and is the nation's highest federal court. It is the most powerful judiciary body on Earth. SCOTUS was established by the United States Constitution and has the power to make legal decisions and judgments on laws in the United States. They evaluate the constitutionality of laws and use their powers to keep the other two branches of government, executive and legislative, in check. 

The SCOTUS was originally made up of six Justices who serve on the court until they retire or die. Now there are currently nine Justices that are nominated by the President and confirmed or denied by the U.S. Senate. The highest judicial officer is the Chief Justice, who presides over the Supreme Court and sets the agenda for the weekly meetings. The Chief Justice also is required to preside over impeachment trials against the President. 

Something I was super surprised to learn about was that there are 100 new cases every week and about 7,000 a year that is considered to go to the Supreme Court. I also learned that there have only been about 100 Supreme Court Judges and Justices and I would have thought there would be way way more. The most important takeaway is the power that the Supreme Court holds and how much of an impact their decisions make in our nation as well as the world. SCOTUS has had many unprecedented cases that have greatly impacted our nation for better or worse. They have made landmark decisions in many major cases, including Brown V. Board of Education, Dred Scott v. Sandford, Roe v. Wade, and U.S. v. Nixon. The SCOTUS is revolutionary around the globe. Although I do not agree with all of the decisions made, I feel fortunate that we have this section of government that makes our Democracy and voice so much stronger.