Category: Social Media

Introduction

Nowadays the representatives of the general public use various devices they have due to the technological development to reach social media through the Internet and communicate with others. Digital world allows them to get to know new people, share various data and organize different activities. In addition to that, the users can have a chance to use creative learning strategies that attract them because of the possibility not just to study in formal settings but also in informal ones. In this way, they can make friends with individuals who have similar ideas and preferences and to interact with them for educational purposes. All in all, the usage of non-traditional educational approaches attracts enormous attention today so that social media and its advantages both in the classroom and at home are widely discussed.

Professionals underline that computers, phones, and other similar devices can be extremely beneficial in the framework of learning and teaching because they give a chance to reach web-based social networking platforms whenever and wherever one is. Thus, people refer to Facebook, Twitter and other social media websites to communicate with the members of their community. It is stated that they are very popular on campuses and learners constantly refer to them. It is critical that not only adults and the youth utilize social media but also school children who are willing to find out something new, active and creative. Thus, it can be claimed that learners of all ages are greatly dependent on various websites and apps. Even though this tendency is usually considered to be incorrect and harmful to the users, the educators found out that they can use it for educational purposes. Professionals believe that social networks allow the users to experience authentic language interactions and develop sociopragmatic awareness (e.g., language use in specific contexts, relationship building&), which are often absence in textbooks (Wang & Chen, 2013, p. 135).

In addition to that, many people underline that today the Internet users tend to forget about the possibility to use their computers and laptops to reach social networks can give preference to the phones. The thing is that using them, they have a possibility to get in touch in any place. Phones are rather small, which means that they can be carried everywhere. The representatives of the general public use them every day, which means that they can be emphasized as main connectors between people and social networks. Still, realizing how dependent on their devices, professionals create numerous apps that can be used for different purposes, including the educational one. For instance, DuoLingo appeared on the market for the users to study several languages in a non-academic environment.

Considering the information mentioned above, it seems to be reasonable to conduct a research study that will discuss the effectiveness of social media and mobile apps for educational purposes. With its help, professionals and learners who are focused on language learning will have an opportunity to find out how they can use these items in practice to achieve more benefits. The paper will try to support the assumption that social media and mobile apps can be useful when learning a second language. However, various points of view will be considered equally so that the results become more objective. In this way, research will focus on such things as:

• The way social media and mobile apps are treated by the learners and educators;
• How they can be utilized in the educational framework (when learning a second language, in particular);
• What advanced apps and social media types are usually used;
• What are both positive and negative effects of social networks and mobile apps on learning processes.

Thus, this paper will discuss whether social media and mobile apps can be really advantageous when learning a second language or not. The ways in which they can be used will also be pointed out so that eventually recommendation for the learners and educators can be developed. So being successfully conducted and presented, this research study is likely to make a contribution to different spheres including education, communications, and media. It will have theoretical and practical significance, which will prove its value.

Literature Review

The usage of social media and mobile apps for educational purposes is a relatively new issue due to the fact that such possibility appeared not so long ago because it depends greatly on the technological development. However, a lot of information related to this topic can be already found. Still, different professionals tend to discuss various frameworks of social media and apps usage, which means that their effectiveness for learning a second language by international students is not yet well-discussed. In addition to that, many learners and educators believe that in practice these methods are not very useful, which makes them neglect possible advantageous opportunities. Thus, there is a necessity to review those literature sources that discuss related topics so that the framework for the future research study can be created.

New social media is thoroughly discussed by Sawyer (2011). The professional claims that they are currently used by the majority of the general public on the everyday basis so that the individuals from different countries can communicate and share knowledge regardless of their location. However, the author underlines that people involved in intercultural interactions that became rather popular due to the globalization need to adapt to a new social environment and its peculiarities. Sawyer (2011) states that social media can help people to find connections between their own culture and those represented by other users, as they start living in the global village.

Even British Council (2009) got interested in teaching and learning with the help of social media, which proves that such approach is widely recognized. It is stated that, using up-to-date learning technologies, educators allow their students to socialize informally and feel relaxed when interacting with native speakers in real life. They provide the educators with several recommendations. British Council (2009) encourages them to organize group work, make exercises fun, give tasks outside of the formal setting, and act as facilitators. It states that the teachers should use different learning technologies and explain to their learners how to do that. They should refer to those social media that are preferred by the students and focus on them. Second Life, Facebook, and TeachingEnglish are of the highest priority.

Chowdhury and Saha (2015) are also interested in the effects of social media, but their attention is mainly focused on Facebook. The professionals conducted research in Kolkata city to reveal its positive and negative influences. They concluded that being accessed to Facebook through a mobile app or Web browser the users have an opportunity to reach various educational opportunities. The authors stated that the undergraduate and postgraduate students, in particular, tend to obtain the most benefit in the educational framework, as they can share their knowledge in different spheres communicating in English with both non-native and native speakers.

Wang and Chen (2013) also consider this social website to be an interactive virtual social communication tool that is extremely popular among students. Professionals consider that it can be an advantageous platform for informal learning. Unlike Chowdhury and Saha (2015), they discuss younger generations, which leads to the conclusion that social media can be an effective learning and teaching tool for students of all ages. The professionals believe that informal interaction through Facebook can enhance communication and collaboration greatly. In addition to that, it streamlines knowledge sharing process, motivates children to study hard and makes them positively approached towards new learning experiences. Thus, properly defined strategies can improve tutoring and assist students in reaching learning achievements.

Just like other professionals, Harmandaoglu (2012) admits the fact that social networks are widely used entertaining and educational tools. Unlike previously mentioned works, in this one, the professional discusses Twitter and the way it can be used by students and educators when learning languages. Its main advantages turn out to be its immediacy and modernity. Just like other social media, it provides the users with the opportunity to go beyond those office hours and classrooms that tend to become demotivating and boring. With a simple hashtag, learners can easily find any information they require for a class; they can follow their teachers to be in touch constantly and receive announcements in time. The author concludes that Twitter can help to master a second language reaching educational and personal goals at the same time.

Not only English learning in general but also the development of literacy skills is discussed by Bok (2011). The professional considers how adolescent females can use new technologies and popular culture to master a language. The attention is paid mainly to the usage of Korean popular culture (K-pop) fan site as English language learning tool. It is concluded that Soompi improves global social connections greatly. It can be used to encourage the users to get involved in peer-to-peer learning and education. Females can focus on their interests and enhance language skills at the same time. In addition to that, they receive an opportunity to try different social roles that are close to K-pop world. The author believes that the educators can make their lessons more motivating if they refer to this website. Moreover, such alteration can make the students more interactive.

In order to prove that the usage of social media can be beneficial not only in the framework of English learning but in general for mastering a second language, it is better to consider a case study of another language. For example, Dermott (2013) focuses on French. The professional underlines that the usage of social media facilitates interaction and develops linguistic competence in this way. They allow creating a favorable learning environment that appeals to the majority of the learners and makes them motivated. Thus, it is significant for the educators to be open and innovative so that they can accept and promote new teaching and learning opportunities. Dermott (2013) also believes that the most advantage can be reached when using not only one particular type of social media but several. In this way, the teacher can adapt the tasks so that their drawbacks are minimalized.

These ideas are supported by Ivanovic (2012), who believes that social media and entertainment that are used in by different people on the everyday basis can be rather beneficial for learning English. Still, the professional underlines that even though Tweeter, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube attract many users and allow them to enhance their knowledge of English, these websites are not meant for such purposes, which means that they are not the best option that can be used by learners. Ivanovic (2012) encourages them to pay attention to those social media that are made for people who want to master languages, especially English. She offers to refer to the social language network known as Verbalisti. It was tested in Serbia and turned out to be rather successful. It is full of educational content and specific blogs. The author concludes that general social media networks can hardly be used to plan education even though they offer some communication opportunities and opinion exchange.

In their turn, Liu, Abe, Cao, Liu, and Ok (2015) analyzed social media websites and found out that they can be used to facilitate teaching and learning English as a second language. However, just like Ivanovic (2012), they considered special social network sites for language learning to be more advantageous than general ones. Learners can receive native speakers feedback and get engaged in collaborative learning due to shared interests. Educators are encouraged to assist students in the evaluation of the feedback quality, monitoring student work, and finding other resources.

As it was already mentioned, social media can be accessed through different devices. Codrea-Rado (2014) believes that in this case learners and educators should use them to the full. The professional underlines that many phones and tablets allow the users not only to refer to various websites but also to utilize different apps that are meant for language learning. For example, she recommends trying DuoLingo. This app makes education more personalized so that the program adapts to the users strengths and weaknesses. One can complete various tasks focused on vocabulary, grammar, etc. Even such startups as AirBnB that have their mobile apps can be advantageous in this framework because they provide a possibility to navigate short conversations.

Thus, it cannot be denied that social media and mobile apps can be rather effective in the educational framework. Still, their usage for learning English as a second language is not yet thoroughly discussed. Thus, research is needed to deepen into this issue.

Proposed Methods

The proposed study is going to reveal peoples experience of social media and mobile apps usage when studying a second language. The sample will include students and educators of different ages who mainly work with the English language. I believe that it will be enough to randomly gather volunteers from the one educational establishment for the initial results. However, it is impossible to deny the fact that reaching a broader sample is better for achieving more objective and generalized results. Thus, the recommendations for the further research will include this point.

The participants will be ensured that both their privacy and anonymity are guaranteed. It is also significant to tell them that there is no right or wrong answer and everything they say can be accepted when it reveals the discussed issue. In this way, they will not be shy or afraid to answer. Due to this step, the researcher can also enhance relations with the sample for them to feel more comfortable and positive.

Taking into consideration the fact that the research deals with human beings, it is critical for me to obtain ethics approval. I will gather my app forms and other papers for them to be signed and to prove that I am following the procedure. I will consider possible risks faced by the participants as well.

Qualitative research will be conducted to gather the information that will be required to prove the assumption that social media and mobile apps are effective for international students who learn their second language. The study will be based on interviews mainly. According to McCawley (2009), these are means to collect data through one or more conversations between two or more people (p. 13). Even though they can be conducted with the help of various technological devices such as telephone or video conference, this research will refer to face-to-face communications. In this way, the connection between the interviewer and interviewee will be found faster.

There will be a possibility to pay attention to the non-verbal behavior of the responders that can support ones words or contradict with them. This method is considered to be the most advantageous because it is inexpensive but also rather extensive. It gives an opportunity to gather different ideas regarding one topic and allows the parties to clarify the things they do not understand clearly, which tends to make the obtained results more objective and reliable. Even though it is always critical to remember that the interaction between the researcher and the participant of the study may be biased due to their interaction, the amount of the obtained information is likely to overweight. The preparation for the interview will consist of several steps:

• In the framework of the preamble, I will define such peculiarities of interviews as the kind of questions, the time needed, how the data will be used, how confidentiality will be ensured, etc.
• I will create my questions, organize them appropriately and memorize.
• I will consider possible answers to ensure that I am prepared to support the conversation and gather important information through clarifications.
• I will point out different techniques that can be used during the interview and practice them.
• I will prepare a recording form to simplify the process of data analysis and test it. I am also thinking of having a voice recorder so that full answers can be played back several times.

As it will be difficult to connect all interviewees later, I will clarify everything right after the procedure. As I am going to have both closed-ended and open-ended questions, I will use statistical analysis and grouping. I will pay attention to the observed tendencies and key phrases to ensure the possibility of generalization.

In addition to that, peoples comments regarding the issue will be gathered with the help of social media. Using my personal accounts, I will create a short polling survey. I will ask if the users believe social media to be effective for international students to learn a second language offering them three answers (yes, no, do not know). In addition to that, there will be a possibility to add a comment with any information one believes to be significant, such as personal experience, types of social media, etc. Of course, this approach will not provide such authoritative and explicit data as the interview, but it will give me an opportunity to consider what the representatives of the general public think about this topic. In addition to that, I will have a chance to reach the diverse population that cannot be gathered in real life. Results, obtained from the comments will give me an opportunity to support or refute my assumption and will be helpful when making recommendations. The data will be grouped and analyzed statistically.

In addition to everything mentioned above some references to literature sources will also be made to ensure that the findings of this research coincide with the information pointed out by different professionals in the sphere.

I believe that, using such methods, I will have an opportunity to receive the most explicit and detailed results. I will test my assumption regarding the effectiveness of social media and mobile apps and also identify how learners and educators use them in practice so that particular successful and unsuccessful strategies and approaches can be identified.

Results and Discussion

This paper is meant to reveal the results obtained during the qualitative research study regarding the effectiveness of social media and mobile apps in the framework of the second language learning. The information will be presented in the form of a properly organized text. Some statistical data will also be present. It is expected that there will be a necessity to create tables or/and figures for this information to be easily understood. The discussion section is going to explain the results of the research study. It will describe the findings and support them with the information obtained from authoritative literature sources for it to be more reliable. Possible limitations and weaknesses of research will also be identified so that they can be improved in the future words. Possible topics of interest that can be discussed on the basis of this paper will also be mentioned.

Of course, it is impossible to state what results will be obtained in the future. Still, considering the literature review, I can presuppose that this paper will prove the effectiveness of social media and mobile apps for international students who learn a second language. I believe that it can be found out that they use their phones during language classes and at home to translate those words and phrases they do not know yet. In addition to that, I expect to reveal the fact that phones provide a wide range of great apps to learn English language, such as DuoLingo. In addition to that, I think that many students and educators will treat Twitter, Facebook, and other social media as great tools that give a chance to interact with the native speakers whether by talking, writing or reading their comments. Still, I believe that my positive approach should not interfere with the real results obtained during research. Thus, I will also underline drawbacks and negative effects of social media and apps. I believe that my decision to use statistical analysis and prepare research questions that focus on both advantages and disadvantages of these tools ensure high quality of obtained results and objectiveness of discussion.

References

Bok, E. (2011). Exploring millennial popular culture: Multilingual adolescents literacy and identity work in online spaces. Web.

British Council. (2009). Teaching and learning through social networks. Web.

Chowdhury, I., & Saha, B. (2015). Impact of Facebook as a social networking site (SNS) on youth generations: a case study of Kolkata city. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Invention, 4(6), 28-42.

Codrea-Rado, A. (2014). Can I successfully learn a language online? Web.

Dermott, G. (2013). The role of social media in foreign language teaching: A case study for French. LAPLIUT, 32(2), 141-157.

Harmandaoglu, E. (2012). The use of Twitter in language learning and teaching. Web.

Ivanovic, M. (2012). English language learning through social media and entertainment. Web.

Liu, M., Abe, K., Cao, M., Liu, S., & Ok, D. (2015). An analysis of social network websites for language learning: Implications for teaching and learning English as a Second Language. CALICO Journal, 32(1), 114-152.

McCawley, P. (2009). Methods for conducting an educational needs assessment. Web.

Sawyer, R. (2011). The impact of new social media on intercultural adaptation. Web.

Wang, C., & Chen, C., (2013). Effects of Facebook tutoring on learning English as a second language. Web.

Introduction

The life of a modern student is much different from what it used to be 20 years ago. With the rise of social media and the appearance of modern gadgets such as laptops, computers, and smartphones, many young men and women are far more attached to the World Wide Web than they would like to admit. This often generates conflicts with parents, who see this trend as an unhealthy addiction that affects studies and social development (Simeon 1). Even though social media is a useful tool for communication and staying in touch with friends, research shows that its overuse is potentially detrimental to ones relationships, health, studies, and social skills.

How Much Time Teens Spend is a Day Using Media?

It is common knowledge that children, teens, and students spend a lot of time on the Internet. Social media is rarely used for studying  students access it to enjoy the chat, listen to music, play some games, and so on. According to research made by Common Sense Media, teens and young adults spend around 9 hours a day on social media (Wallace 1). That is a lot of time, especially considering that doctors do not recommend spending more than 45 minutes a day in front of a monitor (Beasley 1).

Causes

There are many reasons why teenagers are so immersed in social media. The main reason why it is so widespread is the availability of gadgets and the Internet to the general populace. Many households have computers, and practically everyone has a smartphone. This makes access to the social media much easier  students can reach it from home, at school, or while riding a bus. However, there is a more sinister reason for social media abuse  Internet addiction. Time flies quickly when one uses the Internet. It is full of interesting games, music, and pictures. It is the reason why so many young minds become hooked up to this source of fun and pleasure (Elgan 1).

Is it that Bad?

Some argue that constant exposure to Social Media is not an entirely bad thing. With the Internet being a hub for information, the constant desire to remain online results in increased awareness of the events at home and around the world. Many students use social media while studying, effectively multitasking, and successfully doing both without much trouble. Lastly, finding new friends online enables teens to build a vast and expansive web of social contacts they would never have otherwise. Social Media connects people all around the world, no matter the distance (Agrawal 1).

Consequences

Despite this, the cons of increased use of the Internet and social media far outweigh the pros. Socialization on the Internet is much different from socialization in real life. Many students that overindulge in Social Media are known to have problems connecting to people outside of it. Internet addiction is common, and it makes students the waste time they could have spent studying or practicing. Lastly, overuse of the Internet may result in numerous health problems, ranging from scoliosis to vision impairment and mental disorders (Are Social Networking Sites Good for Our Society? par. 3).

Conclusions

Real-life always has priority over the virtual landscape, and not the other way around. Social Media can be used for business, leisure, and study. However, too much exposure causes many problems for teens and students, affecting their studies, health, and social skills. One must always be mindful and aware of the dangers posed by the Internet.

Works Cited

Agrawal, Aj. Its not All Bad: The Social Good of Social Media. Web.

Are Social Networking Sites Good for Our Society? 2016. Web.

Beasley, Richard. Health Threat from Computer Use. Web.

Elgan, Mike. Social Media Addiction is a Bigger Problem than you Think. Web.

Simeon, Diana. Technology: Parents Take Control. Web.

Wallace, Kelly. Teens spend a Mind-Boggling 9 Hours a Day using Media, Report Says. Web.

Social media has revolutionized the way human beings interact in an unprecedented way. Examples of social media companies include Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, and Instagram. The most interesting phenomenon about social media is how much it brings out human nature. For instance, Twitter is one of the most confusing platforms to participate in because of its wealth of information on the one hand and for being a cesspool of toxic content on the other hand. This paper is a report about a social media experiment conducted on Twitter.

Apart from the heated political discourse on Twitter, it is also a good platform for one to market themselves. Even the political pundits that engage in so much debate always end up  intentionally or not  amassing huge followings that can be monetized in various ways. This experiment involved creating two fake profiles on Twitter and engaging in the so-called follow-trains to increase their follower count in a short time. This was done to ensure that the accounts looked legitimate to the target personalities.

The two accounts would target Twitter accounts that were big on the monetization of their contents. One account, Johnharun67, would select the target subjects to engage them to respond to a question about a random topic unrelated to what they were selling. The other account, Robertsmith222, would choose them by asking about their products which they were selling. Examples of these target subjects included authors, DJs, musicians, artists, and even sex workers known colloquially on Twitter as Onlyfans in bio accounts. The results of this experiment are reported below.

Results

The targeted author is a moderately famous activist in the social justice realm who has written several progressive publications. They have a recent book for which they have a posted an Amazon link on their Twitter bio. Johnharun67 replies to the author who has tweeted a random tweet about Trump; the author does not respond. RobertSmith222 replies to the tweet asking the author where to buy an older book they had written because it is missing on Amazon. Interestingly, the author responds to RobertSmith222 almost instantly with a link to where they can find it.

In the second experiment, Johnharun67 engages a popular alt-right vlogger after tweeting a tweet about how Joe Biden has let down his voters already. Johnharun67 asks the commentator whether they think Republicans will win the house in 2022; this question is related to the commentators tweet, but it receives no engagement. RobertSmith222 replies to the same tweet asking about the commentators bitcoin address since he has been deplatformed from Patreon. Unsurprisingly, RobertSmith222 gets a reply with the commentators cryptocurrency address.

The third experiment is about a popular transgender account; lets call them barbieshot11. Barbieshot11 runs an Onlyfans account but does not have it on their bio. Johnharun67 asks barbieshot11 about a link to her Onlyfans, but he does not get it, interestingly. RobertSmith222 responds to barbieshot11s tweet about cats to ask about good recommendation books for somebody coming out as trans. In a surprise move, barbieshot11 replies almost immediately with a book for the trans journey.

Discussion

The most interesting phenomenon on Twitter and social media is that they are a microcosm of society in general. In the first experiment, it is clear that the author takes her hustle very seriously and is desperate enough to scour and isolate prospective customers for their book. The author was chosen on purpose because they have fallen behind in their career. From her book sales, shes are not doing well and is reported to have been dropped from their assistant professor job at a state University for having tweeted controversial comments about Republicans. The second case is more like that of the first one; it is of self-proclaimed thought-leaders who take the monetization of their roles more seriously than they care about the message.

In the third experiment, the trans activist does not respond to a tweet soliciting for their Onlyfans link. One would hope that barbieshot11 pounces on the opportunity to get a new subscription to their channel, but they seem uninterested. Interestingly, barbieshot11 responds almost instantaneously to RobertSmith222 request on how to handle his transition. This is a classical case of the transcendent activist who believes in their course more than money. In this case, barbieshot11 empathizes more with RobertSmith222s situation or is probably just trying to build a community.

There is a possibility that the author is not one of the so-called grifters, but she is likely in financial distress after they lost their tenure. According to Marwick A. (2020), institutions should do more to protect their professors who have an online presence because they may become victims of the thought police. In this case, a female author working in a red state was punished for things that maybe she shouldnt have said. Still, it begs the question of whether this action would have been taken if the author was a white male or a Republican saying unsavory things about Democrats.

Introduction

To collect the credible evidence of the great role social media plays in the modern environment and investigate how public opinion could be impacted y this very tool, Instagram and case study of Black Star Burger are chosen as the main objects for the investigation. These sources are used because of their great popularity and demonstrativeness. They also respond to the lasted alterations in societal values by appearance of new tendencies that could be used in the research. That is why the researcher decided to investigate Instagram as it is one of the popular social media platforms for observing and analysing photo content of celebrities and other users in order to define how public opinion can be influenced through celebrities using social media platform. Furthermore, the case of Black Star Burger is explored by the researcher because of this personal interest, unique character of this very event, and the role it plays in the formation of public opinion (Black Star Burger: the first Russian national burger 2016). The investigator is Russian and possesses the improved comprehending of the way this event impacted peoples mentalities in the state. At the same time, is perfectly demonstrates how public opinion could be influenced through celebrities and their profiles in Instagram.

Additionally, the given way of data collection might also contribute to the increased significance of the investigation as only the newest and the most important information will be included. That is why 20 profiles labeled by Hello!, a weekly online magazine which is focused on celebrities news and gossips about them, as the most popular and influential at the moment are selected to investigate the way they impact peoples mentalities.

Celebrity

Boorstin (1971, p. 58) states that The celebrity is a person who is well-known for their well-knownness. In other words, a person who is popular with a certain audience and whose actions attract peoples attention might be considered a celebrity. Beides, Turner (2014) is sure that at the moment any celebrity is a business project created to satisfy existing needs for entertaining.

How celebrity can influence

The given research is based on the idea that when individuals become famous they also start to attract peoples attention (Boyd 2014).

Celebrities messages addressed to the audience revolve around the main forms of individual identification, social distinctions and numerous personality types. Moreover, the process of formation of social identities could also be impacted by celebrities attitudes and positions. Besides, when delving into the peculiarities of the peoples mentalities and factors that shape their opinion, one should also take into account the fact that celebrity industry provides visible products and images that impact our everyday life (Turner 2014). For this reason, generation of the public interest could be considered one of the main celebrities tasks. Thus, stars present some archetypical behavioural patterns that demonstrate the peculiarities of the current society, values appreciated by it, and desirable outcomes. Considering all these facts, celebrities blogs, sites, or Instagram profiles might provide important information needed for the investigation. That is why the given research will focus on the comprehensive investigation of Instagram profiles to collect the credible data and provide a certain conclusion related to the impact it might have on followers.

Primary and secondary data collection

As stated above, the given research rests on the usage of credible data that could help to improve the outcomes of the study and contribute to its increased significance. For this reason, primary and secondary data collection methods are used. There is the list of the most popular Instagram profiles that attract public attention and might obviously impact people mentality. The examination of statistics related to these profiles should be considered the primary data collection. The statistical data obtained in the course of the investigation will help to trace the mutual dependence between the popularity and impact it has on people. Furthermore, the analysis of Black Burgers functioning is a secondary data collection method which is explored to obtain the information about the impact events like this might have on publicity and how digital advertising functions in the modern environment.

Primary data collection

There are top 20 celebrities on Instagram who gained a significant amount of followers and which are used as the background for our investigation. These profiles are chosen because they are extremely popular at the moment. However, in case people preferences alter, another 20 should be used as it is extremely crucial to investigate the newest one.

According to Hello!

Beyonce (96,9m followers)  American singer, Songwriter and Actress: The given performer provides numerous pictures that demonstrate the peculiarities of her glamorous and luxurious lifestyle. There are many images of exotic places which could inspire followers.

Charlize Theron (2m followers)- South African, American Actress and Film Producer: The actress demonstrates different aspects of her life, including meetings with her friends, some funny moments, and humanitarian work.

Chris Pratt (9,7m followers)- American Actor: Chris shares mostly some fun content, trying to amuse his fans by unusual selfies of photos made during his numerous journeys.

Ellen DeGeneres (41,8m followers)- American comedian, television host, actress, writer, and producer: Ellen uses instagram in order to make people smile.

Humans of New York (6,6 m followers)- photographers account: This account shares stories with millions of people across the Internet.

Ian Somerhalder (10,7m followers)- American Actor, Model and Director: Ian likes to share photos of cute animals and friends, as well as keeping the world updated about his work projects and various good causes.

Jessica Alba (10m followers)  American Actress, Model and Businesswoman: Jessica uses Instagram to share photos of projects, kids and dailylife.

Justin Timberlake (41,5m followers)- American singer, songwriter, actor and record producer: Justin mostly use Instagram on tour, taking fans backstage before his shows and showing them pictures of him strutting his stuff on stage.

Kim Kardashian (94,8m followers)- Actress, Businesswoman, Model: Kim posts self-portraits, moments from the red carpet and pictures taken with her best friend, one-year-old daughter North.

Lauren Conrad (5,8m followers)- TV Peronality, Fashion Designer and Author: Lauren uses Instagram to inspire her followers and show them that creativity is awesome and it is easy to find unusual things.

Lena Dunham (3m followers)- American Actress, Writer, Producer and Director: Lena posts pictures with the rest of the Girls cast  as a little something extra for fans of the show.

Lorde (4,7m followers)  Singer, Songwriter: Lordes Instagram lets the world know that with her, what you see is what you get.

Niall Horan (19m followers)- Irish Singer, Songwriter and Guitarist: Niall regularly posts fun photos with the rest of the 1D boys as well as other celebrity pals.

Peejet (229k followers): Peejet uses Instagram in an unusual way. He shows Photoshop-made photos where he is surrounded by different celebrities. Moreover, his followers could also explore the same approach and appear in the same photo with the star.

Reese Witherspoon (8,8m followers)- American Actress and Producer: The star prefers to share holiday photos, occasional snaps, and other content that could amuse her followers.

Ian McKellen (1,2m followers)- Actor and Activist: Ian likes to share throwbacks to his time as Gandalf in New Zealand along with hilarious selfies with his bestie Patrick Stewart.

Sofia Vergara (11,9m followers)- American Actress and Model: Sofia posts pictures of kids, red carpet and photoshoots.

Taylor Swift (98,9m followers)- Singer and Songwriter: Taylor provides an outstanding number of photos from parties, glamorous shops, award ceremonies, etc. These pictures demonstrate different aspects of her glamorous lifestyle.

Cara Delevingne (38,1m followers)- English fashion Model and Actress: Cara is mostly sharing behind-the-scenes snapshots from her latest campaigns.

Brooklyn Beckham (9,5m followers)- photographer: Brooklyn shares candid family photos.

The investigation of the number of followers, reposts, and similar behaviors peculiar to users who monitor these profiles will help us to understand the way they impact social opinion.

Secondary data collection

Timur Yunusov, better known by his stage name Timati, is a famous Russian artist who has more than eight million Instagram followers. It could be seen that the artist is one of the influential figures, as there are a lot of pictures on Instagram with Vladimir Putin (president of Russia) and Ramzan Kadyrov (head of the Chechen Republic). With the help from his popularity and power of persuasion Timati recently opened a fast food restaurant called Black Star Burger, which still causes a massive queue reached about one kilometer. A specific blog devoted to this issue states that digital branding and marketing strategy are the key to the increased popularity of this very fast food restaurant (Black Star Burger: the first Russian national burger 2016). Promoters avoided the usage of traditional tools like TV or magazines, instead, they explored numerous social media and Instagram to attract users attention to this very event. The artist wanted to repeat the similar situation, as it was with the first MacDonalds in Russia opened in 1990. At that moment, about 5000 people created a unique queue which lined up in Pushkinskaya Square (Keppler 2016). They all had been waiting for a new fast food restaurant to open, and more than 30,000 customers visited it during the first day of its functioning. They set a record for McDonalds. Timur Yunusov mentioned on Instagram profile that he wanted to bring something new and cheap such as a MacDonalds in Russia.

Case Study

The above mentioned event and Black Star Burger could be considered a good evidence of an overwhelming impact of social media and Instagram on the modern world. At the moment, the franchise continues its growth and around 40 restaurants are going to be opened in Russia. In case the given paces of the brands evolution will preserve, Black Star Burger might become a serious competitor to McDondalds and Burger King which hold leading positions (Black Star Burger: the first Russian national burger 2016). It could be a good case study in order to find out how celebrity, in this case Timur Yunusov, can influence public opinion using social media platform such as Instagram.

Recruitment of respondents

Considering the character of the research, celebrities, as its main participants, could not be recruited because of their inaccessibility. However, the rapid evolution of technologies and popularisation of Instagram provide us with an opportunity to collect data about celebrities lives and the way their lifestyle impacts people. Additionally, there is a specific case study which is also used as the background for the investigation. We should say that the given approach to the choice of the object for the investigation could be considered an attempt to combine the usage of credible data and real life examples. Celebrities impact and the way they shape our mentality might be investigated in this way. Finally, people following popular Instagram profiles will also be considered participants of the study as their preferences indentify the popularity of one or another post and contribute to the increased attention to certain topics.

Sampling

Furthermore, the choice of the main participants of the given research was not accidental. As stated above, only celebrities that might impact public opinion and their Instagram profiles could be used. For this reason, purposive sampling as the method to collect the needed data was used. It is constructed with a specific purpose and with a specific group in mind (White & McBurney 2012). Additionally, the usage of purposive sampling could also help to investigate peculiarities of a certain group better. In this regard, its exploration seems appropriate in terms of the main goal of our research.

Research design and Procedure

Considering all these facts, a specific research design could be introduced. The information obtained during the procedure of primary and secondary data collection will serve as the basis for discussion. The case of Black Star burger which is provided in the paper will be investigated to analyse the impact social media, celebrities, and digital advertising might have on people and their choices. Primary data collection with observation method is going to be used for the investigation (Creswell 2013). Additionally, a quantitative design which is focused on the investigation of specific motifs, attitudes, and other qualities is chosen. For this reason, users opinions related to Black Star Burger on Instagram will be evaluated in the course of the investigation. The data analysed in the course of the study will include profile information, photos, comments and tags associated with the restaurant, as there is a significant amount of posts with different public opinions, which would be useful for further analysis. The investigation of the given data is needed to trace the evolution of the attitude to various events under the impact of celebrities photos, posts, or appeals. Altogether, the given methodology will contribute to the improved credibility of final results and help to formulate the main tendencies peculiar to the given sphere (Flick 2006). Additionally, the usage of different methods will also result in the increased diversity of the information obtained in the course of the investigation.

Limitations

Nevertheless, the character of the study also presupposes the existence of several limitations that impact the final results. First, it is the inability to engage celebrities and obtain their real answers related to the motifs which affected them when posting one or another photo. Constrains on the study population is another significant limit (Passer 2013). Only people who have access to the Internet and vote for one or another photo might be considered participants of the study, when others attitudes could hardly be evaluated because of the lack of data. Finally, there are also several statistical and data limitations which come from the character of the research and impact final outcomes.

Validity

Besides, conducting the given research, it is crucial to assure that credibility of findings will not suffer, and the results could be considered objective and relevant. For this reason, great attention is given to research design and methodology that will be applied to investigate the issue and obtain final results. The validity of this very project is guaranteed by the strong adherence to the main principles of any research paper. It means that only relevant and new data will comprise the body of the research. The chosen research design encompasses all significant steps of the scientific research method (Hair et al. 2005). It provides primary and secondary data collection methods to guarantee that the results of the investigation will be objective. Furthermore, the internal validity of the project is guaranteed by the strong adherence to the outlined approaches and infeasibility of using other methods except those outlined in the methodology section (Graziano & Raulin 2012). For this reason, we could conclude that the paper might be considered valid and the results provided by it are relevant. They could be used for the further investigation of the given issue and create the basis for the next research related to celebrities impact on our society and decision-making process.

Reference List

Black Star Burger: the first Russian national burger 2016, weblog, Web.

Boorstin, D 1971, The image: a guide to pseudo-events in America, Atheneum, New York, NY.

Creswell, J 2013, Research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches, SAGE Publications, London.

Dyer, R 1986, Heavenly bodies: film stars and society, BFI/Macmillan, London.

Flick, U 2006, An introduction to qualitative research, Sage Publications, London.

Graziano, A & Raulin, M 2012, Research methods: a process of inquiry, Pearson, Upper Saddle River, NJ.

Golbeck, J 2015, Introduction to social media investigation: a hands-on approach, Syngress, Waltham, MA.

Hair, J, Tatham, R, Anderson, R & Black, W 2005, Multivariate data analysis, Prentice Hall, London.

Keppler, N 2016, January 31, 1990: McDonalds opens in the Soviet Union, Web.

Passer, M 2013, Research methods: concepts and connections, Worth Publishers, London.

Turner, G 2014, Understanding celebrity, Sage Publications, London.

Twenty Instagram accounts you should be following  and why 2015, Web.

White, T & McBurney, D 2012, Research methods, Wadsworth Publishing, Boston, MA.

Overview

• The digital age has altered how social work practice operates
• Of particular concern is social media
• It provides an online platform where individuals can easily interact irrespective of their location
• Some of the social media sites include Facebook, Myspace, Skype, and Twitter

Most social workers have subscribed to at least one of the several social media sites Consequently, the application of this modern communication medium within the scope of professionalism of social work practice benefits the practitioners because of the readily available online audience.

However, it is crucial to point out that social media also raises ethical issues such as creating and maintaining a boundary between personal life and professionalism, self-disclosure, and confidentiality.

Review of Journals

1. Voshel, E., & Wesala, A. (2015). Social Media & Social Work Ethics: Determining Best Practices in an Ambiguous Reality. Journal of Social Work Values & Ethics,12(1), 67- 76.

• Voshel and Wesala (2015) assert that in the contemporary age of social media, social workers must be cautious of the ethical behaviors
• The authors observe that the existing code of ethics is an inadequate tool for solving the ethical dilemma created by social media
• They encourage social workers to develop risk management tactics and further provide recommendations

The digital age requires practitioners to embrace technology, maintain the confidentiality of the clients information, and initiate proper limitations with respect to professional and personal relationships Voshel & Wesala, 2015) . Furthermore, the authors urge policymakers to incorporate social guidelines during the coaching of social workers to help them tackle ethical impasses caused by social media.

2. Casella, E., Mills, J., & Usher, K. (2014). Social media and nursing practice: Changing the balance between the social and technical aspects of work. Collegian,21(2), 121-126.

• Casella, Mills, and Usher (2013) assert that the nursing profession needs to conform to the modifications introduced by the social media technology
• With reference to the sociotechnology concept, the authors argue that nurses will work passionately as long as there is optimal stability between the social and the technical features of their career
• However, they observe how the modern technology has tightened the link between the social and technical aspects, thus making networking a multi-method course

Since the world is drastically turning to social media as a medium of interaction, Casella et al. (2013) encourage clinicians to utilize this opportunity to establish a profound relationship with their patients and colleagues to offer a more inclusive care.

Ethical Standards: NASW Code of Ethics

Strengths of NASW Code of Ethics in relation to Social Media and social work Practice

According to the National Association of Social Workers (2008),the Code of Ethics does not mention social media and other modern modes of communication directly. Nevertheless, it offers a direction on various ethical challenges that social workers face in the social networking sites. In fact, the drafters admit that the Code of Ethics cannot offer immediate answers to ethical issues. However, social workers should ensure that their decisions and behavior are consistent with the provisions of the Code. The ensuing discussion explains some of the strengths of NASW code of ethics in relation to social media and social work practice.

It follows that although social media offers a new setting for networking and communication, the moral dilemmas are not exceptional. Hence, most of the ethical tenets and ideals are applicable.

Foremost, it provides that social workers should venerate the natural dignity and value of an individual. The provision entails upholding the right of patients to make decisions as they desire. Such principles are applicable within the realm of social media. Social workers should always consider and defend the needs of their clients above other interests even when interacting on a digital platform. They should avoid overindulging into their personal dealings. Secondly, the Code of Ethics provides that social workers should have integrity. Fairness, trustworthiness, as well as transparency are the tenets that govern every action in the social work practice, which includes sharing information via modern communication media such social networking sites.

Social workers should limit their interaction within the domain of professional relationship. Moreover, they should be conversant with the patients racial and cultural background and how they influence their thinking and character.

Where there seems to be an intrusion, the NASW Code clearly guides on how one should make an ethical decision. It directs them to shun conflict of interests, which may impede them from making fair and just decisions. NASW Code of Ethics also underpins the need for confidentiality in social work practice. Since clients share and trust them with personal information, it is only ethical for social workers to ensure that such information remains confidential. They should only share it when given consent by the clients. Moreover, social workers should request for confidential information only when they believe that it is crucial for quality service delivery.

Social workers have the task of ensuring that the connections they make with clients are appropriate. Furthermore, they should examine and determine if social media blurs the practitioner-client boundary. Consequently, if the multiple relationships in the social media interferes with their integrity, then social workers should take risk management steps to protect it (Voshel & Wesala, 2015). Confidential information should only be meant for the best interest of the client. Hence, it should remain as a secret between the social worker and patient.

NASW also highlights the need for social workers to be skilled in their professional practice. As such, social workers should first familiarize themselves with the merits and risks of social media prior to using it as a forum for advancing their profession. This step helps them to construct policies that assist them to counter any potential challenge. They should also remain informed of the new developments in social media platforms such that their decisions are consistent with existing technology.

Skilled practitioners know when it is safe to share the information with workmates, friends, and the families whether in a formal or informal context. However, when using social media, social workers should not be tempted to post private information of current or former clients to the public. It does not matter whether they reveal or conceal the patients identity.

Areas not addressed by NASW Code of Ethics in relation Social Media and Social work practice

The NASW Code of Ethics seeks to offer guidance for almost every ethical impasse that practitioners face. Nevertheless, there are some gray areas, especially with respect to social networking. First, non-therapeutic connections that occur online severely affect the veracity of practitioner-client relationship. A patient who establishes a cyberspace contact with a social worker may eventually view the practitioner as an acquaintance and vice versa. This situation seriously hampers the provision of professional services. However, NASW Code provisions are equivocal on such online relationships.

Although the provisions direct social workers to avoid situations that may create conflict of interests, it does not bar cyberspace contact, particularly because of the nature of online connections.

Most of the social network sites subscribers use pennames, rather than the actual names and provide distorted information about themselves. Accordingly, most people perceive online friendships as more fictitious than genuine. Contritely, they often have severe implication on therapeutic relationships.

Millions of people have stored their information on the Internet. Much of the data is accessible by a simple click on the Google search button. Social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook request subscribers to provide personal information which is often shared with the public. Social media users offer such details willingly and are aware that they expose their life to the world Hence, social workers, just like other social media subscribers, can access the data without seeking any consent.

Social media creates an ethical paradox since it is imprecise whether such information can be termed as private or public in the context of the NASW Code of Ethics. Evidently, the issue of ensuring confidentiality is progressively becoming an unbearable challenge that NASW Codes fails to tackle.

Blogging has also caused an ethical dilemma that NASW Codes barely addresses. For instance, most practitioners, just like most bloggers, are in the habit of sharing their daily life experiences to the world. They post their work experiences with the other bloggers and online audience (Casella et al., 2014). While this situation may appear an unprincipled behavior, it has become a normal practice for social workers to post work-oriented protests on social media. Unfortunately, most workers have not been reprimanded for their actions because of the informal context of social media and the absence of a precise direction in the NASW Codes.

Most institutions are creating blogs where practitioners can share clinical experiences with colleagues. In fact, NASW also runs a blog that acts as a discussion forum for social work practice. However, this strategy raises various ethical issues. Although anyone can run a blog, clients will always trust the credibility of the information posted. Errors on such blogs may tarnish the integrity of social work practice. Although this case may destroy the reputation of many innocent practitioners, there is no mechanism offered by NASW Code to deter such threats (Voshel & Wesala, 2015).

Three ASWB Standards

Policy 3.08 requires that the confidentiality of all data relating to the client obtained or stored digitally or by any other electronic method be well protected greatly. However, there are exceptions to this policy that outline the incidents under which that confidentiality may be breached. Communication with clients may take place on various platforms such as social media sites, email, videoconferencing, text messaging, or even online chat (Association of Social Work Boards, 2015).

According to policy 4.03, such communications should be strictly professional and related to the service that the client is receiving from the social worker. Policy 6.02 prohibits the invasion or compromise of privacy of a colleague. One of the ways of compromising a colleagues privacy is disclosing private information relating to their personal life.

With reference to policy 3.08, one exception is where the protection of that information may be of harm to a verifiable individual. It may be the client or any other known person. The peril must be foreseeable and imminent. Proof must be availed of the risk that may follow nondisclosure of the information. Another instance whereby such information can be disclosed is where it is a matter of law. When a statute, regulation, or court order requires that such information be disclosed, then it is in line with ASWB policies to disclose the information.

Three ASWB Standards: How they affect Social Media and Social Work Practice

According to the Association of Social Work Boards (2015), policy 3.08 upholds the protection of information concerning the client. Most social works that are offered to individuals or groups require privacy because of the sensitivity of the information about the client. The works involve counseling or other forms of special treatment. Policy 4.03 requires the consent of the client for any communication.

It is easier to pass information and have a closer understanding of the client. However, it is also easy to access information, which they do not intend to share regarding the client. Sharing information over social media makes it accessible to all people using the same network. Policy 6.02 prohibits the sharing of information, whether personal or work related, belonging to a colleague on social media without consent. Once such information is shared on social media, it is almost irretrievable.

Social media has made the transmission and acquisition of information very easy. It is easy for a piece of information to be spread to a great number of people in a very short span of time. Dissemination of a clients sensitive information may be destructive to them. In some cases, such information may even insecure the client. It is easy to follow clients on social media and communicate to them through messages. Besides, it is also easy to harass a client on social media. Mistreatment may apply in a case where the client has not consented to the communication conducted over social media.

Implications of the Three standards to Social Workers

The requirement in policy 3.08 that information belonging to clients be kept confidential improves the quality of services offered. Clients feel more secure giving their details and information to the service providers. It guarantees that sensitive information about a client does not get to social media. The policy has played the role of ensuring that clients do not go through unnecessary distress following the mishandling of their confidential information. The relationship between the client and social worker should be professional. The requirement in policy 4.03 that all communications be related to the service provided ensures that such a relationship is maintained all through the treatment.

Policy 3.08 also creates the prospect of a social worker facing stringent penalties for breaching such policies. Policy 4.03 creates the appropriate boundaries required during such work. The requirement of strict professionalism improves the quality of services offered to the client.

Communication can only be conducted with the consent of the client. This situation minimizes the risk of harassment of the client. It also ensures that all relations that ensue are consented to by the patient (Reamer, 2013). The prohibition of sharing information about colleagues without their consent under policy 6.02 protects workers from having their sensitive personal or work information broadcasted over social media. Such breach of confidentiality may be hazardous to the affected social workers. It may be destructive to their career or personal life. The policy protects both the professional and personal life of social workers.

Policy 6.02 also creates the opportunity of having the worker who breaches such confidentiality face the penalties for the offense. The protection of a workers personal information also increases professionalism in relating with the clients.

Reference List

Association of Social Work Boards. (2015). Model Regulatory Standards: ASWB Model Regulatory Standards for Technology and Social Work Practice. Web.

Casella, E., Mills, J., & Usher, K. (2014). Social media and nursing practice: Changing the balance between the social and technical aspects of work. Collegian,21(2), 121-126.

National Association of Social Workers. (2008). Code of ethics of the National Association of Social Workers. Web.

Reamer, F. (2013). Social work in a digital age: Ethical and risk management challenges. Social Work, 58(2), 163-172.

Voshel, E.,& Wesala, A. (2015). Social Media & Social Work Ethics: Determining Best Practices in an Ambiguous Reality. Journal of Social Work Values & Ethics,12(1), 67-76.

Introduction

The article The presentation of self in the age of social media: Distinguishing performances and exhibitions online was written by Bernie Hogan and published in 2010 in the journal Bulletin of Science, Technology & Society. It focuses on how individuals present themselves in the context of social media and online participation which are analyzed as performances in the digital realm. The topic is relevant in the context of the modern digital culture where the availability of smartphone technology has shifted a large majority of interaction, communication, and sharing of personal experiences to social media platforms, and where virtual popularity attracting likes is seen as the new form of social influence. This review will seek to summarize and investigate the contents of the article and critique its findings in the context of other academic research on the topic of social media and social interaction. Hogan (2010) suggest that social media self-presentation takes on a dramaturgical exhibition approach where the collected data is curated and allows to establish a mediated architecture that displays current and past performance that is then interacted with by other users and essentially guides the self-presentation phenomenon with its benefits and perils in the digital age.

Summary

Hogan portrays social media presence as a performance similar to that of an actor on stage. Taking on this metaphor, an individual is an actor which performs in real-time for an audience. An artifact is the result of a past performance that exists in the current time for others to view. Hogan seeks to clarify the ontological distinction between the actor and the artifact. Furthermore, the past performances are categorized into exhibition spaces where individuals collect artifacts for each other to view. Goffmans dramaturgical approach suggests that individuals present idealized rather than authentic versions of themselves in activities. Behaviors are bound to settings such as time, place, and other individuals. When applied to social media, this approach as shown in numerous research suggests that individuals utilize selective disclosure of personal details and impression management in a dramaturgical manner to present an idealized notion of self (Hogan, 2010).

The article then goes on to describe the exhibition approach which is essentially an online platform where people submit reproducible artifacts or digital media. Whole databases of content are created, which are then distributed by the curator (algorithms) to audiences based on pre-established parameters. The scope of this data is tremendous, and one cannot be ever fully aware of the full audience that has access to these artifacts over time since a third party decides what happens with it. Essentially, social media creates a large exhibition platform that allows sharing, search, distribution, and manipulation of these artifacts online, some with the initial users input while others without. It comes down to certain parameters such as friends lists and followers, that differ from their real-life meanings but rather represent a level of information management. The article also discusses the theory of the lowest common denominator which represents individuals who have access to ones posts and establish what content is normatively acceptable socially and culturally. Individuals commonly form an online profile based on these lower common denominators and assess whether their identity can be effectively represented, also depending on the type of platform and social circumstances (Hogan, 2010).

The authors intention for the article seems to be to research and frame self-identity and information sharing on social media in the context of this unique theoretical perspective of Goffmans exhibition approach and other relevant elements which apply to social media sharing. While Goffmans performance theory is attributed to the television era of the late 20th century, as evident, they are relevant in the modern age as well. The author is pushing this perspective as a psychological and metaphorical examination of the social media phenomenon and how that information is shared. By utilizing the metaphor of the exhibition with the curator and how that information is uploaded and distributed, he is able to explain a difficult technological concept of algorithms and database storage in a simple way while at the same time analyzing some of the social and psychological ongoing phenomena. The paper is structured correspondingly by introducing new concepts by layers. First presenting the metaphor, then outlining the exhibition approach theory, and then detailing minute concepts of operations such as the curator and sharing according to the lowest common denominator, tying it together in a conclusions section.

Evaluation

The article directly relates to the themes of self and identity since according to Hogan (2010), individuals create performances and upload media to be viewed at a later date by others as a representation of their identity. Users are constantly evaluating the social media platform, their uploads, and other users that see it are a good representation of their said identity. This matches research by Boyd and Ellison (2008) which indicates that social media profiles are unique pages where individuals can type oneself into being creating an identity (p. 211). Based on this created identity, users can match with each other based not only on social connections in real life but potentially commonalities in ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, political affiliation, and other elements which inherently drive a persons identity.

How does this tie into the process of forming an identity online? Hogan refers to algorithm curators who drive the social aspect to properly sharing these performances. However, research by Rui and Stefanone (2013) indicates that there is a strategic aspect to self-presentation online based on cultural aspects and audience diversity. They state that individuals update profiles based on what is better accepted in their respective cultures and in a manner, which would create the most positive acceptance and reactions. Users actively manage the information in order to influence self-presentation behaviors in accordance with their audience. This can be tied to Hogans concept of the least common denominator.

Nevertheless, identity shaping can take on many different forms and is strongly defined by the said curator or algorithm which shapes the narrative sometimes just as much if not more than the individual. For example, the app Carrot created an aspect of shaming and sexualizing attributes of women. The one-dimensionality of identity via the app created difficult social situations and potential harassment. Carrot created an intimate relationship between an individual and the app at the expense of an identity prosthesis which was developed based on stereotypes (Murray, 2018). Overall, it seems Hogans conclusions are correct and largely supported by other social media research that ties identity online to a complex juxtaposition of strategic performance and sharing algorithms.

Conclusion

Social media is a prevalent activity and method of exchanging information in the modern day where individuals often seek to control the narrative that is presented to the outside world about their lives. Taking this concept, Hogan (2010) applied a metaphorical analysis to the process using Goffmans exhibition theory that outlines the concept of presentation and performance on social media, and how this information is stored and distributed by algorithms for ones social media connections and later use. It is highly relevant to consider such topics, considering that other research largely supports the contexts described by Hogan and evaluates social media behaviors as well as certain social implications.

References

Boyd, D. M., & Ellison, N. B. (2008). Social network sites: Definition, history, and scholarship. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 13(1), 210230. Web.

Hogan, B. (2010). The presentation of self in the age of social media: Distinguishing performances and exhibitions online. Bulletin of Science, Technology & Society, 30(6), 377386. Web.

Murray, S. (2018). Carrot. In J. W. Morris & S. Murray (Eds.), Appified (pp. 72-81). Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press.

Rui, J., & Stefanone, M. A. (2013). Strategic self-presentation online: A cross-cultural study. Computers in Human Behavior, 29(1), 110118. Web.

Identifications

Marbury versus Madison is a legal case that occurred in the U. S. in 1803. A case is an important event in the countrys history. It introduced the principle of judicial review in the U. S. It implies that American courts have the right to prohibit laws and other forms of governmental actions, which appear to go against the United States Constitution. From this moment onwards, the U. S. Constitution became the primary source of law, rather than just a document with political ideas and principles. Moreover, the case played an essential role in setting boundaries between constitutional executives and judicial branches.

A dual court system in the United States is one of the oldest judicial structures in the world. It implies that a country has two independent court systems, including the federal courts and the state courts (Longley, 2020). The United States system is called federalism, and the abovementioned court systems work independently from the executive and legislative branches. Such judicial practice is known in the country since the 18^th century when each of the Thirteen Colonies had its own courts. This system was created to maintain the principle of checks and balances, as it limits the power of the federal courts while supporting the integration of the state and local courts.

Social Media and Its Dangers for Users and Democracy

Nowadays, social media is an essential part of peoples everyday life. It is clear that sometimes it can play a detrimental role for users. Moreover, it is astonishing that its power can have a negative impact on democracy. In the present essay, three dangers social media may pose to its users, and democracy will be considered and discussed. Furthermore, a reform that would help to fight these threats will be proposed.

First of all, it should be stated that social media are used for destructive purposes nowadays, which are dangerous for liberal values and democracy. As Lawson states (2019), authoritarian governments and other actors deliberately employ social media for repressive purposes. The thesis supported the findings of representative research, which focused on internet freedom in 65 countries. The results were not optimistic: in 33 countries out of 65; there was a decline in internet freedom. It was expressed in a series of users arrests for political, social, or religious opinions (Lawson, 2019). As can be seen from the research, social media may be dangerous for users and freedom of speech, as the central value of democracy.

It appears to be essential to consider particular threats that social media may pose for its users and democratic systems. Firstly, it is spread disinformation in favor of the interests of certain political actors. Misinformation can primarily affect democracy as people may believe in false news and adjust their behavior on that basis. The results can be detrimental for democratic institutions and the system overall (Gebelhoff, 2019).

Secondly, another danger is social medias use to persecute people for their opinions and views expressed on the Internet. Such situations can be observed in authoritarian states, for instance, in China. People can lose their jobs, status, and even freedom for specific posts (Lawson, 2019). It is also dangerous in terms of interference in foreign states national affairs, which can have a negative impact on their democratic processes, such as on elections.

Last but not least is social media manipulation campaigns, which are widely employed by authoritative regimes. Such campaigns use different techniques, including micro-targeting and bots accounts, in order to convince people to support governmental elites. Lawson mentions seven states, which use those techniques in social media regularly. It includes China, India, Iran, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela (Lawson, 2019). This state of affairs demonstrates that measures should be taken to combat such destructive use of social media.

Speaking of measures that would help to fight the above-discussed dangers, it is believed that all political ads should be as transparent as possible. For this reason, it appears to be essential to propose a transparency law that would control political ads and inform people about their potential misinformation. First of all, the law will oblige all social media to label political campaigns. The label must include two following signs: paid for and political ad.

Such information would allow people to understand that a campaign has political purposes and might be potentially biased or even false. The next paragraph of this law will state that an organization must prove that it is based in the country to run a politically related ad on social media. It would prevent foreign advertising campaigns, which might be a severe threat to national democratic processes.

In conclusion, it should be stated that nowadays, social media is a powerful tool for different kinds of powers, including those who might be a threat to users and for democracy. Potential dangers include the spread of misinformation, persecuting people for their views, interference in national affairs, and social media manipulation campaigns. In order to combat the negative impact, a transparent law was proposed. The act would label political campaigns, publish all information about them, and control an organizations location that is willing to run the political campaign.

References

Gebelhoff, R. (2019). Heres how social media could threaten democracy  even without the help of Russians. Washington Post. Web.

Longley, R. (2020). Understanding the dual court system. ThoughtCo. Web.

Lawson, S. (2019). Evidence mounts of social medias negative impacts for democracy. Forbes. Web.

Teenagers are now increasingly using social media, which leads to a deterioration in their mental health. More specifically, heavy social media use was linked to negative well-being and self-esteem (Criddle, 2021). The researchers note that teenagers mostly use social media to gain a sense of community or solace. Telzer et al. (2018) identify that family and peer relationships play the greatest role in improving the mental health of adolescents. However, this study also highlights that physical activity, in particular group physical activity, has a significant positive impact on their psychological health and well-being (Telzer et al., 2018). This statement is also supported by the material of the article, which emphasizes that regular exercise had a positive impact on both genders (Criddle, 2021). Thus, the selected social group that could help improve teenagers mental health is sports coaches and organizers of sports activities in schools.

Physical activity plays a critical role in the normal development of adolescents and also allows them to socialize better. Sports coaches and mentors should pay more attention to the organization of collective sports activities in which adolescents can interact. Members of this social group can help teenagers form healthy habits regarding sports activities and physical development. In the long term, this aspect will allow adolescents to overcome the transition period with less harm to mental health. Sports activity is a great way to spend time usefully, which can be a substitute for social media. Moreover, collective activities offer teenagers the opportunity to be in the community and communicate with peers, which is the most significant. As noted in an article by Telzer et al. (2018) peers and family have the greatest influence on adolescents, so they can participate in sports activities while in these groups. Sports mentors and coaches in this situation act as educators about ways to participate in the physical development and integration of adolescents in sports.

References

Criddle, C. (2021). Social media damages teenagers mental health, report says. BBC News. Web.

Telzer, E. H., Hoorn, J., Rogers, C. R., & Do, K. T. (2018). Social influence on positive youth development: A developmental neuroscience perspective. Advances in Child Development and Behavior, 54, 215-258. Web.

Social media has become an integral part of the modern world, considering that many people opt to use these platforms to interact with others. Personally, I prefer to use Facebook as it is not flooded with spam and advertisement as much as Instagram, Tik Tok, or similar apps. I use Facebook to interact with my old friends, who I can no longer see because they moved to other cities or even countries, so this social platform seems a perfect option to interact with them from time to time. However, mainstream social media applications appear to have influenced todays society since people are constantly exposed to hate, negative comments or publications, and fake influencers.

To elaborate, impression management theory has become real since people try to become their better selves just to make a good impression on people they meet online. This fake image on social media can harm a persons self-esteem as people may feel insecure compared to the influencers or supermodels content on social platforms. Goffmans theory on social exchange is also apparent in the modern world, considering that people tend to quickly end relationships with people that seem to be of no benefit to them (Barbalet, 2020). Based on the aforementioned concepts, it is apparent that social media nowadays is entirely fake and toxic to users since it worsens their mental health and self-esteem.

However, the abundance of social media platforms presents numerous options for users because every application is used for different purposes. For instance, Tik Tok is mainly used to exchange funny videos with friends, while Twitter is a public diary where one can present opinions on crucial topics or not so much to the followers. Consequently, it is clear that the communication style between users is dissimilar on different social media platforms. Overall, the applications options can also limit the types of interaction as, for example, people can use some media only for texting and others to video call or record voice messages.

Reference

Barbalet, J. (2020). Bases of social obligation: the distinction between exchange and role and its consequences. Distinktion: Journal of Social Theory, 21(3), 334349. Web.

Inventory of Social Media Presence

To develop a selection of relevant assessment criteria for the choice of social media channels, it is necessary to consider the findings of recent academic studies. According to Schlagwein and Hu (2017), the most effective social media channels are characterised by the following qualities: broadcast, dialogue, collaboration, knowledge, management, and sociability (p. 194). The authors suggest that Facebook and Twitter are channels with a high degree of versatility in their use that can increase the absorptive capacity of a companys social media strategy (Schlagwein & Hu 2017). The use of Twitter makes it possible to locate pertinent online conversations, which is a key step in establishing large following bases (Ashley & Tuten 2015; Bik & Goldstein 2013).

It is clear that the selection of the most relevant communication channels should be based on the criteria of broadcast and engagement since they lend themselves to an analysis of empirical metrics (Bredl, Hunniger & Jensen 2014). According to a recent report on the state of global social media use, the number of monthly active users of Facebook reached almost 2 billion in 2017 (Social media 2017). The company has the most significant social reach and owns 18 percent of the market (Chaffey 2017). Figure 1 shows the number of active users of the top social media networks worldwide.

The focus of this section of the report is on a social media audit. Conducting the audit is essential for determining proper marketing actions with respect to social media content (Frick & Eyler-Werve 2014). In addition, the social media audit is central to developing a working understanding of the purpose of each communication channel employed by HWCS (Frick & Eyler-Werve 2014). Table 1 presents the social media audit for HWCS.

Table 1: Social Media Audit of HWCS.

To address the temporal component of the SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely) approach, it is necessary to specify a time frame that will be used for implementing the strategy: 11^th April-11^th June 2018 (Basri & Siam 2017). The time frame has been selected under the assumption that positive time-lags can increase the chances of a projects success (Greenwood, Perrin & Duggan 2016). This assumption is backed by empirical evidence showing that constrained scheduling is connected to the diminished productivity of key stakeholders involved in a project (Hanzalek & Sucha 2017). Table 2 presents SMART goals for a social media content strategy for HWCS.

Table 2: SMART Social Media Goals.

By following these actionable and measurable goals, it will be possible to help the advisory body to perform its primary objective of delivering career guidance to graduate students with the utmost efficiency. To clearly define whether a goal can be accomplished, it is necessary to connect it to empirical measures of success. Furthermore, goals should be time-bound to create a sense of urgency, which is essential for achieving successful outcomes. There is ample empirical evidence suggesting that the success of administrative work and resource planning activities hinges on the creation of a sense of urgency (Basri & Siam 2017).

Survey of the Competitive Landscape

To arrive at a comprehensive view of HWCSs social media use, it is necessary to consider the current state of the competitive environment in which the advisory body operates (Kim et al. 2014). To this end, the study conducted an audit of competitive career services, which is presented in Table 3.

Table 3: Social Media Audit of HWCSs competitors.

Preferences and Behaviours of Target Audience

The average age of alumni at any university amounts to 25 years old. Today, these people belong to the generation Z. Therefore, they prefer to be different from their parents or other people who are older than they are. Their behaviours sometimes can be characterised as that of introverts. Fortunately or unfortunately, contemporary young people do not like to spend much time together. Instead, they would rather stay home (studio, university, or office) and work on their hobbies or professional activities. The youth wants to develop and reach new horizons in the modern world. By the age of 25, almost every person knows what he or she wants to do for living. Therefore, there is no need for them to seek new acquaintances in public places anymore. Nevertheless, these statements are not applicable to all individuals. However, the majority of alumni are highly-educated people, which means that they are interested in some sciences.

Conclusions from Audit

Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are the three social networks that are designed to help various businesses develop and expand. Moreover, the audience that uses these web sources consists predominately of the age category of people that is discussed in the given work (the average age of alumni in the USA is 25 years old). These individuals sometimes have problems with finding decent jobs after their graduations as all the most preferable positions in popular or developing firms are already occupied by older professionals. Hence they need to monitor all the new opportunities regarding their future careers (Chan et al. 2017). However, they might not be able to read all the news online. Therefore, it would be beneficial for them to follow the HWCSs Facebook profile or read the services updates on its official website.

It would be proper to mention that many students seek someone to help them with their future jobs in universities. However, alumni are interested in such services as this question is actual for them at the present moment. Indeed, it is somewhat hard to find the best jobs for the representatives of Generation Z because they focus on both personal development and satisfaction with their social statuses, working conditions, and so on.

Facebook and Twitter are considered to be the best social media choices to address the category of people described in the previous paragraph. Instagram appears to be an ineffective tool for a bureau because these businesses cannot present any entertaining content to its followers. Instead, the target audience would be interested in news, surveys, or other facts related to their process of job seeking.

Content Strategy

Engagement Strategy

To begin with, it is necessary to state that the term of engaged audience can be interpreted as a group of people that likes the content that a certain profile posts, shares its news with friends, relatives, and colleagues. Also, an important element of social media engagement is confidential relations between the author and his or her followers. As stated in the appendix, if people do not trust a person who publishes updates on the page they are subscribed to, the audience is likely to leave and find more friendly content makers instead. Therefore, it is necessary to share only credible information and think about its benefit to every subscriber of the Facebook page or Twitter account. Moreover, it is important to follow certain rules to maintain the growth of the virtual community intensive. Some of the suggestions as to the engagement strategy will be listed below:

1. Analysis and assessment of every action or progress. It would be proper to analyse what pieces of content gather more likes from the HWCSs subscribers on Facebook. The results of the evaluation should be considered in every next post to attract as much audience a possible.
2. Classification of all the publications made on the profile. There must be several types of publications that are aimed at both entertainment of the audience and provision of some information that people seek. For instance, humorous pictures can be published to make raise peoples moods and demonstrate the loyalty of the web source. However, some compilations of new vacancies or innovative services available at HWCS also must be presented. It appears that people appreciate pages on social media that help them resolve certain problems.
3. Demonstration of services. This element is necessary for people who want to use the job service for the first time. To show them how the system works and what the firm can offer to its clients, it would be advantageous to release some tutorial videos or instructions.
4. Promoting HWCS among the target audience of alumni. New clients should be attracted by some unique offers or ideas that could help them. It is essential to launch an advertising campaign to make the Twitter and Facebook profiles more popular among the discussed population.
5. Increasing posting frequency to let people see that the business is prospering is essential at the level of its development.
6. Motivating clients to share their impressions with their friends, relatives, or colleagues. This will popularise the service among people of the target age category.

The use of Twitter and Facebook will be valuable for posting short messages notifying the subscribers about upcoming job fairs, internships, and other messages necessary for both achieving the primary goal of social media use (the provision of job recommendations) and attracting additional followers. To improve engagement among the members of the follower base, regular humorous messages will be posted through the main and additional channels. This strategy is closely aligned with a study by Fraustino and Ma (2015) whose findings point to the fact that the use of humour in social media campaigns has the potential of quickly spreading information to new audiences at a fraction of the cost. The results of research conducted by Whiting and Williams (2013) also justify the use of this approach to gaining a larger following by showing that social media users receive gratification from entertainment, which reinforces their interest in the consumed content.

Proposed Editorial Calendar for One Week of Activity

A One-Week Content Strategy for HWCS.

Table 5: Editorial Calendar.

Suggestions for Integration with Other Communications

Although Facebook and Twitter are perfect for the promotion of services, they are not designed to consult and communicate with clients. Therefore, it would be proper to create a WhatsApp account for HWCS. People could see the phone number in the information section of both Twitter and Facebook accounts. This method is beneficial for the management of conversations with new clients and for people who want to receive immediate answers to their questions (Raghavendra 2016). Another integration suggested in this paragraph is YouTube channel. By posting videos on this hosting, the firm can attract new customers and educate permanent users of its services.

Critical Evaluation of Strategy

The content strategy presented in this section of the business report is successfully used by many other organisations in the entire world. There is no need to invent new approaches to the process of content making as all the sound and effective theories were already invented and used by many social media profiles. However, it would be proper to mention that it is necessary to make all the publications regularly (Moreau 2017). Otherwise, informational overload or the lack of updates will make subscribers confused regarding the structure of the web source. In general, the strategy described above implies both interactive and one-sided communication with customers (Pansari & Kumar 2017). This will give people an ability to choose the most comfortable methods to gain some knowledge about HWCSs services, which is beneficial for the company as the audience become aware of its offers.

Suggestions for Tracking Social Media Performance and Tweaks

As it was mentioned above, all the publications and social media activities of HWCS must be analysed. Moreover, it would be beneficial to assess competitors accounts to avoid the common mistakes these companies make in managing their web sources. The program that is called Twitonomy can help regular users to see the statistics of different pages on Twitter (Liu et al. 2014). Another tool that is called WordPress SEO Plugin gives people an ability to optimise their posts and makes it easier for subscribers to find them. This tweak is essential for beginner firms that are not popular yet as it improves the rate of awareness of its services or products (Goddard 2016). To conclude, it is necessary to state that all actions on social media have to be planned, organised, and analysed. These three stages will help account managers to take all the advantage that Twitter and Facebook can give to their users.

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