Positive And Negative Of Social Media

Social media is a very popular and widely used medium of entertainment in today’s society that allows people to connect and congregate from all over the world without having to leave the comfort of home. In order for many people to relieve social isolation and loneliness, social media unravels new pathways of communication and can be used to help people open up and express their opinions (Naruse). It can give people the chance to share and express their ideas to a large audience and receive feedback. Large and small businesses alike use this platform of communication in order to relay information about their products and services faster by using promotions and advertisements on social media websites. While social media has proven itself to be helpful and beneficial in today’s society, there are many studies that show how it can take quite a toll on the mental health and wellbeing of the people who constantly use it.

Social networking sites (referred to more broadly as social media) are a collection of websites and applications that enable users to swap ideas, post updates and comments, and participate in activities and events while sharing their interests with other users. From general chit-chat to propagating breaking news, scheduling a date to following election results, gentle humor to serious research, social networking sites are used for a variety of reasons by various user communities. Nowadays, nearly every person who has access to a computer and Internet indulges in some kind of social networking on a daily basis. The introduction of social media has changed the entire dynamics of our lifestyles: the ways we live, work, and maintain our friendships. Despite its numerous advantages, social media does yield some negative effects. However, the benefits of social media greatly outweigh its negative effects.

Social media, as previously mentioned can either have a positive or negative impact to the community. It is a wonderful resource for adults and children. It is used as an instant communication tool. Unfortunately, it can have a damaging effect to the community when use inappropriately. Back in the old days, bullying behavior occurs face-to-face. Now, with the advancement of technology, bullying can be done easily and instantly through the use of computer, cellphones and other electronic devices. People can share photos and videos through social media that can contain violence and sex creating a negative impact to the society, as kids and adult can involve themselves in crime related activities. However, when utilized by responsible people, social media can be used to educate and promote a peaceful, safe environment. People can also share news and information through social media which gives them awareness on what’s happening around them.

Social media allows us to connect to people all across the world. It allows us to stay connected to friends and family who are far away and people who are somewhat close that you may not see often. For example

Social media sites are a few of the most visited sites every day. Everyone wants to know what everyone else is up to. People can follow their favorite celebrities every move and see what their friends are doing with every update. Few people go days without checking their online profiles on popular social media sites such as, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Many people joined these networks to keep up with old friends from the past and keep contact with everyone in their life and young people use them every day to check status updates and post selfies. In the article, " The upside of selfies: Social media isn't all bad for kids", Kelly Wallace claims that social media has a positive effect on young people. However, research shows that social media impacts young people’s emotional health negatively.

Social media can be a platform where you interact and have fun with friends,or get picked on and stalked by adults. Bullying is a serious problem in the U.S.Because of social media people do not have to be face to face to talk. They feel they can say anything and get away with it.This is called cyber bullying when you bully someone over the internet (Social). If you put abusive posts on someones pictures that can be looked at as bullying (Social).

Since the birth of social media people have argued whether it has a positive or negative effect on society. Social media outlets like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram give people a chance to stay connected. Although, with the power of social media comes the possibility of cyber bullying. While there are some negatives associated with social media, the positives in communication all around, has made the world stronger and a better place to live in.

After debating whether social media has a positive or negative effect on teens, it has been concluded that social media has a negative impact on the developing teenager. Social media can be a great tool at times, by being a means to communicate with friends, classmates, and family members; It can also help spread your ideas, hobbies and life experiences. But after reading the article Studies Offer Mixed Messages On Social Media’s Effects On Young People, By The Baltimore Sun, it explains how social media has a negative effect on teens by causing them to compete (to have a better social media feed), change their body to fit into society (the ideal body shape) and the way it can makes someone feel.

Picture this, you just got the greatest haircut of your life. Feeling good, you take a selfie and post it on Instagram with the caption, “Feelin’ good.” A few hours later, you get a notification that someone commented on your picture. That comment reads, “You’re feeling good about THAT haircut? LOL!” You were just a victim of cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is one of the many negative effects of social networking and social media on teens, and could create a situation that results in death (Mulvihill). Some people, however, claim that social media can improve teens’ knowledge of current social affairs, but others assert that the cons outweigh the pros. Although social media can inform teens

One of the biggest negative affects of social media is cyber bullying. Over the past couple of years bullying has increased highly because of social networking. The media allows you to post your opinions on how you feel. Often these opinions are towards other people or places. This is a huge problem because social networking is fast growing and so is cyber bullying as well. When you think of bullying you immediately think it’s just the younger generations doing it. But you would be surprised on how many adults today take part in cyber bullying. Many people want to be heard and feel superior. Which is why they bully over the media because it is shown all over the world to be seen.

Despite the positives, there are many negatives associated with social media. Using social media can make a person more vulnerable to predators and cyber bullying. In this age, “Cyber bulling is quite common, can occur to any young person online, and can cause profound psychosocial outcomes including depression, anxiety, severe isolation, and tragically suicide” (“American Academy of Pediatrics”). Cyber bullying impacts society in a negative way because it is harming young teenagers’ minds. Bullies, torment, threat, harass, and even embarrass their victims by using different forms of social media. Using social media can also decrease privacy for an individual. People often give out their personal information not knowing who can see it. To average internet users, “A false sense of security may leave social networking site users vulnerable to security attacks such as hacking, leaking sensitive information, and sending viruses” (“ProCon”). Furthermore, Social media can also lead to brain disorders and can cause people to have a hard time interacting with people face to face. “Social networking entices people to spend more time online and less time talking to a person face to face.” (“ProCon”)

Social networking has more benefits than you think. Some do not like social networking while others are all for it. Many people who have debated the benefits and detriments to society, students, and family. Example of social networking would be Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Although social networking has some issues, many are easily taken care of, making it a benefit and improvement to society.

When someone says the words “social media”, many people immediately think about posts and likes, comments and messages, a way to connect with your friends from far away and other positive thoughts. However, some of our political leaders have been using social media to their advantage, using sites such as twitter to influence people to vote for their party. Fake news also is very easy to spread on social media, causing propaganda to increase in our society. In our democratic society, we believe that ‘the people have a say’ but with the dangerous spread of fake news throughout the media, our democracy and citizens alike may be at risk. Of course, when someone tweets something on twitter you are not likely to think much of it. But these

“The more time one spends on social media watching other people’s lives, the less time one has to fully enjoy and experience their own.” (Ramasubbu) “Social media is forms of electronic communication (such as websites for social networking and microblogging) through which users create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages, and other content such as videos.” (Merriam-Webster "Social Media") Today we use social media for just about anything and everything. But when does the use of social media start to become excessively to much? The use of social media has more negative outcomes than positive. Generations has become so technology dependent that they do not realize the potential dangers that can come along with the excessive over usage of social media.

The social networking has been a crucial part of people's lives. It is hard to tell whether the social networking enhance communication skill or cripple the communication skill. For the interaction sitting behind a computer with cyber friends can be easy and fun, although it can weaken a person's verbal communication skills. Although, there are positive impacts on communication due to social media but I believe there are many negative outcome of the social networking.