Social media have become omnipresent all over the world.Although they can help us to stay in touch and catch up with others’ lives, updating the latest news, our personal information may confront the risk of being stolen. I firmly believe that the demerits of this development outweigh its merits.
Admittedly, social media can bring the whole world closer. For example, with the advent of many virtual platforms such as Facebook or X, we can contact other friends at any time and any place, facilitating the way we keep in touch with others. Furthermore, we can easily get access to the latest events happening around the globe. A live video of the music concert in Vietnam shared by a person,for instance, could be witnessed by all members of the friend list, regardless of where their positions are. Overall, we, indeed, reap many significant benefits from those networking sites, supporting our lives.
On the contrary, our personal information may be prone to the hazard of being stolen. The rate of cybercrime has risen at an unprecedented level, leaving technophobes vulnerable to being scammed. The elderly groups of people in the USA, for instance, were shown to be the main victims of hackers by a report conducted by Harvard university in 2018. Hackers hack the accounts and may misuse the data shared by social media, stealing a substantial amount of money. Additionally, not only does cybercrime cause financial damage to the users, but the phenomenon of cyberbullying may also lead to mental damage. Social media allows people to hide their identities, contributing to the high rate of cyberbullying since they know they will not be punished for their behaviors. Hence, social media affects people adversely, leading to many troubles.
In conclusion, although networking sites provide people with many benefits, it may lead us to fall into aforementioned problems. I strongly believe that the disadvantages of social media overpower its advantages.