In the context of social media, it is without a doubt, the leading industry in today’s generational society. It’s noticeable that social media does have its beneficial attributes, including most primarily, the communication purposes. However, the negative pinpoints such as the competitive nature of the digital world and the idea of cyberbullying exert a greater impact compared to its less impactful positive counterpart. It is without a doubt, therefore, that although, I partially see the small positive outlook that social media does provide, its negative impact is far more identifiable.
Primarily, social media’s positive impact is still heavily apparent. In our generation, social media has provided access to online communication. Whether this is fit for introverts who aren’t able to adjust themselves to speak face-to-face or our loved ones who live quite a distance, communication has never been easier with social media. As identifiable, with the impact of the 2019 Coronavirus, online learning, interviews, and meetings all had to be moved to these digital platforms. It is without a doubt, that the credit of our society’s contacts belongs to the world of social media.
Yet, even with such positive attributes, the electronic society suffers greatly from its negative counterparts. For reference, since communication is more accessible, bullying has never been easier. Users who use specific platforms such as Instagram or Facebook are commonly found to be posting photos, or “selfies” of themselves. As a result, with such easy commenting features or messages where strangers from around the world can give their opinions, the idea of mocking one’s looks, personality, or little details such as name, gender, or nationality is heavily noticeable. Not to mention, the competitive nature that social media presents makes it even harder to blend into an always-shifting online world. With such a large user base, people tend to flock towards those who seem more attractive. Therefore, it isn’t uncommon for social media users to feel pressured or hurt.
To sum up, social media does present its greater good in our generational society, however, this isn’t enough to counter such strong negative aspects. With such a major population in our society engaging on these platforms, communication, and connection of the world have never been better. Yet, when communication is this easy, bullies are more likely to flock to social media and criticize in a format of cyberbullying anyone they, please. Thus, while I can agree and see the benefits of social media, it is far harder to fall into that side than to see how these electronic platforms are far more negative in our society.