Social media: blessing or curse?

Common social media apps used on the daily: TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, Telegram, Messenger, and WhatsApp. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/)

When we log on, are we making friends or just trading our privacy for likes? The rapid growth of social media in our society is alarming. Platforms such as TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, or YouTube are some common examples of social media that are often used daily by our society. These applications generate entertaining content that will hook the user and allow users to create and share content, interact and build online communities. Are they harmful or beneficial or even both to our generation?

Social Media is beneficial in a way that it can provide useful information or quick research, provide support, allow people to express themselves and communicate and connect with others with the same interests or experiences. However, it is harmful in a way that it can affect the person's mental and physical health long-term, as it can cause a higher risk of anxiety or depression due to aspects like cyberbullying or comparison. Social media is also often utilized to spread false information, rumors, inappropriate content, or false identities online that some people think is real, which results in terrible situations. These harmful causes coming from social media can be avoided if the time spent is managed, as more than three hours of social media use can lead to negative effects.

Social media enables individuals to stay connected with others worldwide through several platforms, including, FaceTime, Messages, or even emailing. Additionally, social media provides quick access to information or research, easy banking, bill pay, online learning, involvement in fundraising, social awareness, the ability to have a voice, marketing tools and easy access to many job and career opportunities. By contrast, social media causes negative effects on individuals, such as misleading information, false identities, cyberbullying, social anxiety, depression, inappropriate content, self-damage issues and worsening of mental and physical health. Online platforms have a high possibility of affecting the user’s health, as stated on Brown Health University by Francis Dalomba, LISCW, “One out of four (25%) teens are bullied, while up to 43% have been bullied online.” Exposure online causes an increase of the risk of experiencing bullying by 18%, due to cyberbullying, which makes it easier for one to bully another, especially due to it being online. An 18% difference is a large difference, which is why time spent online must be cut down, or managed.

Telepresence, a technology that makes one feel as if they are in a different location through advanced video or audio for social media apps like Instagram and TikTok, are associated with much higher levels of addiction, mind wandering, fear of missing out, anxiety and depression. Using social media provides individuals with an escape from everyday worries, however if overused, it is a terrible strategy for coping. TikTok, a common social media platform, the app’s users found themselves losing track of time, spending more on the app than intended and becoming so addicted to endless scrolling through countless videos, due to the short span of videos that the app provides. When these platforms are used more than needed, it resultsT in terrible consequences, as noted by Kelly Craine of Baylor University, “When overused as a replacement for true connections and communications, social media can be addictive and detrimental to well-being.” However, these side effects of social media can also depend on the app that is used as it is also mentioned by Kelly Craine, “A high telepresence was found in 53% of TikTok users, but only 38% of Instagram users.” This could highly depend on the platform’s layout and design because TikTok’s app design and layout of an endless loop of entertaining content that is altered to the user’s interests, the short video format with a limit of ten minutes, releases dopamine and features that cause constant engagement. This design creates an “entertainment spiral” that distorts time perception and promotes irresistible use. 

The growth of social media in the present time can help young teens who lack social support offline, are lonely, are going through stressful times, belong to groups that are often marginalized, or have long-term medical conditions through allowing support form others who have similar experiences and interests. In addition, it helps teens easily express themselves, connect with other people easily, learn how others cope with challenging life situations, or mental health situations and ask for help or seek healthcare for symptoms of mental health conditions. However, social media may also cause harm to teens because it causes distraction, often leads to biased information, is an easy way to spread rumors, can lead to teens forming views about other people’s lives or bodies that are unrealistic and expose teens to online predators, resulting in a rise of anxiety and depression. Utilizing more than three hours out of the day on social media results in a higher risk of health conditions and using social media more than three times a day causes poor mental health and well-being in teens. A study was done that focused on observing 12 to 15-year-olds on social media by Mayo Clinic that notes, “Spending three hours a day using social media was linked to a higher risk of mental health concerns.” In addition, another study focused on data on more than 12,000 teens in England between 13 to 16-year-olds that concluded, “The researchers found that using social media more than three times a day predicted poor mental health and well-being in teens.” This actively demonstrates that if time utilized on these engaging and entertainment-centered platforms are not managed, results in horrible long-term consequences to the user. Therefore, if individuals still have the desire to use these apps, it is ideal to set a certain time limit, or to begin managing time used, because the use of social media for more than three hours and three times a day can lead to negative effects to the user.

True, social media apps form connections to people globally, allow individuals to express themselves, provide support, and are an effective way to easily consume new information. If time spent on these platforms are not managed, it results in heavy, long-term harmful effects on mental and physical health to the user. It causes anxiety, depression, or the lowering of self-esteem, as it allows exposure to false information or rumors, inappropriate content and can cause addition or distraction to the user, avoiding productivity and using time wisely. Ultimately, the rapid growth of social media in our society allows easy access to banking, developing bonds, or connections with new people and more. At the same time, it is vital to understand the consequences that come with, as it can result in the lowering of self-esteem, well-being, cause cyberbullying and weakening of mental and physical health, which need to be highly avoided.