Social media is a very common and useful resource in today’s society. Billions of people are connected through social media. It allows people to share thoughts, pictures, and news with people all around the world at the click of a button. This could present many issues over time. Social media is a threat to 21st century American democracy because of the large amount of personal data online, the easy influence, and the extreme difficulty to control it. By storing data online, hackers can easily access anyone’s personal information. With basic technology, they are able to steal passwords, credit card numbers, and even people’s identities. This is a huge problem with top secret information. Even though it is more protected than the average individual’s personal information, hackers are still able to access it if they know what they are doing. One example of this is the email …show more content…
A fake email made to look real, also called a spear phish, was sent to John Podesta—chairman of Hilary Clinton’s campaign. He responded to the people who take care of his email saying the email was not real; however, instead of typing the word “illegitimate” he claims he accidentally left out the first two letters and accidentally said the email was legitimate. This let Russian hackers, or cozy bears, get his password and steal a plethora of information (“Putin’s Revenge”). Personal data for friends and family is one thing, but personal data in the wrong hands is a whole different story that could lead to a catastrophe (Rajan). People in today’s society are easily influenced because they tend to believe everything they read. The idea that what they’re reading is not true rarely