In this blog post, we examine how much freedom of information is realized through social media and delve deeply into the distortions and limitations lurking beneath the surface.
At some point, the majority of internet users began sharing information, exchanging knowledge, and conversing through social media. Moving beyond its original function of simply sharing personal status updates or emotions, it now often substitutes for news and media outlets, and is even utilized as a powerful advertising medium. With the widespread adoption of smartphones, making internet access easy anytime, anywhere, it’s no exaggeration to say SNS has become indispensable in this era. We aim to take a detailed look at SNS, which has rapidly established itself as this new internet culture.
Furthermore, SNS possesses not only positive functions but also negative aspects. Just as light casts shadows, we will also examine the dual nature of SNS—its positive and negative effects.
SNS stands for ‘Social Networking Service,’ referring to platforms that help users form human networks online. Representative examples include Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Their basic features are as follows.
Twitter (X): A platform where users can share personal opinions or thoughts in real-time through short messages limited to 140 characters (currently offering more characters on paid plans). True to its name, derived from the verb “to tweet,” users can wittily share small stories from their daily lives. The ‘follow’ feature allows users to view posts from people they are interested in in real time. Follows can be initiated without the other person’s permission, making it easy to access the daily lives and thoughts of celebrities.
Instagram: A photo and video-centric social media platform launched in 2010, now owned by Meta. Users share their daily lives through images, videos, stories, and reels, spreading content via hashtags and location tags. Its intuitive, visual interface has made it hugely popular worldwide, serving as a key stage for brand marketing and influencer activities.
Facebook: A platform similar to Instagram but with more comprehensive features, enabling users to exchange various content like text, photos, and videos while interacting with each other. Users communicate with people connected through friend requests and actively participate in interest-based group activities.
These diverse forms of SNS enable people to build networks online and have spread widely to many users in a short time since their official launch. It has reached the point where almost everyone possesses at least one SNS account.
In a past Korean documentary, when asked about his feelings upon achieving global popularity, singer Psy stated, “I never expected any of this. It just happened. YouTube and Twitter are what keep me going.” As such, SNS exerts immense influence worldwide, making it essential to accurately understand and utilize its functions.
SNS serves a positive function by enabling the formation of personal bonds. For instance, when facing difficulties in daily life, one can find comfort through SNS, sharing empathy and support. Much like feeling the warm affection between neighbors in a community, human interaction is possible, even within a virtual space. In fact, in 2010, an announcer posted a tweet hinting at suicide. An acquaintance who saw it rushed to the announcer’s home, administered first aid, and saved a precious life. In this way, SNS can connect to reality and become a lifesaving channel.
On a broader scale, SNS plays a powerful role as a means of information dissemination and marketing. Users connected through follows or friend requests share and spread information in real time. Whereas information was previously obtained only through limited channels like newspapers or broadcasts, SNS allows anyone to easily become both a distributor and producer of news. Even without being a reporter or anchor, anyone can document events, share opinions, and access information from diverse perspectives.
The influence of SNS is also growing steadily in the marketing field. Because it costs less and is more accessible than TV or print media, many companies actively utilize SNS. The American coffee brand Starbucks, facing a slump during the economic downturn of the 2000s, turned the tide through SNS marketing. By communicating with consumers via Facebook and receiving real-time feedback through Twitter, it restored its brand image and boosted sales. Many brands still utilize SNS as a core marketing channel today.
However, SNS also has clear drawbacks. In places like subways and cafes, people often stare at their smartphones, immersed in SNS, rather than conversing with each other. This decline in direct interpersonal communication shows how SNS can contribute to alienating human relationships.
Moreover, the advantage of rapid information dissemination equally applies to spreading false information or rumors. Unverified information spreads quickly, potentially infringing on personal reputation or privacy and causing social chaos. Celebrities, politicians, and other public figures frequently suffer damage from inaccurate information, and this harm is often difficult to repair even with corrective reports. Negative campaigning during election seasons also runs rampant through SNS.
From a marketing perspective, SNS can also be a double-edged sword. Advertisements disguised as consumer reviews are sometimes biased or exaggerated, and it’s not uncommon for companies to use incentives like freebies to solicit positive reviews. This makes it difficult for consumers to make objective judgments and increases the likelihood of being deceived by exaggerated information. SNS marketing by restaurants or cafes faces similar issues.
Thus, SNS is a complex tool with both positive and negative effects depending on the user’s attitude and purpose. We must clearly recognize SNS’s influence extending beyond simple communication into society, economy, and culture, and learn to utilize it more healthily and wisely. In this era of rapidly changing digital information, how we handle SNS will determine whether we can build richer and more balanced social relationships.
