The influence of social media on mankind has been rampantly growing over the years. Nowadays, 3.78 billion people use social media all day and all night long. According to Jingjing Jiang and Monica Anderson, young people have been using social media more often than elders. Almost everyone with internet access, regardless of age, gender, and social status, has access to different media. This is proof that social media has been deeply engraved within our generation today. As social media continues to progress and becomes pervasive, we need to be vigilant in assessing whether engaging in these internet platforms is beneficial or harmful to our overall well-being.

            Social media has been the most efficient tool that gave us the opportunity to ease loaded jobs and errands at trying times like this. Especially during these times of isolation, where limited people can go out, usage of social media became more popular and handy. With this, online schooling, shopping, and other transactions were made easily available. Just think of how things would be without these kinds of innovation and technology. It has been incredibly helpful for students to do research, families to contact loved ones, and workers to orchestrate webinars.

            Aside from this, social media has also paved the way for users to connect and communicate with each other. One of the biggest pros of social media is the connection and communication it offers despite the distance hindering our way. It allows us to stay updated with everyone via different applications such as Messenger, Whatsapp, etc. It also introduced the youth to online and virtual games such as Call of Duty Mobile, Mobile Legends, Valorant, and many more. With these platforms, we can meet new friends, learn new skills, and find sources of entertainment, as we create unforgettable memories and make the most out of the current restrictive situation through connecting and communicating with people all around the world.

            Nevertheless, overuse of social media has also adversely affected its users. Since our main channel of communication is through chatting, text messaging, or video calls, social media has contributed to and encouraged a more sedentary lifestyle compared to a face-to-face setup, thus allowing us to be less productive. This has made us more susceptible to physical illnesses, especially non-communicable diseases. At times, we also tend to neglect and forget to take care of our mental health. Social media greatly affects our mental well-being in a discreet and unnoticeable manner. Seeing posts of famous artists can make us insecure about our flaws, doubt our capabilities, and compare ourselves to others. We are easily influenced and persuaded by everything we see on the net, and so we must think twice before we post and grasp spiteful information. Being exposed to illegal and harmful websites can also affect how we think, speak, and act, and can be a source of self-deprecation. Apart from this, cyberbullying is one of the most common incidents happening online. This can result in depression, anxiety, and even suicide.

            Social media is also the greatest platform to influence and raise awareness across different generations today. It is extremely useful for educating students and inciting knowledge to everyone about various societal and political topics. Now, people call social media and the internet the new students’ library. Youtube, Google, and Zoom, for example, are among the many applications that help educate people. Twitter is also there to update us about important events and news. However, it is an unfortunate fact that not all of the information we see on the net is true and credible. Since social media is readily available and accessible to everyone, websites, posts, pictures, videos, and many more can easily be altered. Misinformation, malinformation, and disinformation is an inevitable truth and we may encounter them at any time on the internet when we do not browse with caution. Moreover, spreading these kinds of malicious and wrong information may cause panic, anxiety, and distress to everyone. This is why it is important to stay careful in evaluating our sources to verify if the pieces of information and data are in fact trustworthy. In addition to this, we must be aware of the private and personal information we put and share on the net. Social media could also be a great way for people to spy, stalk, monitor your actions, know where you live, hack, and eventually, harm you. They can easily steal your identity or access your credit cards, leading to disastrous problems.

            To avoid these, we must be knowledgeable enough on how to properly and wisely manage and prepare ourselves for these risks before we enter the virtual world of social media. First, we must limit ourselves and have a brief schedule when we are using social media. This gives us the chance to use our time for a better and more productive cause. Second, let us surround ourselves with people that care about our overall well-being. If we feel inundated with all the toxicity going on in social media, we should not forget to take a break. Last but not the least, use social media to share knowledge and bring people closer together. We must not use social media to highlight racial and political divisions, and rather bring unity using the power and responsibility we have.

            To sum everything up, social media can be beneficial to ourselves and society if and only if we learn and practice how to use it the right way and in moderation. With negligence and ignorance, social media can be very destructive to our well-being and can bring false truths to what is already a chaotic society. At the end of the day, the influence of social media is centered towards connecting people from different parts of the world, and not dividing mankind.

References

Anderson M., & Jiang J. (2018). Teens, social media, and technology 2018. Pew Research Center. www.pewresearch.org/internet/2018/05/31/teens-social-media-technology-2018.