Social media is the umbrella of websites and online tools created for people to use in regards to creating and sharing information, pictures, and videos for a virtual community. Examples of social media websites include Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Tumblr.

“I think social media is a double-edged sword for its users,” said senior kinesiology major Christopher Cabatian. “I believe it has cut into quality time of all aspects of life such as family, school, relationships, sports and work…I live in a society where instant gratification, such as likes and favorites, stimulate senses more often than good conversation and good company.”

Cabatian has used social media as early as 2002 during the start of Xanga, a blogging and social networking website. He believes that social media decreases productivity.

“I find myself on Twitter, Vine, and Instagram for two hours without even noticing it,” said Cabatian.

He also believes that the instant gratification component of social media traces back as old as the beginning of Myspace and Facebook. They were strong influences for current social media platforms, like Instagram and Twitter, for their template of post appreciation marked from user comments and statuses.

“Social media back then was a tool used to connect and get voices heard…As of right now, it is all for vanity,” said Cabatian. “We have high schoolers joining sports teams just so they can get 100+ likes on Instagram. You have something as irrelevant as a selfie getting 200+ likes rather than a serious issue such as riots in America not getting any attention…Unfortunately, I see the age of social media giving a negative impact on our world.”

Junior business major Itsel Polvos also believes that social media can have a negative impact on its users. She explained that some users believe that private profiles can only be accessible by certain people, but that is not the case.

“Since social media has become more prominent nowadays, it wouldn’t be unusual for a future employer to look you up. If they come across your Instagram and all you have posted are pictures of you partying and drinking, you lose all your credibility as a professional or responsible person,” said Polvos. “People become so consumed in trying to get likes and be noticed, that they don’t think about the consequences their posts can have on their overall image.”

While there are negative components to social media use, junior communications studies major Angelica Gonzalez also recognizes that social media can be a good resource if used strategically.

“While it has the potential to create drama among people, the effect of social media depends on the person and how they use it,” said Gonzalez. “It can definitely be positive towards business owners because it allows for networking and getting the word out for future customers.”

A recent study was conducted by a group of communications studies majors for their research methods class in regards to privacy settings and social media. These student researchers are junior Megan Larson, sophomore Dominique Knox, junior Stephanie Kibbey, and senior Tracie Richardson.

They administered surveys and ran semester-long research in trying to find out if college students were aware of their privacy settings or not. In conclusion, they found out that the College of Business Administration at Sacramento State withholds the most information than the other colleges.