Most of us have social media such as Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and many more, and I’m sure that those of us who have it can confidently say that we spend a lot of time on these apps. Because we’re constantly growing and evolving, it’s difficult to escape the online world. A lot of things we do everyday rely on these apps, which makes them difficult to avoid. It becomes addictive because of factors such as connecting with other people no matter where they live. The benefit of this is that we have the whole world at our fingertips. But when does the addiction become unhealthy?
Social media definitely has a lot of positive aspects. Education, for example. We’re just one click away from learning a new skill, and it’s a great resource especially for students. People are starting to move away from things such as newspapers, because it’s all available online. It’s also a great way to advertise businesses, no matter the size.
Most importantly, social media has helped us during times of crisis. The Covid-19 lockdown led to a massive global mental health crisis. This was due to the fear and uncertainty of what was going to happen, not being able to see friends and family, not being able to take care of loved ones. Social media made it easy to access information and speak to our families. People were also able to look for peer support online. They were able to speak to others who may be just as worried as they were, which provided a sense of relief and security. People from all over the world were able to ask for help and support and everyone was able to make sense of what was happening together.
Despite the many advantages, social media does have its downsides. It gives people a licence to be hurtful, for example. Because of the ability to be anonymous, it gives people the confidence to spread hate and negativity to other people, since they’re hidden behind a screen. Social media also becomes hurtful in the sense that we can’t interpret each other's tones. For instance, texting can be a harmful form of communication because it's simple to misinterpret a person's tone and cause harm. Another harmful effect of social media is the ability to spread false information. Anybody has the ability to post false information without any proper evidence, which can lead to irrational acts which could’ve been avoided with accurate information.
Though social media is a great tool, it tends to be risky in the wrong hands. Especially youth, who don’t have as much experience in dealing with certain situations, it’s important to be careful with specific apps and sites. Furthermore, it's important to create a healthy balance between the online world and the real world. It's important to learn how to stay safe so we can all enjoy the many benefits of social media.
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