The Pros And Cons Of Social Media

Probably one of the more prevalent arguments in the past five to ten years is that of the effects of social media. Is it something we should avoid? Does it affect our personal lives? Is it a detrimental or advantageous tool for society? There’s a wide variety of opinions on the matter, and while many arguments have been made defending (and attacking) both sides of the controversy, research and experiences show that social media is an invaluable asset to our lives today.

Social Media is affecting our society in a negative way. From being the number one cause of divorce, ruining people’s careers, and being a haven for teen suicides, many misfortunes arise due to social media. People may not notice its damaging side effects yet it is slowly but surely proving detrimental to all involved in the game. By taking a step back and maintaining self-control, any human being immersed in the frenzy of social media can enjoy its perks without getting caught up in the whirlwind of unfortunate events.

Social media has revolutionized the world in many different ways. Popular websites like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are used by millions of people every day, and even the most remote place in the world have access to internet use. From contacting your friends and family to finding an old friend from high school, social media has become an essential tool of communication. People can share information, communicate ideas, interact with one another and engage in different activities by just clicking in their computer or simply opening an app on your phone. All of these benefits of social media sound really great when is used in a positive way. However, the use of social media is not perceived the same way by everyone. The question is, is social media good or bad for our society.

“Privacy is dead, and social media hold the smoking gun.” In today’s world, there are several social media websites such as Facebook and Instagram, and these websites have different privacy settings which are designed to protect the user’s privacy. It is undeniable after the invention of different social medias the world becomes smaller, and people get the chance to share information with their friends and families. However, strangers, press or any third party can use or view the information or photo shared with friends without people’s permission. As the article “MY CREEPY INSTAGRAM MAP KNOWS WHERE I LIVE” and “PEOPLE ARE WILLING TO TRADE LESS PRIVACY FOR ACCESS TO SOCIAL MEDIA” describes Instagram and Facebook are two of the leading privacy threats people who recently join or planning to join social media should know.

One danger that is often overlooked by social networking users is social comparison. The phrase “social comparison” refers to the idea that people determine their own self-worth through evaluating and comparing themselves to others. This is especially prevalent on social networking sites. Users of social networking sites often strive to make their lives seem perfect. In order to achieve this, users will only post their “highlights” or positive points in their lives. One author states, "When you're on a site like Facebook, you get lots of posts about what people are doing. That sets up social comparison — you maybe feel your life is not as full and rich as those people you see on Facebook,” ("Social Media: Does social media have a positive impact on the world?"). However, it is not the fact that the users may unintentionally be posting only their highlights that could be potentially dangerous. Rather, it is the fact that another user may compare their own life to another user’s. For example, a user could be scrolling through a site and see another user’s highlights and begin comparing their own life to the other user’s. As a result, a user could start to develop a lower self-esteem. Their sense of self-worth may also be damaged in the process. This obsession of one’s self-image can have severe consequences such as feelings of depression or loneliness ("Social Media: Does social media have a positive impact on the world?").

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

           Social Media might be the best worst thing to ever happen to our current times. Social Media is defined as websites and applications that enable users to create and share content or to participate in social networking. The premise of social media was to help young adults or business owners to network in order to build a following. The term has become very broad in recent times. For many, the term means social applications such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat. For others, the term is loosely interpreted as any site on the internet that people can communicate on. Although the latter is technically true, we will interpret the term as being the social applications. The advent of social media has caused both positive and negative developments on our times. Social media has developed our times through the access to a multitude of information or news and the access to people’s personal lives.

In today’s century social media is the main way to communicate with people with people all over the world. It has become very popular... even more popular than a text or video message. Social media is a computer technology that facilitates the creation and sharing of information, ideas, career interests and other forms of expression via communities and networks. The variety of social media services that are currently available can help benefit businesses, introduce an event, or even help you find a friend, family member, or long lost soulmate. Some social sites even help you find love. However, there are many positive things that can come out social media but there are many negatives too.

“Tweet that!! Post that pic on Instagram!! Slide in my DMs!!! Add me on Snapchat!!!” These are the phrases our generation love to use when we try to interact with one another. Social media is a great way to open up opportunities and can assist us with getting our merchandise/business/art promoted or advertised for the world to see. However, there are numerous ways that social media can ruin people’s reputation/careers/future in getting a job. Today I am going to provide the positive and negative features of social media.

Social media is any website that allows social interaction. Social media is growing rapidly throughout the world. More adults and teenagers are joining sites such as Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter to interact with friends, family, and strangers. The introduction of social media has changed the world in many ways. It affects each individual in different ways. Today it can be used as a very helpful tool in changing a person’s life, but at the same time cause such conflicts which can negatively impact a person. 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.

Personas, social media, reality―it seems that the more we innovate contemporary technology, the further we diverge our two lives or personalities: “fantasy” and reality. It appears to be that since the technology have come into existence and evolved tenfold, we have maximized our control over how we portray ourselves, however, in a different world. For instance, deciding what to post on our social media or possessing the freedom of time to contemplate our actions over the Internet is the definition of control we have on the social media. On the contrary, we do not have the same amount of leverage to influence how others view us in reality. Therefore, when lingering about on the social media, we develop a desirable personality of oneself, also known as a persona.

When you think about social media, you tend to let your mind go to the negatives of the evil web. On the other hand there are so many positives to social media. An addition to what I said before, Social Media may be perceived as a way to get “famous”, however, its a way the websites and application that enable users to create and share content or to participate in social networking, such as marketing, communication, and how easily we are able to get information.

While some fear that if humanity does not disconnect from this always-on culture that Turkle spoke of, people will become alienated from one another. According to Turkle’s theory, when people become alienated from others the isolation brings to light that people have allowed their overworked and overscheduled lives to affect how they connect with other people. Hence, people no longer have time to sit down and make a phone call. Instead, they send out a quick text, thus allowing texting to become a central form of communication (Alone Together 3). Although people are not physically shutting themselves off from one another, Wendy Leung, a journalist for The Globe and Mail and author of “Does social media bring us closer – or make us loners?” conveys a valid point. “We often live in our own bubbles, simultaneously reaching out and closing ourselves off to others through the use of technology” (Leung).

“Someone just snapped me!” This is a common phrase used by teens using the popular social media network, Snapchat. Social media is used by many people on a daily basis. It is something that plays an integral part of many people’s lives in today’s society. But is it beneficial or contributing to an anti-social society? This question will be answered throughout this research paper.

Social media is everywhere, you see it on Youtube videos, food products, television commercials, or stores persuading you to, “Follow us on Instagram.” or “Like us on Facebook.” Today, it has become increasingly common for kids to own smartphones at a young age and have Instagram accounts. Wherever you go, you see kids checking their phones and seeing if the picture they posted has enough likes. Many people argue whether social media can be a positive influence on kids or teens. The cons of social media greatly outweigh the pros of having social media and are having a great impact on our identities.