Social media continues to change how individuals relate in the economically and ethnically diverse Florida, the Sunshine State. Although the impacts of social media cut across populations and might be similar for many communities, there are ways that it affects other individuals differently compared to others. The pervasive effect of social media in Florida involves a complex blend comprising positive and negative consequences and shaping individuals’ perspectives and experiences. Although social media has enhanced family connections, aided emergency preparedness, and accelerated business growth, it has also propagated misinformation, promoted divisive ideologies, and raised cyberbullying and identity theft risks.
Positive Consequences
Social media enables friends and families inside Florida to relate with each other better and stay in contact, including helping them to track members of the family who have disappeared. The Florida Department of Children and Families uses its social media handles to post photos of missing children, including family members who have gone missing (FDCF, 2024). This helps society search for the missing people, shortening the time to put such information out.
During events such as hurricanes and tornadoes, the residents use social media to share information about weather emergencies. This helps people in areas that could be affected to move quickly to safe grounds, saving lives (DiCarlo & Berglund, 2020). Therefore, social media has impactful effects during stormy atmospheric conditions with the potential to destroy Florida.
Additionally, according to Dwivedi et al. (2021), social media provides a platform for small business owners in Florida to market their products to consumers. Small businesses depend on social media to establish and promote their brand presence. Using Facebook and Instagram allows them to get clients who end up purchasing products from them and benefitting their businesses.
Negative Consequences
People can use social media to spread misinformation, leading to social division in the state. Florida has been in the news alongside Texas for passing laws that require social media companies to stop deprioritizing and deleting specific posts, including hate speech (Quinn, 2023). People being allowed to post what they like without repercussions is likely to contribute to the development of division in the state.
Additionally, social media exposes citizens of Florida to bullying, which can be detrimental to their mental health. The laws recently passed in the state can easily promote cyberbullying to the detriment of the citizens (Yarbrough et al., 2023). The exposure of young people to cyberbullying can have long-lasting impacts on their self-esteem, which might see some of them sink into depression or even kill themselves in extreme cases.
Lastly, social media use in Florida poses the risk of identity theft. The identity theft fraud rate in the Miami metro region was 87.3 cases per 10,000 residents in 2021 (Hurtibise, 2023). As Floridian’s personal and financial data have become increasingly digitalized, hackers have become adept at using systems to open accounts and accumulate substantial bills before the victims even realize that cybercriminals have compromised their identities.
Individual Perspectives and Experiences
During the 2020 presidential elections, social media exposed many people to misleading information that impacted how they cast their votes. Some Floridians believed that the elections were rigged following the defeat of former President Donald Trump (Levine, 2023). During the 2022 Florida elections, many people had to be convinced to participate because they believed the results were predetermined. Therefore, social media can change how people perceive issues, including elections.
Additionally, young people’s experiences in Florida have changed over the last few years as they rely on social media to make meaningful life connections. This was uncommon in the past, as social media was still a strange idea. The emergence of social sites such as Tinder, X, and Facebook has made it easier for young people in the state to find lovers online (Centelles et al., 2021). Social media continues to shape the experiences of young people by increasing their chances of finding their loved ones online.
Conclusion
Social media has positively impacted social relationships in the past few years. It has enabled Floridians to remain in contact regardless of the distance differences between them and their loved ones. Additionally, social media is helpful in sensitization programs, including informing Floridians of possible emergencies. However, challenges like misinformation and the propagation of hate messages can create social divisions. Social media continues to change Floridian’s perceptions regarding politics, marriage, and life as it evolves and more people become a part of it.
References
Centelles, V., Powers, R. A., & Moule, R. K. (2021). An examination of location-based real-time dating application infrastructure, profile features, and cybervictimization. Social Media + Society, 7(3), 205630512110432. https://doi.org/10.1177/20563051211043218
DiCarlo, M. F., & Berglund, E. Z. (2020). Use of social media to seek and provide help in Hurricanes Florence and Michael. Smart Cities, 3(4), 1187–1218. https://doi.org/10.3390/smartcities3040059
Dwivedi, Y. K., Ismagilova, E., Hughes, D. L., Carlson, J., Filieri, R., Jacobson, J., Jain, V., Karjaluoto, H., Kefi, H., Krishen, A. S., Kumar, V., Rahman, M. M., Raman, R., Rauschnabel, P. A., Rowley, J., Salo, J., Tran, G. A., & Wang, Y. (2021). Setting the future of digital and social media marketing research: Perspectives and Research Propositions. International Journal of Information Management, 59, 102168. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2020.102168
FDCF. (2024). Social Media. Florida Department of Children and Families. https://www.myflfamilies.com/news-and-events/social-media
Hurtibise, R. (2023, May 10). Identity theft in South Florida tops all large U.S. metros, report finds.South Florida Sun Sentinel.https://www.sun-sentinel.com/2023/05/10/identity-theft-in-south-florida-tops-all-large-u-s-metros-report-finds/
Levine, S. (2023, October 28). What we learned from our Florida Voting Rights Investigation. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/oct/28/florida-voting-rights-investigation-ron-desantis
Quinn, M. (2023, September 29). Supreme Court to consider Texas and Florida laws regulating social media platforms. CBS News. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/supreme-court-social-media-case-texas-florida-laws/#:~:text=Texas%20and%20Florida’s%20social%20media,least%20100%20million%20monthly%20users
Yarbrough, J. R., Sell, K., Weiss, A., & Salazar, L. R. (2023). Cyberbullying and the faculty victim experience: Perceptions and outcomes. International Journal of Bullying Prevention. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42380-023-00173-x
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