Are Social Media a Contemporary Zombie Epidemic? Term Paper
Are Social Media a Contemporary Zombie Epidemic?
An analysis of whether the proliferation of social media is a contemporary zombie epidemic.
# 154046
| 2,336 words
| 14 sources
| 2014
| 
Published
on Oct 23, 2014
in
English
(Comparison)
, Computer and Technology
(Internet)
, Sociology
(Media and Society)
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Description:
In this essay, it will be argued that the proliferation of social media can be seen metaphorically as a contemporary zombie epidemic with social as well as cultural implications. Due to reasons of limited space the focus will lie on Facebook as an example for social media. First, the terms zombie and epidemic will be defined. Ensuing, the rapid spreading of Facebook and the concomitant effects will be described and parallels to a fictional zombie epidemic will be drawn. Then some of the effects of being constantly connected will be presented, followed by a discussion and the conclusion.
From the Paper:
"In Germany in 2012, people on average spent almost ten hours a day using some kind of media; altogether, the media consumption amounted to more than three hours of television and almost two hours of Internet per day per person. Moreover, tremendous growth has occurred in the number of users of social networking sites (henceforth SNS), such as Facebook, Myspace and Twitter. At the same time, the Internet has become more and more accessible thanks to mobile gadgets such as smart-phones and cheap flat-rates, which allow the users to be online whenever and wherever they want. This is not only the case for industrialized countries, but this phenomenon can also be observed in Africa. In fact, 57% of the population in South Africa and 70% of the population in Egypt were mobile Internet users in 2011, compared to the USA, where it was only 25%. This permanent connection and the shift from face-to-face communication to electronic communication affect the users in many-sided ways. While SNS are a more recent phenomenon than television, both are said to influence their consumers in a negative way. In this essay, it will be argued that the proliferation of SNS can be seen metaphorically as a contemporary zombie epidemic with social as well as cultural implications. Due to reasons of limited space the focus will lie on Facebook as an example for social media. First, the terms zombie and epidemic will be defined. Ensuing, the rapid spreading of Facebook and the concomitant effects will be described and parallels to a fictional zombie epidemic will be drawn. Then some of the effects of being constantly connected will be presented, followed by a discussion and the conclusion."What is a zombie epidemic? Due to the fact that zombie epidemics are solely fictional, both terms will be defined on their own. The Concise Oxford Dictionary defines epidemic as a "widespread occurrence of an infectious disease in a community at a particular time" and as "a sudden, widespread occurrence of an undesirable phenomenon." The term zombie is defined as "a soulless corpse said to have been revived by witchcraft" and as "a dull, apathetic, or slow-witted person." Since it is apparent that SNS are not a literal disease and that Facebook has nothing to do with witchcraft, nor with turning its users into actual corpses, this paper will focus on the second definition of both terms."
Cite this Term Paper:
APA Format
Are Social Media a Contemporary Zombie Epidemic? (2014, October 23)
Retrieved December 10, 2023, from https://www.academon.com/term-paper/are-social-media-a-contemporary-zombie-epidemic-154046/
MLA Format
"Are Social Media a Contemporary Zombie Epidemic?" 23 October 2014.
Web. 10 December. 2023. <https://www.academon.com/term-paper/are-social-media-a-contemporary-zombie-epidemic-154046/>