Tham, Jason (2012). Media Perspectives: How Social Media Reshape Consciousness, Redefine Identities.

From Digital Culture & Society

Tham, Jason (2012). Media Perspectives: How Social Media Reshape Consciousness, Redefine Identities. http://www.academia.edu/5761497/Media_Perspectives_How_Social_Media_Reshape_Consciousness

Social media can provide a supportive environment to explore a new world, which the interactions are having the different forms and types. For instance, most teens use online the networks to extend the friendships, profile updating with personal information or lifestyle or big events, photos, videos sharing, comments to friends’ posts, blog, study purpose, music, television shows, games, knowledge news, fashion and other aspects of teen culture. The structures of language, as a message, tell people how to think about current period, space, things and ongoing processes. Speaking of the effects of social media on children development, growth, health, knowledge, and behavior are not known yet, this problem is topical and may provide by the article to better understand the issue.

It is peculiarity to study a special age group of the population - children and teenager. It is good to use ideas provided by Tham Jason in his work, it covers several research to better understand the impact of social media from the perspectives of the medium, the users, and the user’s community. The article first identifies the platform of the internet as a network medium in creating a new model of communication and share message, sheds light on users’ sense of online identity, unfolds the new system of participators as social cyborgs in virtual communities, they have freedom to either being the player or the one choose to watch (creeping/stalking). (Tham, 2012) Children are future of the world, it is important to discuss the interaction of social media and children separately from grown-ups. Because children are vulnerable, they are easy to be affected and they exactly are the main users of all the social networks.

Teens and children are the groups of people need their parents to take care of what they are watching and following; wisdom and understanding of the phenomenon they should follow on. Children are very dependent and social media and understanding of them are of crucial importance for them. The most part of the day children spend using the Internet, they visit social media sites. This is the reason, why it is important to study advantages of it for the communicative skills of children. Via social media children find those, who have similar hobbies and interests, they have the opportunity to express themselves without fear to be misunderstood or not to be understood at all. Children live under constant changes in their bodies, minds, surroundings and other things, this time is challenging for them, so social media present a platform to get support or advice. Children should learn what empathy is, and via social media, they can show it, practice it and understand empathy and its importance. Network connections help users to communicate with each other through various social media and not to worry about functional restrictions (Tham, 2012). Social media are around and everywhere, smartphone, chats, television content, video sharing, apps, photos, ads, news are all called social media, which media platform is one of the first things children learn. Children normally never think of the message they search, but all the information about the tools they visited, it can be a real threat to used to against them. Another problem is that social media breaking the privacy, Children and teenagers are risky for each other, as they do not think of consequences of using technologies, they can share too much personal information without knowing the limits, they even can post false messages about other people or even themselves. Children never think of their reputation, but all the information about the sites they visited, it is a real threat and may be used against them.

In sum, the digital revolution has brought convenience and changes to our ways of looking at perspectives of the medium and connecting with others. Just as Tham describes, ‘we are communicating creatures,’ we now have a second choice to lives behind the screen of our computers and devices and social media is the best tools to fulfills the curiousness of teens. Social networking sites offer ‘a space in which people can address this need to belong by using the online platform provided by the participators that enable conversations and information gathering, expressing opinions, expressing emotions, and influencing others.” (Tham, 2012)

However, the weakness of this article, Tham only discussing positive sides and effects is not enough for the complete picture of a problem stated. Tham has touched upon the different aspect of social media in children’s lives and how to protect children from the internet. But, the author never uses data to support his points.