Social Media Genre
The genre analyzed in this documentation is a news article written in the New York Times by Caroline Crosson Gilpin on 24th February, 2017. The text is formatted in aligned paragraphs and includes transitions from one section to another. The length of the article is approximately two pages. The author uses a formal language to communicate the information in the text. For instance, in the opening statement, Gilpin asserts that social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram have been integrated into the culture of teenagers. The content included in the article reveals the effects that these social media platforms have on the college performance and career objectives of students. The ideas that the author has omitted in the texts includes the potential advantages associated with social networking, such as the enhancement of social integration among the online users. The purpose of the Gilpin’s article is to elucidate the readers about the harms of the excessive use of social media platforms (Gilpin n.p.). I make such a conclusion because the title of the article suggests so. Eventually, the author has elaborated her main argument regarding this issue by asserting that students do not necessarily need online networks to capitalize on new opportunities in the marketplace.
The intended audience for this news article is college students who apply one or a variety of the social networking sites mentioned herein. The rhetoric strategy that Gilpin has utilized in the text is the appeal to the audience using pathos. For instance, she argues that when students spend much of their time on online networks, their brains experience the need for a quick stimulation when the students get bored; thus, reducing their concentration ability (Gilpin n.p.). In the analysis of this article, I am going to determine whether the author convinces the readers to reduce their reliance on social media platforms by revealing the most significant arguments.
In a more conceptualized way, the author does not take edges in addressing the issue of social media influence on the performance of students. According to Gilpin, social media plays a significant role in expanding more opportunities for youth by escalating on their social links with others across the Internet. Consequently, it increases their chances of being absorbed in the current job market in an easier way. She adds that social media makes a student more valuable and attractive in the society in terms of their qualifications and personal qualities (Gilpin n.p.). Altogether, this adds up to the competitive advantage of a learner in the marketplace as one becomes more exposed to the ongoing changes and demands of the competitive market. From this argument, it is clear that social media can enlarge a number of one’s opportunities in various aspects.
However, the author argues that despite the fact that there are better prospects that arise out of being valuable through exposure on social media; students should limit themselves in terms of the amount of time they spend on different internet forums. In support of this assertion, she argues that one does not necessarily have to use social media to appeal to his or her employers. However, her main point is that a student can be more attractive in the job market even without the use of the social media. As such, from the author’s point of view, if people can limit themselves to the amount of time they spend in the Internet, they can reduce some of the risks associated with providing irrelevant advertising of themselves through social media. Therefore, Gilpin is convinced that in spite of some advantages brought by the use of social media for students, it can negatively affect their reputation due to leakages of inappropriate information.
Moreover, Gilpin argues that the social media is extremely addictive and deprives students’ ability to recapitulate the slightest things they have been taught clearly, as well as to view life in a broader perspective. According to the author, the more one becomes used to social media, the more he or she is weak in critical thinking. Therefore, social media make a negative impact on people’s desire to work hard, comprehend new things, and act by their own..
Additionally, the Internet plays a negative role in making most students losing their concentration levels (Gilpin n.p.). Ultimately, the majority of the students is carried away from the reality by the Internet even in the most serious occasions that they do not pay attention to the main agendas. Indeed, it is evident that social media has significantly contributed towards the loss of concentration even in the social living context.
Conversely, Patrick Gillooly considers social media’s influence on the youth in a more optimistic way. According to Gillooly, social media is as good as meals people consume every day. Notably, they plays a critical role in enlightening students about everyday happenings, thereby, keeping them updated on the regular basis (Gilpin n.p.). As such, he argues that social media is an important tool that is used to educate people on essential things that happen around them. Thus, constant application of Facebook, Instagram, and the like has been crucial in educating the public on the ongoing and already existing trends that may have direct or indirect impacts on their lives.
Additionally, Gillooly argues that social media assists students in marketing them to the global market. In doing so, an individual establishes external links with other people from beyond the borders and this may lead some benefits accruing from mutual relationships from abroad. As such, the author emphasizes on what people post on their social media forums such as in Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram (Gilpin n.p.). Imminently, there is a huge amount of power harbored in the social media, and the materials people post in them can greatly either adversely or positively influence their professional future. To be more specific, there are some posts, which people would not like their potential employers to see. Thus, the youth must be accurate in using a set of social networks for personal promotion as some content can negatively affect their carrier prospects.
Remarkably, many of the employers use tools and equipment that links them with the job seekers. Outstandingly, when potential employers view one’s social media profile, they go for the behavioral conduct to evaluate the kind of person they are likely to employ. The information they get about an individual helps to determine a kind of mutual relationship to expect when they hire such an employee (Gilpin n.p.). Therefore, people are to control what they post to attract potential employers. Evidently, the networks provides a forum where individuals can display their qualities. However, when they overdo, it can be harmful as it can come back haunting on them. Nevertheless, when potential employers cannot find information about a person in social networks, the chances of being employed may somehow diminish. Thus, it is critical to evaluate on the posts that one makes, as they are the first things to hit potential employers; once they find negative information about a person, they end up getting disappointed.
Eventually, social media is a two-edged sword; it can be used for positive or negative gains. As such, it is the responsibility of the involved individuals to regulate their interaction with the different social networks. Moreover, it has been revealed that most employers look for information about a person in social media before the employment. As such, people should be cautious about their behavior exhibited on the social forums since they can be the source of success or pull back factors.
Work Cited
Gilpin, Caroline. “Will Social Media Help or Hurt Your College and Career Goals?” New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/24/learning/will-social-media-help-or-hurt-your-college-and-career-goals.html. Accessed April, 2017.
