I believe that social media can be positive, but it could also be harmful to society in multiple ways. Social media, now more than ever, is used everyday by millions of people around the world. This means that many people’s lives are on the internet, which can be harmful.
Along with this, social media can be harmful to society because it can cause you to have some mental health issues. This being that social media and the use of it can cause anxiety, loss of sleep, depression and sometimes loneliness.
For teenagers especially, social media causes loads of anxiety, especially when it comes to apps like Snapchat, Instagram, and Tiktok. These are all apps that the younger generations are getting a hold of and people that are my age are truly attached to, myself included.
When we post on these apps, we are constantly checking how many likes we have, who liked the post and who didn’t, who commented, etc. This causes extreme anxiety over a simple post. Along with this, it can cause depression and loneliness because teenagers are always scrolling seeing what their friends are doing, and why they weren’t invited. Causing this sense of fomo, the fear of missing out, makes most teenagers feel depressed and lonely.
Social media also harms society because there is an increased amount of cyberbullying on the internet. There is always someone that is pointing out something that they think is wrong with you or your post. Causing teenagers and kids to become insecure.
Also, social media can be addicting, leading to another reason why it can be harmful to society. People become so addicted to the idea of likes, scrolling, and watching videos, that it causes us to isolate ourselves.
But besides all these potential harms to society, there are a lot of potential benefits to social media. One being that social media allows for endless amounts of communication to endless amounts of people.
A benefit of this is that you are able to connect and communicate with friends that may be long distance, or family that is in different states or just 20 minutes away. It allows for maintaining relationships with people you want to ensure that you stay in touch with.
Next, social media allows for people to be creative and express themselves which is what makes it pretty great. People on social media can show off their art, talents, and ideas. If you are an artist, photographer, or social media manager for a big company, you can show everyone what you are capable of doing and truly make a name for yourself, allowing for many opportunities to open up for you.
Finally, social media spreads awareness and information. The platform allows for people to spread awareness about topics they are passionate about, this can include mental health awareness, environmental awareness and social justice. People can have a voice on social media, especially if they feel like they don’t have a voice outside of social media.
Although there are many disadvantages of social media, there are many advantages too, which is why I believe that social media has both its negatives and positives in today’s society.
I lean more towards social media being a negative, as it can cause loads of anxiety, fomo, isolation, and cyberbullying. In my opinion, social media is harmful to society. There should be age restrictions for certain apps, but I also believe that it can be so helpful with getting yourself out there, communicating, and spreading awareness.
