How to Write a Good Social Media Essay

We live in an age where information is just a click away. We want to read, understand, and speak our minds about the things that we learn. And what better way to do this than via social media! Each day, social Media gains more popularity since it provides services that relate to fundamental human behavior such as socializing, communicating, and sharing information. As a result, it has captured the interest of millions of users, not only those of the younger generations but all people with access to computers, mobiles, and tablets. Therefore, it is crucial to do research on social media and have an opinion about it.

There are numerous approaches to writing an essay on social media. One can write a persuasive essay or a social media argumentative essay. However, writing a social media essay can be a daunting task. Regardless of the vast information about social media, many scholars find a rough time when writing an essay about about social media or coming up with social media essay topics. However, this does not have to be the case.

Here are a few tips on how to write a social media essay. Follow them to come up with a good essay on social media.

Create an Outline

Before writing a social media essay, it is essential to create an essay outline to guide you. It is a skeleton that you will later flesh it out as you write the article. It allows the writer to sort out the main ideas, organize them in order, and ensure that each of them can be fully developed.

A well-constructed essay outline will contain the essay topic, thesis statement, main points, and evidence supporting the points. The following is an example of an essay outline:

Social Media Essay Topic: The Impact of Social Media on Society

Thesis statement: Even though social media has revolutionized how people socialize and communicate with each other online, it has both positive and negative impacts on society.

Point 1: positive impacts

1. Impact on communication
2. Impact on education
3. Impact on business

Point 2: negative impacts

1. Effect on time management
2. Impact on mental health
3. Allows Dissemination of false information

Conclusion:

Restate the thesis statement

Support points

Write a call to action

Writing an Introduction to a Social Media Essay

An introduction provides a roadmap and sets the tone for the entire essay. An exceptional introduction grabs the attention of the readers and keeps them engaged right from the beginning. It also introduces the readers to the subject matter and brings them to the question the essay is dedicated to. The introduction should also provide background information on the issue or problem that the article is addressing.

When writing the introductory paragraph, you should start with general information as you narrow down to the specific points. That is, introduce the topic of the essay in a broad sense with context then narrow down to your line of argument.

Example:

The introduction of social media has radically changed society and how we view ourselves and others. It has various uses such as communication, socialization, marketing, networking, and many others. Even though social media has revolutionized how people socialize and communicate with each other online, it has both positive and negative effects on society.

The positive impacts of social media include improved communication and interaction with friends and families, better access to information and educative materials, and new business strategies such as online marketing.

Despite it being valuable, it can have grave effects on society. Social media has led to the deterioration of mental health by decreasing the attention span and the self-esteem of many of its users. It has also affected how people manage their time since most of it is spent online. And lastly, it has created a platform for cyberbullying and propagation of false information.

Writing the Body Paragraphs on an Essay about Social Media

The body of the essay contains an explanation of the main points. Each point in the outline is written in a paragraph of its own. There is no upper limit to the number of sections an essay should have. The longer the article is the more paragraphs it will have. Since the body presents essential facts about the composition, having well-written sections is crucial in writing a successful essay.

The paragraphs will have the same basic structure. The following are some of the essential aspects contained in a paragraph.

1. Topic sentence: a topic sentence usually appears in the first or second sentence of the paragraph. It serves as a 'thesis sentence' for each section and unites the contents of the parts. Everything in the subsection should tie together with the topic sentence.
2. Ensure that you use specific evidence to support the main point. The evidence can be in the form of statistics, real-life examples, or quotes from credible sources.
3. Transition phrases: all sentences should be cohesive and provide a transition. These transitions show the relationship between sentences or paragraphs in the essay. Some of the phrases include: Furthermore, however, therefore, in the same way, for instance, and many others.
4. A summary or concluding sentence that ties everything to the main point and wraps the paragraph up.

Example

Positive Impacts

Impact of Social Media on Communication

Social Media provides an effortless way to link up with people and communicate with them. This has allowed even the socially isolated and shy people to open up more and communicate with others. More than 25% of teenagers report that social Media will enable them to feel less shy and make friends. Regardless of religion or location, social Media helps create and preserve meaningful relationships.

Impact on Education

In our modern age, platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube are mostly utilized by professors, teachers, and students to access, share, and advance their knowledge. Social media platforms contain a goldmine of information with a lot of images, videos, teaching aids, and tools that students can access and cultivate their knowledge. Studies show that 59% of students use social media to discuss school assignments.

Also, tutors can provide off-hours support and solve questions that students have even after class hours. This practice helps teachers monitor the progress of their students more closely.

Social media also allows students to develop communication skills through online interaction. Students can also join online communities and be exposed to many ideas, points, and views. It also improves their social confidence, thus making them comfortable in new situations.

Impact of Social Media on Business

Social platforms are essential for any marketing strategy. They help connect the business to its customers, amplify brand awareness, and boost sales.

If people have no idea about your business, they cannot become your clients. Social media will enhance your visibility among prospective customers allowing you to reach an extensive audience. Creating a website for your business will allow you to interact with your clients and build a good rapport with them. Replying to them will help you enhance customer satisfaction and increase traffic to your site.

Negative Impacts

Impact on Mental Health

If you spend a lot of time on social media, you are likely to suffer from mental health problems such as anxiety, depression, and personality disorders. These disorders include the inability to have face-to-face conversations, attention deficit disorder, addiction, selfishness, and the need for instant gratification. Social media use is also associated with loneliness, depression, anxiety, and a negative body image.

Social Media is also associated with irregular sleep. Being online at night keeps the brain active by engaging the emotional and cognitive brain centers, which makes it difficult to fall asleep. It also displaces sleep time since people are glued to their screens at their bedtime. The light from technological devices delays the onset of sleep, thus leading to irregular sleep patterns.

Social media also affects how we view and perceive ourselves. In the online world, everyone is concerned about how they look. Celebrities wear expensive attire and set high standards of living that are sometimes unattainable. Seeing all their gorgeous pictures online might create a negative image in the minds of its users. They may look down upon themselves since they cannot afford to look as pretty as the celebrities. These negative feelings can result in depression and anxiety disorders.

Impact on Time Management

Being online is time-consuming and addictive. Most people have the habit of checking their accounts while at work or in school. They waste their time scrolling through random pictures and posts instead of working or learning. This reduces their concentration and productivity.

Dissemination of False information

Social media has become one of the primary sources of information. However, it has also become the number one platform where people share misinformation and fake news. False or misleading information can significantly harm your reputation and that of your business. It can upset loyal clients and dissuade them from buying your product and services.

Writing the Conclusion

The conclusion is meant to help the reader understand why your essay should matter to them even after they are done reading the paper. It is a section where you can demonstrate your understanding of the subject matter and present your final thoughts on the issue. You can also summarize your ideas and the implication of your essay.

When writing a conclusion for an essay about social media, redefine the critical terms for the composition, and conclude with a quotation from a credible source that amplifies your main points. Also, ensure that you use clear and concise language. Avoid phrases like, 'to conclude, or 'in conclusion' since the reader can tell when the essay is about to end.

Example

Social media has completely changed how people interact with one another. And like everything else, it can impact society positively and negatively. The sites are continually improving and fixing their flaws. However, despite their efforts to make everything perfect, the adverse effects outweigh the benefits. Social Media stunts interpersonal growth if it is not used wisely or regulated. Therefore, people need to amend the destructive patterns of social media before it cripples society.

Additional Tips on How to Write Social Media Essay

1. Have a social media topic in mind to cut down on time you will spend searching the internet. Examples of social media essay topics include:

• The significance of Social Media
• Consequences of cyber bullying in Social Media
• Social media addiction
• Social media policies in the place of work
• How has Social media shaped people's identity

2. Have a detailed understanding of basic literary styles, grammar, and punctuation. When writing a social media argumentative essay, it is imperative that you use the correct grammar and punctuation. Use the right verbs and phrases to construct sentences.
3. Use the right vocabulary and know what the words mean. Avoid unnecessary jargon and use of obscure words since they take away the clarity of your essay.
4. Proofreading is the art of reviewing the final draft of a paper to ensure consistency, clarity, and structure.

Conclusion

Writing a social media essay is not the most exciting thing to do for most people. It is engaging and requires a level of determination to complete it. The ability to write an excellent essay is not a skill you are born with. It is developed through consistency, hard work, and practice.

Essay writing involves presenting a coherent set of thoughts into an argument. Therefore, the writer should understand the topic he or she is writing about and the points he is going to use. The first step is constructing an essay outline to guide the writer throughout the writing process. After that, the writer can then argue out his or her points in the essay and later conclude the essay by giving his thoughts on the subject matter.

Have you found these tips useful? What points exactly? If not, what don't you understand about writing a good social media essay? We'd like to hear from you; any comments, questions or suggestions are welcome!