A majority of today's generation is all about social media, and they're almost addicted to their smartphones. According to the Pew Research Institute of Internet and Technology, 95% of Americans own smartphones and have access to social media. One platform that is particularly interesting is Twitter. Users can create a profile completely catered to themselves, or create an anonymous one where no one will know your true identity. Sites like these are the birthplace of humor. You have thousands of users from all over the world coming together to share ideas, opinions, and most importantly content that is funny.

 

Tweets can be found on Twitter claiming "I'm never delete this site" or "I live for this content" because the content is so funny that users never want to miss it. This addiction to Twitter, to humor, is what keeps users coming back for more every day.

 

Twitter can be used as a creative outlet for many, who are content behind the computer screen, which provides them with a level of security and shields them from the negativity they might face in the real world. But this type of access and need for validation can be dangerous, and humor is used as a catalyst for this addictive behavior. News stories distort the truth, or change a headline because they realize people respond more to content that is presented in a humorous way versus a headline that is boring and factual.

 

Twitter users have made themselves vulnerable to the media, who pray on their need for humor, and users have also done themselves a disservice by losing the critical thinking skills it sometimes takes to interpret a news article. Young social media users are exposed to the highest amount of risk for these distortions, and it's time to take a stand.

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On this website, we will explore 3 lines of argument pertaining to the effect humor has on social media. First we will explore it's effect on user's attention to news, then the positive effects it's had, and finally the danger it poses to young social media users.

 

Social media users need to raise awareness on this issue so people can realize how humor has manipulated the flow of information. Then we can finally start to hold those who use this tactic accountable for their actions.