No man is an island,” so they say. “Man is a social being”. These are the two most common phrases to show how much we need the society within us. Our lives are deeply entwined with social media, with over 3 billion people using it every day. Despite its great potential to stay connected and share information, it is important to use social media responsibly. However, People claim that social media destroys real-life human interaction and relationships. In contrast, others view it as a blessing.
In the age of revolution, kids and teenagers are learning technology rapidly. Technology and social media can bring many positive benefits when used appropriately. The use of social media can also come with many risks and potentially harmful consequences. Before judging whether social media is good or bad, let’s take a look at its effects.
Adverse Effect of Social Media
One misconception regarding the use of social media is the spread of fake news on the Internet.
It is a reason of great concern for all members of society, including the government, policymakers, organizations, businesses, and citizens. Fake news is specifically designed to plant a seed of mistrust and exacerbate society. Individuals who encounter false and misleading information may actively spread it further by sharing or engaging with it. And this never-ending loop of circulation of false news continues.
Social media is filled with many disinformation and misinformation, malicious content, cyberbullying, and misrepresentation of real life. It often misleads the public to make wrong decisions, stimulates negative public emotions, and poses severe threats to public safety and social order. It can fuel arguments and lead to feelings of jealousy and insecurity in your friendship. Concurringly, the effect of social media from the pessimistic standpoint is increasing dramatically.
One of the best concerns is that social media usage can lead to poor mental health among adolescents. This is because users constantly compare themselves to others, which can lead to feelings of inadequacy and low self-esteem. Another way social media can affect our mental health is by creating a false sense of reality. People tend to post only the best parts of their lives, which can lead to unrealistic expectations for themselves and others. It can lead to feelings of disappointment and dissatisfaction with our own lives.
Benefits of Social Media
Even though it has some adverse effects, positive effects outweigh the negative ones with its greater influence. Social media’s influence on modern society, in particular, is overwhelmingly positive. Even though some criticisms and controversies surround social media’s influence today, it is essential to understand that the use of criticism controversy is very much surface level and underneath the surface, social media has a lot to offer when it is utilized properly.
For the family, it helps to see pictures of your distant relatives. During the pandemic, social media helped us to study at home, while social media such as Facebook offers you to promote events and strengthen your community free of charge. The public becomes aware of what is happening, especially regarding political and economic issues with social media.
Furthermore, social media and other platforms can have positive and negative influences on adolescents and their behaviour. Adolescents who are exposed to and take an interest in news media are more likely to be interested in major social and political issues like climate change. The power of social media to influence politics is enhanced due to their ability to amplify messages quickly through diverse media platforms.
Media can encourage us to become more involved as citizens in our communities. Social media can provide us with health promotion messages. It may consist of messages focused on preventing youth suicide, promoting positive relationships, or promoting healthy eating and lifestyle choices. Also, good-quality stories in television shows and movies can help us explore aspects of identity like sexuality, relationships, gender, or ethics.
Communication and socialization are the most apparent positive benefits of social media. Specifically, we can connect with our peers like family members, friends, relatives, and loved ones who live abroad through text messages and video chats. We can also stay up to recent news and issues, learn new things, job opportunities, and great marketing tools, and motivate online learning.
Be Prudent while Using Social Media
Knowing how to use and protect privacy on social media responsibly is vital and can be achieved by following good practices.
- First and foremost, keep our profiles and accounts set to private, which allows us to limit access to our personal information and photos.
- The second is to think before posting in an emotional state. Making a social media post in anger can have repercussions long after the statement is made. So be mindful of the consequences before publishing the post.
- Third, confirm every message and content before sending or sharing, and avoid reading harmful content as it may trigger posting negative content too.
- Fourth, please limit the number of platforms we use. Choose the platform that we highly need and can use for communication and socialization purposes.
- Fifth, Make sure you check the facts before commenting or sharing a post on social media. Always search for facts, truths, and sources that can prove that his/her post is reliable.
- As a final tip, try to avoid social media during times of tiredness, boredom, or time for other activities. Also, ensure to log out of social media accounts before leaving the computer or cyber.
- On the other hand, our self-image and body image can be influenced by social media, which can lead to insecurities and might feel we’re not good enough.
Indeed, social media has both gains and losses. Using it responsibly can be a tool of immense help, especially in spreading public awareness. Intersubjectivity, freedom, and responsibility are correlated with social media usage. We, as users of said platform, must learn to balance and exert responsibility when using freedom to intersubjective with other people by sharing and posting content; for us to see the safer and better world of social media.
Never let social media control and consume us. We should be the one who owns and use this platform to spread public awareness and knowledge on this issue. As I end, may this post serve as a reminder to always be prudent about what we say, post, and share online.
Writer
Md Abu Jayed
Intern
Content Writing DepartmentDepartment
YSSE