Social media has become the norm in the 21st century. It feels as if we can’t get away from it as social media has become ingrained in everyone’s daily life both in personal & professional life. Along with its development throughout the years, social media has shown its influence on societies negatively and positively.
First, let’s discuss the positive aspects of social media. Social media has enabled everyone to communicate with their friends and loved ones regardless of distance. For example, some social media apps allow users to create dedicated groups for families, fellow hobby enthusiasts, professional circles, etc. Next, social media has slowly become a new source of information as they provide footage or coverage of events most people might not be aware of or reported by major news media. An example of this case is social media have been the first to report the development of various humanitarian crises worldwide along with detailed explanations on the cause of said developments to educate and garner public support to push government officials to handle these problems. Lastly, social media can become the stepping stone for rookie artists to stardom. For example, up-and-coming artists received recognition by sharing their works on social media with several considered even better than recent releases from mainstream artists.
However, social media has shown its negative influences. First, social media is one of the main causes of the rising anxiety in teenagers or youths. This is because many youths were pressured to imitate influencers’ behaviors or trends in their social media as they don’t want to be considered clueless by their peers. Next, the lack of oversight on social media can result in harmful content like misinformation or propaganda going undetected until reported by other users. This case is especially rampant during major events such as election day, religious holidays, and ongoing investigations by law enforcement. Finally, social media has caused a decline in people’s ability to communicate face-to-face as they were accustomed to interacting via texting. This decline harms younger generations as they won’t be prepared for the professional world that demands full face-to-face interactions.
Overall, the current state of social media has shown mostly adverse influences despite its numerous benefits. I believe the government should implement a form of oversight on social media that still considers the individual’s right to free speech.