Social Media
Discuss social media’s impact or influence on a certain area.
Throughout the second half of this course we will be discussing social media’s impact on public relations,
advertising, marketing, and journalism.
You can choose to analyze one of those areas OR another topic such as social justice, television, politics,
dating, etc. The purpose of the project is for you to research a topic that you’re passionate about. The topic
chosen should be specific. For example, if you choose social media and television, you may analyze how
the use of Twitter during live television may impact ratings.
The following questions must be answered in your research paper:
1. Background and/or history of your topic. Set the scene.
2. What social media platform(s) are you focusing on and why?
3. Was there a negative or positive impact in regards to social media on your topic? Use visuals and/or
statistical evidence to back up your claim. Consider their target audience. You MUST pick a side.
4. Would you change the way the industry you researched used the social media platform? If so, what
would you adjust? If not, why do you feel it worked?
Sample Solution
In today’s globalized world, there are growing concerns about negative impacts of mental health. For instance, a study by the Royal Society of Public Health and the Young Health Movement explored mechanisms by which social media platforms affect mental health and wellbeing when factors such as quality and amount of sleep, feelings of loneliness, bullying, fear of missing out (FOMO), anxiety, and depression found positive correlation between the two parameters. While there are negative outcomes in these areas, they found social media can also be extremely beneficial in several ways, for example, allowing for self-expression, communicating with long-distance friends, self-identity, emotional support, and so on.
