Is digital media a force for good, or is it something we should be afraid of?

The Two Sides of Digital Media: 

A Closer Look at Its Effects

While it is relatively easier to function now as opposed to centuries ago, whether or not modernity has brought about more harm than good remains relevant. The digital media revolution has been changing lives all over the world. From communications to businesses, the power of the internet is undeniably here to stay.

Today, it has become easier to communicate with anyone from around the world. Through smartphones and information-services-enabled systems, you can talk to someone from the other side of the world in a snap of a finger.

For businesses, reaching consumers has been made easy by e-commerce platforms allowing their products to be sold and delivered to the consumers right at their doorsteps. Gone are the days when the only source of information that we have are traditional media sources. Information channels such as television, radio, and newspapers are no longer the only gatekeepers of information.

Today, the news is easily spread on social media like fire. Anyone can be a journalist with a smartphone and an internet connection. While this creates a faster communication channel, it also endorses massive harm we never thought possible. Since anyone can share any form of information online, the chances of deception and falsification have become more rampant than ever. The use of social media to create lies and to spread disinformation has continued to be a challenge we have faced for the last two to three years.

Since people can be anonymous online, it has also been easier for individuals to judge others without knowing them. Trial by publicity has become a norm, and many people no longer appreciate facts and historical data to support certain claims. Today, influential figures can change history by using systems and mechanisms to influence the flow of information.

Today, we are still determining the tip of what social media and the internet, in general, can do. We can only speculate and expect, but it is here to stay. Our online selves reflect who we are in the real world. If we do not want a vicious virtual community, we should use these tools for good. Otherwise, we're better off without them.