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Globalization, Technology Privacy Topic: How Whatsapp App Essay

Globalization, Technology Privacy Topic: How Whatsapp App There is a lot of evidence that suggests that WhatsApp, one of the most popular apps utilized for communication between people, is invading the social life of college students. In fact, one can argue that WhatsApp is one of the most widespread mechanisms used by college students for socializing with one another. According to Susilo (2014), WhatsApp is one of "the most popular messenger applications among…college students" (10). It was largely due to the tendency of college students and young people to utilize this app that Facebook spent billions of dollars acquiring the company that makes it (Duryee, 2014). There are a number of different areas of life in which WhatsApp is impacting the social communication between college students. Many of these areas (including romance, long and short distance communication, and academics) pertain to some of the features of this app.

AREAS OF SOCIAL LIFE

One of the chief ways in which WhatApp has impacted the social life of college students is by allowing them to remain in contact with people over distances -- which is directly attributable to how this particular app functions. WhatsApp enables users to send information (such as text messages, videos, audio, etc.) through their phone lines as part of their service instead of as a data charge. The result is that people can send more information quicker, and less expensively than they could if they were to simply utilize regularly text messaging or send files and incur data charges from their service providers for doing so. Therefore, many college students remain in touch with people who live far away via this platform. When they leave college campuses for the holidays or for summer vacation, or perhaps travel abroad during the summer months, students can use WhatsApp as a very convenient and efficient...

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One of the best aspects of this particular use case is that it also applies to remaining in touch with people who are local. The same low cost, ease of use, and expedience that the app applies across long distances also applies to short distances.
Another very practical aspect of WhatApp that has contributed to the effect it has created in the social life of college students is its ability to provide group communication. With this app, students are able to send group text messages as well as to send different files to people in groups. This feature of WhatApp effectively transforms it to a forum in which students can regularly express their opinions, beliefs, and details about their lives. Furthermore, it enables them to get nearly instantaneous feedback while doing so, which enhances their experience and the sort of connectivity that they have with one another. There are certain situations in which this facet of WhatsApp applies to college students more so than to others. For instance, if there is a party or an event that is taking place, this platform is an extremely viable one to both find out about it and disseminate information about it. Additionally, when there is information relating to technology and its applications that might apply to a popular band or artist among college students, WhatsApp is a readily available platform to not only learn about recent developments, but also to help shape them by contributing to the discussion and group consensus about whichever specific artist or musician is the topic of conversation.

In fact, there are several ways in which the social capabilities of WhatsApp can actually extend into areas of academic life, effectively blurring the lines between them. There is a well-known case in India in which college students were caught cheating by using WhatsApp (May, 2014). In this…

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References

Duryee, T. (2014). WhatTheApp? Why Facebook would spend $16billion on an app with no advertising. www.Geekwire.com. Retrieved from http://www.geekwire.com/2014/whattheapp-facebook-spend-16-billion-app-advertising/

Lyman, E.J. (2014). Having an affair in Italy? You may want to avoid WhatsApp. www.usatoday.com Retrieved from http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/12/02/italy-affair-whatsapp/19775751/

May, S. (2014). DU college students use WhatsApp to leak paper in exam. www.saharasmay.com Retrieved from http://www.saharasamay.com/regional-news/national-capital-region-news/676565878/du-college-students-use-whatsapp-to-leak-paper-in-exams.html

Susilo, A. (2014). "Exploring Facebook and Whatsapp as supporting social network applications for English learning in higher education. www.putsaka.ut Retrieved from http://www.pustaka.ut.ac.id/dev25/pdfprosiding2/Exploring%20Facebook%20and%20Whatsapp%20As%20Supporting%20Social%20Network%20Applications%20For%20English.pdf
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