One of the trends of the 21st century is the usage of social media. With over 4 billion people using social media worldwide, it’s important to understand the impact of social media on society. Everything has advantages and disadvantages, ultimately it depends on people how they decide to use and make society a better place. Here are the advantages and disadvantages of social media for society.
Table of Contents
The Advantages of Social Media
Global Connectivity:
Social media transformed society into a global village. People from all over the world can connect with ease. It enabled the exchange of ideas, brought people closer and made bridges across cultures. Social Media has changed the way people communicate.
It is a place for virtuous endeavour:
Social media made social welfare and NGO activities easier. People can easily promote and raise donations for needy people. In need of the hour, patients can easily find a donor for treatment. Governments can easily run a campaign for societal issues and spread awareness.
News and Information:
You can find out what is happening around the world and keep up to date with new information. There are thousands of dedicated pages and accounts for the latest news. You can follow industry leaders or government representatives for news.
Business use of social media:
Social Media companies provide a dedicated list of target audiences. So, businesses can find customers interested in their service or product. Businesses can create online networks and connect with customers. They can also get better market insights and get customers from all over the world.
Education:
There are many learning groups and study communities on social media. Teachers and students can communicate easily. Students can expand their minds easily. Teachers can take lectures virtually and students from all over the world can connect.
The place for Inspiration:
You can find people doing impossible things on social media they can be an inspiration for people and set a good example for growth. You can also support someone who’s struggling person and make his day by giving him motivation. The one-on-one connection that’s possible through the advent of social media now was not possible before with this ease.
Like-minded community:
Every one of us is different. Sometimes it is difficult to find like-minded people in the place where you live due to physical and geographical restrictions. Social media can be a good place for intellectual discussions. After all, ideas are what change the world.
The Disadvantages of Social Media
Lack of genuine relationships:
Often people prioritize online relationships over real-life ones. People on social media cannot replace real relationships. People get so busy on social media and even strive for fake attention that they cannot make a genuine connection. It results in loneliness and turns modern men and women into hollow beings leading to an increase in mental illnesses and other behavioural disorders.
The Concern of Privacy:
Imagine everything you do and say is recorded, it can be taken advantage of or misused giving concerns about your privacy. Social media companies track and record everything you do. The more data they have over you the more they can get over you. Personal information affects almost every area of your life. Privacy is important in maintaining social boundaries and dignity of life.
Problem-related to Fake News:
Social Media are a powerhouse for fake news and propaganda. Misinformation impacts every aspect of our lives. Whether we are making a financial decision or an election vote. Unless and until we are rightly informed we cannot make the right decision and often social media leads to people regurgitating the same facts over and over without considerable checks towards the truthfulness of a particular statement or not.
Censorship/ Echo Chambers:
Social Media censors free speech. It limits the freedom of expression. If we only see one-sided and biased news we will be polarised. Modern social networks lead to Algorithms grouping people on the basis of their personalities and interests which inevitably ends in Echo chambers of particular opinions being formed. This leads to lower exposure to facts or information which might not be pleasant to you at first but are vital for your growth as an individual.
Psychological Impacts:
Social media greatly impacts our mental well-being. You are constantly exposed to irrelevant information and unreal trends. People fear missing out on something major in their lives. This is called FOMO, and a lot of people are suffering from it. This leads to people engaging in behaviour which is obsessive-compulsive scrolling through their feeds. This further leads to anxiety and can cause depression among young teens. Recently Facebook tried to downplay the impact of Instagram on teens, you can read more about it here.
Humans are not meant to cope with extreme amounts of information at all points in time. If a person tries to keep track of what’s happening all over the world, it will inevitably lead to information overload. This can lead to decreased cognitive performance and impaired social life. Hence staying constantly connected to social media is not beneficial for anyone.
Cyberbullying:
Cyberbullying is a major issue people often overlook. People feel no consequences on social media, this leads to people ganging up on other individuals who might be considered marginalized or weak.
A lot of people engage in spreading hatred online and the level of degree of anonymity and zero real-world consequences that social media promises people often leads to the worst side of some people being exposed on a daily basis.
Conclusion
These were the major advantages and disadvantages of Social media. Do you know any more? If yes then do let us know more about them in the comments section below!
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