Social media is a crazy world and it has truly blossomed during our generation. Being able to communicate with people all across the world, share photos and stories globally, and all the other incredible things social media has to offer. Unfortunately as many of us know, social media is not all rainbows and butterflies. There are so many wonderful things social media brings to the table for us but it is a known fact that it can also have many negative effects. A major issue with social media has to do with mental health. For example many people comparing themselves to “instagram models” and get so caught up in it that they develop such bad, unhealthy habits. “Seeing others’ lives on social media platforms like Snapchat “may also expose adolescents to idealized self-presentations that negatively influence body image and encourage social comparisons.”” (Williams, 2019). This is a major issue especially as younger and younger teens are using these platforms.
Alongside the issue of body image and young people comparing themselves to others and the issues that it arises, bullying is also a large problem that occurs on social media. Since many people think that hurting someone over the internet is easier than in person, people have relied on social media to make fun of or bully people. Obviously, these platforms were not intended to do that but unfortunately it does take place. “Time spent on social media may increase the risk of experiencing cyberbullying, which has a strong association with depressive symptoms’ (Williams, 2019). It is important to learn how to use social media in an appropriate and healthy way as these platforms are still on the rise and are only getting bigger. Our mental health should not be jeopardized by these social media platforms.
Social Media in my opinion, could be one of the most important things to happen to this world. Everything is on Social Media whether it be what clothing style you want to buy, where your friends are hanging out, what you want to do, who you want to talk, and it gives you a way to communicate. I do agree there are negative effects of Social Media, and you can make those negatives into positives. Social Media gives us the platform to speak up and speak our minds about body issues, mental health, bullying and health in general.
Celebrities and professional athletes continue to use Social Media as a platform to speak out about their own mental health stories. It gives them the opportunity to connect with fans and other players to let them know first-hand they are not alone in feeling any way. By doing this they are making the fans feel like what they are going through is normal and there are people who are going through what they are too. They are giving them resources to get the right help.
Yes, Social Media gives us an easier way to send or write hate messages, but it also is an easier way to connect to people who are going through similar situations as you. It’s giving you away for people to go out of their comfort zone and try to help someone out. You need to think about the positives in every situation. I know it is easier said than done, but it is worth a shot. Social Media is good.
https://www.theplayerstribune.com/en-us/articles/kevin-love-everyone-is-going-through-something
I think social media is good for us. First, because of social media, so many new jobs were created. For example, YouTuber, Instagram celebrities, and backstage manager. Second, social media give everybody the same opportunity to share their idea and share their own story with everyone else. Third, According to pewinternet “Nearly two-thirds (64%) of teens who have made a new friend online say they have met new friends on a social media platform. Two-thirds (62%) of teens say they’ve shared their social media username with a brand new friend as a way to stay in touch.” Social media can also help people make more friends, and also help people understand others much better. Forth social media can also help us learn how other people’s live is from their own perspective.
https://www.pewinternet.org/2015/08/06/chapter-4-social-media-and-friendships/
This got me thinking about the article we read for homework. According to Hosanagar (2016), Echo chambers are not good for democracy. Not only can social media be bad for our emotional health, it can also be bad for politics. Unfortunately, Facebook has no business incentive to prevent echo chambers from forming. However, as Hosanager (2016) points out, a lot of this is our own fault. We choose to remain in our echo chambers. However, this choice reflects our real-life choices. I would argue that while the internet has in the short-term divided us, it in the long term will unite us like never before. It certainly has the potential to already, we have just been misusing it.
I will admit that my evidence supporting this is anecdotal. However, one example of this is myself. The internet has expanded my viewpoint beyond just the people I knew. The community I grew up in was rather sheltered. For example, I didn’t meet a single open member of the LGBT+ community in real life until I was 16. (I did know one beforehand, but he was closeted and I didn’t know at the time.) However, I had met several on the internet, and it made me realize they were people who also deserved the same rights and happiness as everyone else. I would argue that the internet had helped people come to accept people of the LGBT+ community, and helped push forward the legalization of gay marriage in 2015. I think it continues to expand the minds of people in sheltered communities. For example, I was a camp counselor at Shaver’s Creek Outdoor School last spring and heard two 5th graders talking. One asked the other if he was gay, bi, or trans. I was amazed because when I was their age I didn’t even know what bisexuals and transexuals were. I think the internet has much greater potential in the future for making the world more united.
Sources: Hosanagar, Kartik, (25 November 2016), Blame the Echo Chamber on Facebook. But Blame Yourself, Too. Wired.com. Retrieved on 22 September 2019 from: https://www.wired.com/2016/11/facebook-echo-chamber/
I believe that social media is good for us. It makes our life easier, before social media people often communicate with calling and text messaging, but it is hard for people to find their address book if they lost their phone or change their number for some reasons. Also, it is easy for us to get in contact to our long-lost friends, many social media have a strong networking, they can find our long-lost friends somehow. Also, social media make us easier to make friends, before I came to Penn State, I add a group chat on WeChat that is has all the new students, I make some of my best college friends in there. Also, I found my roommate in there. Group chat is also one of the advantage of social media, I still remember when social media is not as popular as it is now, people would have to discuss things such as a group project in a physical environment, and that sometime is not every handy. But with social media, I can discuss my group project in my home, or anywhere else with internet connections. Also, I contact my relatives at my home country more frequently, international calls are expensive, and I could not afford to contact them frequently, but with social media, I can talk to them if I want. Also, I can see there faces without going back to my homeland. Also social media help me to understand others life easier, with all the post in social media, I am able to know my friends daily life just by looking at it.
Source: https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/positive-impact-social-networking-sites-society-opinion/
In my opinion, social media is not good for us as a whole. The biggest consequences social media are how it is affecting the younger generation like the highs school and grade school students. These kids are not developing their real communication and social skills as their screen or monitor gives them their confidence and all the time in the world to think of a reply. All facial expressions, body signals, tonality and everything else critical to a real conversation are thrown out the window through online texting, This is why these many teens days will be lacking these adult skills that they will eventually need once they start looking for jobs and socializing with others in the real world. On the other hand, social media does provide a way to connect that could never have been possible before its creation. Instant updates and a constant flow of new content to consume everyday will always give social media a place for people. For some, social media is a place to destress and unwind and while I think it is fine in moderation, too much of it is never a good thing.
I touched on this a bit when I wrote an essay about rising anxiety in teens in my English 15 class. Another thing to think about when on social media is that people don’t post unflattering or boring things. People only post the highlights of their lives; their interesting and flattering images and videos. We often get anxious or depressed because we’re comparing our ‘behind-the-scenes” life to other’s feature rolls. I also follow a lot of actresses on instagram, which sometimes makes me feel like I’m not doing enough with my life compared to their dynamic and busy agendas. I think one thing we all need to realize is it’s okay to unfollow someone because their content makes you anxious or depressed. When social media begins to cause more negative feelings than positive ones, its okay to log off for a while.
While everything about social media often seems bad, it also has created a huge platform that has been revolutionary for the world and is leading a lot of the change happening in the world (both good and bad). Being able to send messages for everyone to see has been revolutionary and has led to the giant popularity contest that people often compete in to see who has the best life. While this is the sourness of social media, the large platform also has created the largest news outlet in the world. Most young people get nearly all their news from social media. Disaster relief and fundraising efforts have become much easier through such networks. A lot of good goes on in social media and I don’t think the world would ever be able to go back and live without it.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/ajagrawal/2016/03/18/its-not-all-bad-the-social-good-of-social-media/#5fe6886a756f