Social media : A Boon or Curse?

Social media are interactive computer-mediated technologies that facilitates the creation or
sharing of information, ideas, career interests and other forms of expression via virtual
communities and networks. The variety of stand-alone and built-in social media services
currently available introduces challenges of definition, however, there are also some common
features. Users usually access social media services via web-based apps technologies
on desktops and laptops, or download services that offer social media functionality to their
mobile devices (e.g., smartphones and tablets). As users engage with these electronic services,
they create highly interactive platforms through which individuals, communities, and
organizations can share, co-create, discuss, participate and modify user-generated content or self-
curated content posted online. Observers have noted a wide range of positive and negative
impacts of social media use. Social media can help to improve an individual's sense of
connectedness with real or online communities and can be an effective communication tool for
corporations, entrepreneurs, non-profit organizations, advocacy groups, political parties, and
governments.

Social media had impacts on the lives of millions of people around the world, both positively and
negatively. Some people point out that it enhanced the connectivity between the people and
helped in a great way to build connections and keeping people close and also helped to know
about everything happening around us. But there have been also criticisms and negative effects
that people kept pointing out. Here is how social media is possibly affecting us positively :

 Social Media Is a Way to Enhance our Connectivity

It is an effortless way to connect with the like-minded people. You are just a single click
away from an incredible number of such people. Regardless of location and religion,
social networks are helpful in reviving and preserving relationships with other people.
It has become easier for us to connect with business people, family and friends. Even,
many top most companies directly approach candidates through social networking sites
like LinkedIn. We can also interact with people of authority who might help us in our
careers.
 Social Media: An Important Component of the Business Strategies

Social media skills have long-since stopped being considered niche. Instead, it affects the
way whole organizations run and grow. It has become the primary means of getting the
word out about your business.

 Social Media Has a Lot of Benefits for Students and Teachers

It has become very easy to get knowledge from renowned experts and professionals
through the social media. You can easily follow anyone to boost your knowledge.
Regardless of your educational background, you can learn various skills without paying
for them.

 It Can be Used for Noble Causes

Social media can be used for various noble causes like social welfare activities and
promotion of Non-Government Organizations (NGOs). Not only this, but it also helps to
change the way people live. It creates awareness and helps people to discover various
innovations that help them enhance their own lives. Every individual from a farmer to a
teacher can benefit from the awareness factor of social media.

 Social Media Helps in Building Communities

It helps followers of various religions, nationalities and interests to form communities in

order to discuss and spread the word. Sports lovers can follow sports communities. Car
lovers, music lovers and movie buffs can reminisce, converse and keep up to date with
their hobbies. It is definitely not about exploitation. Rather, it is about service to the
community.

 Social Media Can Benefit Mental Health Too

 Emotions expressed online affect your mood. It not only helps to relieve social isolation
but also open new communication pathways and offers much-needed support. It allows
people to share their thoughts without revealing their identity. And it develops within
people an enhanced talent of self-expression without any fear.

 Social Media Is a Way to Save Lives

Lives are not only saved only by 24-hour suicide prevention hotlines. Spreading
awareness and motivating people is important too. And simply assuring people that they
are not alone – or the only ones with their set of problems – can be really important for
some. Large numbers of websites now offer support through social platforms. Such
websites are allowing people to share their experience with others and motivate them
without fear of revealing their identities. What can be better than saving a life? Isn’t
everything else secondary?

Even though there are reasons to promote the unlimited usage of social media, there are also
number of reasons how social media are affecting the lives of people in negative way :

 Anxiety / Depression

Spending too long on social networking sites could be adversely affecting your mood. In
fact, chronic users are more likely to report poor mental health, including symptoms of
anxiety and depression. Social media lets you see the carefully selected best parts of
everyone else’s lives, which you compare to the negatives in your own life. Comparing
yourself to other people is a sure path to anxiety, and social media has only made this
easier to do.

 Cyberbullying
 Before social media, bullying was something that was only possible to do face-to-face.
However, now people can bully others online—anonymously or not. Today everyone
knows what cyberbullying is, and most of us have seen what it can do to a person. While
social media makes it easier to meet new people and make friends, it also enables cruel
people to tear into others with little effort. Perpetrators of bullying can use the anonymity
that social networks provide to gain people’s trust and then terrorize them in front of their
peers. For instance, they might create a fake profile and act friendly to a classmate, then
later betray and embarrass them online.

These online attacks often leave deep mental scars and even drive people to suicide in
some cases. And as it turns out, cyberbullying doesn’t just affect kids. Adults can become
victims of online abuse, too. Since screens hide our faces, you can end up being a jerk on
social media and other websites without even realizing it.

 Unrealistic expectations

As most people probably know by now, social media forms unrealistic expectations of
life and friendships in our minds. Most social media sites have a severe lack of online
authenticity. People use Snapchat to share their exciting adventures, post about how
much they love their significant other on Facebook, and load up their Instagram page
with heavily staged photos. But in reality, you have no way of knowing whether this is all
a farce. While it looks great on the surface, that person could be in massive debt, on bad
terms with their significant other, and just desperate for Instagram likes as a form of
validation.

One simple way out of this mess is for everyone to quit lying on social media. But in the
era of Instagram influencers and YouTubers who earn millions from being inauthentic,
that isn’t going to happen anytime soon.

 Negative Body image

Speaking of Instagram celebrities, if you look at popular Instagram accounts, you’ll find
unbelievably beautiful people wearing expensive clothes on their perfectly shaped bodies.
 Today, body image is an issue for everyone. Of course, seeing so many people who are
supposedly perfect (according to society’s standards) on a daily basis makes you
conscious about how different you look from those pictures. And not everyone comes to
healthy conclusions in this situation.

It’s really important to remember that everybody is human. No one wakes up every day
looking like a supermodel, and while many people have gone to great lengths to train
their bodies, that’s not the case for everyone who looks fit. Many people, in search of
social media fame, have definitely taken unhealthy routes to appear more attractive.

 Unhealthy sleep patterns

On top of increasing the incidents of anxiety and depression, spending too much time on
social media can lead to poor sleep. Numerous studies have shown that increased use of
social media has a negative effect on your sleep quality. If you feel like your sleep
patterns have become irregular and have led to a drop in productivity, try to cut down on
the amount of time you browse social media.

This is especially the case when using your phone in bed at night. It’s all too easy to tell
yourself that you’ll spend five minutes checking your Facebook notifications, only to
realize an hour later that you’ve been mindlessly scrolling through Twitter content you
don’t even care about. Don’t let social media algorithms steal your valuable sleep.

 Addiction

Social media can be more addictive than cigarettes and alcohol. It has a powerful draw
for many people that leads to them checking it all the time without even thinking about it.
If you’re not sure whether you’re addicted to social networks, try to remember the last
time you went a full day without checking any social media accounts. Do you feel
rejected if someone unfollows you? And if your favorite social networks completely
disappeared tomorrow, would it make you feel empty and depressed? At the end of the
day, social media sites want to keep you scrolling for as long as possible so they can
 show you lots of ads and make more money. Because of the attention economy , these
sites need your eyes on them for as long as possible.

Just because you’ve been going overboard on social media use doesn’t mean you
necessarily need to wipe out all social networking platforms. However, if you think
quitting is the best solution for you, it isn’t a bad idea. In fact, you can find out what it’s
like to quit social media through a firsthand story.

 FOMO

A fear of missing out (FOMO) can keep you returning to social media over and over
again. Even though there are very few things that can’t wait or need an immediate
response, FOMO will have you believing otherwise. Perhaps you’re worried that you’ll
be left out of the conversation at school or work if you miss the latest news or gossip on
social media? Or maybe you feel that your relationships will suffer if you don’t
immediately like, share, or respond to other people’s posts? Or you could be worried
you’ll miss out on an invitation or that other people are having a better time than you.   

Human beings are social creatures. We need the companionship of others to thrive in life, and the
strength of our connections has a huge impact on our mental health and happiness. Being socially
connected to others can ease stress, anxiety, and depression, boost self-worth, provide comfort
and joy, prevent loneliness, and even add years to your life. On the flip side, lacking strong
social connections can pose a serious risk to your mental and emotional health.

In today’s world, many of us rely on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter,
Snapchat, YouTube, and Instagram to find and connect with each other.

While each has its benefits, it’s important to remember that social media can never be a
replacement for real-world human connection. It requires in-person contact with others to trigger
the hormones that alleviate stress and make you feel happier, healthier, and more positive.
Ironically for a technology that’s designed to bring people closer together, spending too much
time engaging with social media can actually make you feel more lonely and isolated—and
exacerbate mental health problems such as anxiety and depression.
If you’re spending an excessive amount of time on social media and feelings of sadness,
dissatisfaction, frustration, or loneliness are impacting your life, it may be time to re-examine
your online habits and find a healthier balance.  

Whether social media is a boon or a curse, is a matter of debate. However, one thing which
cannot be denied is that it too difficult to abstain from it. The advantages of being connected to
people and keeping yourself updated have undoubtedly made our lives faster, happier and
convenient at the same time. The challenges which come along with social media can somehow
be kept aside and we can definitely move forward with the advancement it has provided in our
daily lives.