THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON THE PREVAILING CULTURE IN SOCIETY: A SOCIOLOGICAL STUDY

Abstract

In this paper, the researchers analyze and explain the potential effects of social media on
social culture. Therefore, the following main research question must be answered: How does social
media affect an individual and society? The descriptive-analytical method was used as being the
most suitable for such studies. The study tool was represented by a set of literature directly related
to the subject of the study. The researchers will highlight the conditions of social media use in light
of the prevailing culture. The examination is done at the global and individual levels; after that,
the social media effects on the above two levels will be combined in one image. From the main
results of this study, we can mention this: Social media has an effect on the emotions of individuals
and the human brain and, consequently, on the quality of life, as emotions play a critical role in
human communication, whereas social media has a significant benefit in communicating and
transferring information. Whereas social media has a significant advantage in delivering and
transferring data, and with that interest impacting the prevailing culture in society, it has an impact
on customs and traditions. Culture remains the historical determinant of societies and individuals
and is represented in their various behaviors, but the literature has shown that individuals can
change traditional cultural patterns that do not fit with the requirements of the current era on the
one hand, and on the other hand, they can cause the backwardness of society and the individual.
The study recommends that more research be done in this aspect and that countries should focus on developing social policies in proportion to the cultural change that the world is witnessing and
that they should open up to other cultures in all social areas.