<P> As social networking becomes more popular among older and younger generations, sites such as Facebook and YouTube, gradually undermine the traditionally authoritative voices of news media . For example, American citizens contest media coverage of various social and political events as they see fit, inserting their voices into the narratives about America's past and present and shaping their own collective memories . An example of this is the public explosion of the Trayvon Martin shooting in Sanford, Florida . News media coverage of the incident was minimal until social media users made the story recognizable through their constant discussion of the case . Approximately one month after the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin, its online coverage by everyday Americans garnered national attention from mainstream media journalists, in turn exemplifying media activism . In some ways, the spread of this tragic event through alternative news sources parallels that of the Emmitt Till--whose murder became a national story after it circulated African American and Communists newspapers . Social media was also influential in the widespread attention given to the revolutionary outbreaks in the Middle East and North Africa during 2011 . However, there is some debate about the extent to which social media facilitated this kind of change . Another example of this shift is in the ongoing Kony 2012 campaign, which surfaced first on YouTube and later garnered a great amount of attention from mainstream news media journalists . These journalists now monitor social media sites to inform their reports on the movement . Lastly, in the past couple of presidential elections, the use of social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter were used to predict election results . U.S. President Barack Obama was more liked on Facebook than his opponent Mitt Romney and it was found by a study done by Oxford Institute Internet Experiment that more people liked to tweet about comments of President Obama rather than Romney . </P> <P> We worry that social media is kind of the virtual bathhouse--Dr. Lynn Fitzgibbons, an infectious disease physician Santa Barbara County Public Health Department </P> <P> Criticisms of social media range from criticisms of the ease of use of specific platforms and their capabilities, disparity of information available, issues with trustworthiness and reliability of information presented, the impact of social media use on an individual's concentration, ownership of media content, and the meaning of interactions created by social media . Although some social media platforms offer users the opportunity to cross-post simultaneously, some social network platforms have been criticized for poor interoperability between platforms, which leads to the creation of information silos, viz . isolated pockets of data contained in one social media platform . However, it is also argued that social media have positive effects such as allowing the democratization of the Internet while also allowing individuals to advertise themselves and form friendships . Others have noted that the term "social" cannot account for technological features of a platform alone, hence the level of sociability should be determined by the actual performances of its users . There has been a dramatic decrease in face - to - face interactions as more and more social media platforms have been introduced with the threat of cyber-bullying and online sexual predators being more prevalent . Social media may expose children to images of alcohol, tobacco, and sexual behaviors . In regards to cyber-bullying, it has been proven that individuals who have no experience with cyber-bullying often have a better well - being than individuals who have been bullied online . </P> <P> Twitter is increasingly a target of heavy activity of marketers . Their actions, focused on gaining massive numbers of followers, include use of advanced scripts and manipulation techniques that distort the prime idea of social media by abusing human trustfulness . Twitter also promotes social connections among students . It can be used to enhance communication building and critical thinking . Domizi (2013) utilised Twitter in a graduate seminar requiring students to post weekly tweets to extend classroom discussions . Students reportedly used Twitter to connect with content and other students . Additionally, students found it "to be useful professionally and personally". British - American entrepreneur and author Andrew Keen criticizes social media in his book The Cult of the Amateur, writing, "Out of this anarchy, it suddenly became clear that what was governing the infinite monkeys now inputting away on the Internet was the law of digital Darwinism, the survival of the loudest and most opinionated . Under these rules, the only way to intellectually prevail is by infinite filibustering ." This is also relative to the issue "justice" in the social network . For example, the phenomenon "Human flesh search engine" in Asia raised the discussion of "private - law" brought by social network platform . Comparative media professor José van Dijck contends in her book "The Culture of Connectivity" (2013) that to understand the full weight of social media, their technological dimensions should be connected to the social and the cultural . She critically describes six social media platforms . One of her findings is the way Facebook had been successful in framing the term' sharing' in such a way that third party use of user data is neglected in favour of intra-user connectedness . </P>

Where did the word social media come from