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 Social media has grown in use exponentially in the last decade or so. The evolution of social media platforms like Instagram, facebook, twitter, snapchat and so many more can be examined with the diffusion theory. The ability for these sites to expand across the globe so rapidly with the internet makes it possible for social media to infiltrate any culture anywhere in the world. Early adopters of social media both made it popular and continued to revolutionize it through the creation of new and improved forms, apps and websites. While it wasn’t possible upon social media’s conception, it is now possible for people to make their entire living on social media sites, even to the point of becoming incredibly wealthy through them. 

While the majority of young and tech savvy individuals seem to have adopted social media relatively early, some late adopters have concerns about some of its features. Concerns about violations of privacy and the potential harms of endorsing mainstream indirect communication keep some from fully investing in social media. These concerns can be validated by the impacts social media has on some people’s mental health, often being cited as one of the main reasons for the presence of anxiety and depression with heavier users. Social media can also become addictive for some, giving more credit to delayed or non-adaptors. Social media has successfully been diffused with the majority of our society, as well as most first world societies around the world. This is largely due to the long list of benefits that it brings, such as long range communication, networking and entertainment.