Social media has changed how we see things in so many ways, shaping and showing things like culture and politics, and giving us a new way to interact with people. There are platforms like Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and others that have different ways of communicating. Even though Social media has brought so many benefits to the world today since it has increased it has also introduced many challenges that society as a whole has been struggling with.
One of the biggest impacts of social media is the way it can connect people all over the world. The American Public University gives insight on how “Social media sites [can] provide opportunities for individuals to connect with friends, family, and like-minded individuals, even across geographical distances. These connections help maintain relationships and interests, fostering a sense of belonging, self-esteem, and support in users” (APU). The way social media is able to connect people today is crazy to realize, because it can connect people with relatable backgrounds. With the ways technology can connect people, it is important to realize that this wasn’t around 50 years ago, or it wasn’t as fast 50 years ago. It informs people about the latest trends or movements that are important today. It helps spread recent news and gives people important information within 10 seconds.
With how social media can send out political information fast, it can also spread recent news and information nearby. However, with that, it’s important to realize that not everything online is true, and false information can spread really fast, causing confusion within communities. From a study by MIT News, 3 MIT researchers about how false information rapidly spreads, saying that “False news is more novel, and people are more likely to share novel information.” It’s the fact that people get the sheer enjoyment from this information to wanting to talk about it to others, making it a common conversation starter, causing the information to be spread fast, false or not. People like to gossip, whether they say they do or not. If it’s about something very interesting, then it’s going to spread fast.
Another impact that Social Media has on society is that it affects mental health. Many people, especially younger people, feel pressure to look perfect online. Only seeing the best parts of other people’s lives can make people feel like they’re not good enough to be living that type of life. Also, an article from UC Davis Health says how “Social media can negatively impact our overall wellbeing by fueling anxiety, depression, loneliness and FOMO (fear of missing out). These issues are especially prevalent in teens and young adults.” Through people seeing other people’s lives, it makes them feel as if their life is not as good or not as important as the person they’re seeing online, which leads people to feel depressed, anxious, and their overall well-being is down.
Social media has both good and bad effects on society. It helps people connect and share information, but it can also cause problems like misinformation and mental health. People need to use social media wisely and try to make it safer and better for everyone using social media.
