अपानोऽ यिनशं प दशि ः सदागितः वासनारिहतैर त रि यैराहरि या । न

।सबा ा य तरे दे हे अपानोऽयमवाि थतः ॥ िवकारमवा नोिष खव ोभशतैरिप ॥

जा तः वपत वै ाणायामोऽयमु मः । वतते िच ो मेषिनमेषा यां संसार लयोदयौ ।
िभ य तं ताव े यसे शण
ृ ु॥ वासना ाणसंरोधमनु मेषं मनः कु ॥
ादशाङ्गुलपय तं बा मा मतां ततः Definition of propaganda
। ाणाङ्गनामा सं पश यः स परू क उ यते ॥ 1 capitalized : a congregation of the
Roman curia having jurisdiction over
अपान मा देहमा याययित सु त । ाणः
missionary territories and related
सय
ू ऽि नरथ वा पच यनि दं वपुः ॥ institutions
ाण यसमीप थमपानोदयकोिटगम् 2 : the spreading of ideas, information, or
rumor for the purpose of helping or
।अपान ाणयोरै यं िचदा मानं समा य ॥
injuring an institution, a cause, or a
अपानोऽ तंगतो य ाणो ना युिदतः णम् person
।कलाकलङ्करिहतं ति च वं समा य ॥ 3 : ideas, facts, or allegations spread
नापानोऽ तंगतो य ाण ा तमुपागतः
deliberately to further one's cause or to
damage an opposing cause also : a public
।नासा गमनावत ति च वमुपा य ॥ action having such an effect
आभासमा मेवेदं न सनास जग यम् Religious. Propaganda was often used to
।इ य यकलना यागं स य ानं िवदुबुधाः ॥ influence opinions and beliefs on
religious issues, particularly during the
आभासमा कं िं दशकलङ्िकतम् split between the Roman Catholic Church
।तत तदिप सं य य िनराभासो भवो म ॥ and the Protestant churches.People in
भय दमक याणं धैयसव वहा रणम् । many houses of worship read, hear,
and listen to the same news. They also
मनःिपशाचमु साय योऽिस सोऽिस ि थरो भव ॥
find news outlets more attuned to their
िचद् योमेव िकला तीह परापरिवविजतम् । politics and their religions than the media
सव ासंभव चै यं य क पा तेऽविश यते ॥ resources and religious publications other
worshipers find to suit their differing
वा छा णे तु या तुि त वा छैव कारणम्
politics and religion.
।तुि वतुि पय ता त मा ा छां प र यज ॥ There are nine different types of
आशा यातु िनराशा वमभावं यातु भावना । propaganda that include:Ad hominem,
Ad nauseam, Appeal to authority,
अमन वं मनो यातु तवासङ्गेन जीवतः ॥
Appeal to fear, Appeal to prejudice,
Bandwagon, Inevitable victory, Join
the crowd, and Beautiful people.
Background
1. Social media has become
ubiquitous. As per a UN report, 47 % of
the global population is online and
among them, the percentage of social
media users is rising steadily.
2. It does not have a steep learning
curve and compared to other traditional
websites offers content in the local
language.
3. The barriers to entry are quite low
and there is a large and well development
ecosystem in place for users which is
unavailable in traditional TV media. The
positives of social media.
4. Social media offers a variety of
entertainment that offers an escape from
the conventional scripted entertainment
industry funded by established studios.
5. It offers people-to-people
interaction that breaks barriers and forges
a true human connection.
6. It also has been instrumental in
pro-democracy fights in many oppressive
regimes.
7. Social media also played an
important role in bringing out stories of
‘Metoo’ victims.
8. Social media is also playing a
crucial role in disaster relief, blood
donation drives, etc.
The History of Propaganda
Propaganda is today most often used in
reference to political statements, but the
word comes to our language through its
use in a religious context. The
Congregatio de propaganda fide
(“Congregation for propagating the
faith”) was an organization established in
1622 by Pope Gregory XV as a means of
furthering Catholic missionary activity.
The word propaganda is from the
ablative singular feminine of
propogandus, which is the gerundive of
the Latin propagare, meaning “to
propagate.” The first use of the word
propaganda (without the rest of the Latin
title) in English was in reference to this
Catholic organization. It was not until the
beginning of the 19th century that it
began to be used as a term denoting ideas
or information that are of questionable
accuracy as a means of advancing a
cause.
Examples of propaganda in a Sentence
She didn't buy into the propaganda of her
day that women had to be soft and
submissive. — Maria Shriver, Time, 26
Oct. 2009 They see all clear thinking, all
sense of reality, and all fineness of living,
threatened on every side by propaganda,
by advertisement, by film and television.
— C. S. Lewis, An Experiment in
Criticism, (1961) 2009 We've so bought
into the mass delusion, the nutty
propaganda, that now the ideal American
family is one that's on steroids … —
Anna Quindlen, Newsweek, 27 Apr. 2009
See More
Recent Examples on the Web Danvers
police are investigating the appearance of
white supremacist propaganda at homes
in the North Shore town, the department
said on Wednesday. — Camilo Fonseca,
BostonGlobe.com, 13 July 2022 In the
past decades under the country’s Islamic
government, many Iranian directors and
actors have been arrested and accused of
propaganda. — Nick Vivarelli, Variety,
11 July 2022 The effect of propaganda is
particularly strong in China, where news
programs are closely controlled, many
international websites blocked and social
media comments censored. — Eva Dou,
Washington Post, 29 June 2022 See More
Alfred M. Lee and Elizabeth B. Lee
classified the propaganda devices into
seven major categories: (i) name-calling
(ii) Glittering generalities, (iii)
transfer, (iv) testimonial, (v) Plain-folk,
(vi) Card-stacking and (vii)
Bandwagon. Each of these devices
makes an appeal to feelings rather than to
reason.
 counter-propaganda
Top 7 Impacts of Social Media
1. The Impact of Social Media on
Politics
A new study from Pew Research claims
that about one in five U.S. adults gets
their political news primarily through
social media. The study also finds that
those who do get their political news
primarily through social media tend to be
less well-informed and more likely to be
exposed to unproven claims that people
who get their news from traditional
sources.
In comparison to other media, the
influence of social media in political
campaigns has increased tremendously.
Social networks play an increasingly
important role in electoral politics — first
in the ultimately unsuccessful candidacy
of Howard Dean in 2003, then in the
election of the first African-American
president in 2008, and again in the
Twitter-driven campaign of Donald
Trump.
The New York Times reports that “The
election of Donald J. Trump is perhaps
the starkest illustration yet that across the
planet, social networks are helping to
fundamentally rewire human society.”
Because social media allows people to
communicate more freely, they are
helping to create surprisingly influential
social organizations among once-
marginalized groups.
य ु रो राभावे पवू पवू तु िन फलम् ।
िनविृ ः परमा तिृ रान दोऽनुपमः वतः ॥
मायोपािधजग ोिनः सव वािदल णः ।
पारो यशबलः स या ा मक त पदािभधः
॥
2. The Impact of Social Media on
Society
Almost a quarter of the world’s
population is now on Facebook. In the
U.S., nearly 80% of all internet users are
on this platform. Because social networks
feed off interactions among people, they
become more powerful as they grow.
Thanks to the internet, each person with
marginal views can see that he’s not
alone. And when these people find one
another via social media, they can do
things — create memes, publications, and
entire online worlds that bolster their
worldview, and then break into the
mainstream.
Without social media, social, ethical,
environmental, and political ills would
have minimal visibility. Increased
visibility of issues has shifted the balance
of power from the hands of a few to the
masses.
The flipside: Social media is slowly
killing real activism and replacing it
with ‘slacktivism’
While social media activism brings an
increased awareness about societal
issues, questions remain as to whether
this awareness is translating into real
change. Some argue that social sharing
has encouraged people to use computers
and mobile phones to express their
concerns on social issues without actually
having to engage actively with
campaigns in real life. Their support is
limited to pressing the ‘Like’ button or
sharing content.
This passivity is a very human reaction
when people are given options that
absolve them from the responsibility to
act. A 2013 study by the University of
British Columbia’s Sauder School of
Business found that when people are
presented with the option of ‘liking’ a
social cause, they use this to opt-out of
actually committing time and money to a
charitable cause. On the other hand, when
people are allowed to show support in
private, they are more likely to offer
meaningful support by making a financial
contribution.
The researchers found that a public
endorsement is meant to satisfy others’
opinions, whereas people who give in
private do so because the cause is aligned
to their values. This peer pressure may be
a factor in the recent trend of political
polls in the U.S. to misread voter
intentions: people who respond to the
polls may be answering how they think
the pollsters expect or the way they think
will please their peers, but in the privacy
of the voting booth (or at home with a
mail-in ballot), they vote according to
their true preferences.
he extent of Social Media
 India has 574 million
active Internet users as of 2019.
 Read more on What is Internet on
the given link.
 India is the second-largest online
market, behind China.
 It was estimated that by December
2020 there will be around 639
million active internet users in
India.
 The majority of India’s internet
users are mobile phone internet
users. The overall data traffic in
India increased by 47% in 2019
driven by continued 4G
consumption. 4G constituted 96%
of the total data traffic consumed
across the country while 3G data
traffic registered its highest-ever
decline of 30%. Know in detail
about 4G features and
advantages on the given link.
Also, check out the difference between
5G and 4G on the linked page.
Concerns
1. It has led to anonymous trolls who
attack the reputation of an individual.
2. Women face cyber rape and threats
that affect their dignity severely.
3. Fake news and communal venom
also spread like wildfire on the media.
4. Fake news about a child abduction
gang was spread by teenagers as a prank
and this led to a few people being
attacked. This is encouraged by the fact
that internet anonymity offers a
disconnect from reality. So its users feel
that they are not going to face any
consequence of their actions.
5. Social media bubbles or echo
chambers are created where one finds
only opinions that conform to one’s own
worldview (confirmation bias). This
strengthens already existing biases and
prejudices.
6. It also creates false notions about
beauty and physical standards and
strengthens narcissism in some and
weakens self-esteem in others.
7. Very structured, deep psychometric
analyses have been used to influence
elections and incite violence.
Social Media and Youth:
Each generation’s youth strives to
confound their adult counterparts,
keeping them in the dark. Previous
generations used pig Latin, locked
diaries, handshakes, comic books, rap
music, playing records backwards; you
name it. What stands out today is the
worldwide for-profit tech industry
engaged in creating new communication
platforms with regularity to confound
older people and entice teens and young
adults.
The debate rages as to whether social
media tools have a positive or negative
effect on the mental health of adolescents
and early twenty-somethings. The
pandemic has only added fuel to the fire.
Social media platforms aren’t going
anywhere; by the end of 2021, there were
three billion active monthly users of
social media around the world, and
activity continues to grow.
The Pew Research Center has been
surveying U.S. teens on social media and
technology since 2014. In 2012, 71% had
access to a smartphone; that grew to 95%
of teens in 2018. And 45% say they are
online almost constantly. Facebook was
once the dominant platform; now
YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat and
TikTok occupy sizable chunks of the
space. The recent Surgeon General
advisory reports teenagers’ time in front
of the screen for non-school activities
doubled from 3.8 hours to 7.7 hours per
day in the last year. There is even an
acronym referring in part to constantly
checking the smartphone known as
FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out).
“Social media addiction” is the subject of
numerous studies. The Mayo Clinic says
on the positive side, “social media allows
teens to create online identities,
communicate with others and build social
networks … However, social media can
also negatively affect, distracting them,
disrupting their sleep and exposing them
to bullying, rumor spreading [and]
unrealistic views of other people’s lives.”
Congressional hearings last year explored
the impact of social media on youth
mental health, with the elephant in the
room being the potential for regulatory
reforms that could lead to changes in the
name of social responsibility.
On December 6, 2021, U.S. Surgeon
General Vivek Murphy, MD issued a
new advisory to highlight the urgent need
to address youth mental health
exacerbated by the restrictions needed to
fight COVID-19 and its Omicron variant.
Six major recommendations included the
following:
 Increase timely data collection and
research to identify and respond to
youth mental health needs more
rapidly. This includes more
research on the relationship
between technology and youth
mental health, and technology
companies should be more
transparent with data and
algorithmic processes to enable
this research. (emphasis added)
The debate regarding the impact of social
media on the general health and well-
being of young people is now front and
center in the minds of population health
leaders. The Surgeon General’s advisory
calls on technology companies “to step
up and take responsibility for creating a
safe digital environment for children and
youth” and, as research efforts continue,
to “allow a broad range of researchers to
access data and previous research instead
of proving access to a privileged few.”
Diverse entities including the U.S.
Surgeon General, Mayo Clinic,
Psychology Today, American Academy
of Pediatrics, Sesame Street in
Communities and the Dove Company
offer suggestions to adults and teenagers
on how to handle social media’s impact
on their lives. Groups such as the Young
Adult Library Services Association offer
online safety courses that suggest
educating the adults around you to
engage in real conversation. The federal
Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Services Administration (SAMSHA)
offers families and youth several apps to
address ways to handle bullying, suicidal
thinking and addiction.
Amanda Purington, director of evaluation
and research for ACT for Youth at
Cornell’s Social Media Lab, says: “I
believe the key is to help youth maximize
the benefits while minimizing risks, and
we can do this by educating youth about
how to use social media in ways that are
positive, safe and pro-social.”
Communication between families, health
providers and youth remains critical – it
is the “how” that remains key.
The Ohio State University College of
Nursing is exploring that technological
“how” in different and innovative ways.
Associate professor and Stress Science
Lab director Jodi Ford, PhD, RN co-leads
a team of research investigators testing a
housing-first intervention linked to
opioid prevention services for homeless
youth. Graduate student mentors assigned
to each youth provide 24/7 access for
communication and guidance. The young
people are taking advantage of being in
touch with their mentors, who are
successful and closer to their age group.
Assistant professor Lisa Militello, PhD,
MPH, RN continues to explore how
cognitive-behavioral therapy and
technology can be used to promote health
behavior change. She worked with
software companies to develop ways to
deliver simple triggers through text
messaging to families with overweight
and obese children. Militello wants to
find ways to optimize the interaction
between pediatric clinical care and health
information technology. In a soon-to-be-
published article in Advances in Family
Practice Nursing, she and her colleague
highlight several key points and
resources for parents and researchers on
the topic.
Expanding our understanding of how
technology and social media impact
youth mental health – and where
opportunities for intervention, re-
education and empowerment exist – will
help young and old manage both the
influence of these platforms and
alignment around how they can be most
effectively used. The pandemic made
FOMO very real for many young people,
and IMHO (in my humble opinion), we
can’t just SMH (shake my head) at this
issue. We need to be HTH (here to help)
so that it’s NBD (no big deal), and then
we know we’ve acted FTW (for the win).
3. The Impact of Social Media on
Commerce
The rise of social media means it’s
unusual to find an organization that does
not reach its customers and prospects
through one social media platform or
another. Companies see the importance
of using social media to connect with
customers and build revenue.
Businesses have realized they can use
social media to generate insights,
stimulate demand, and create targeted
product offerings. These functions are
important in traditional brick-and-motor
businesses and, obviously, in the world
of e-commerce.
Another positive impact of social
networking sites is to unite people on a
huge platform for the achievement of
some specific objective. This is very
important to bring the positive change in
society. Social media are used to
document memories, learn about and
explore things, advertise oneself and
form friendships.
Many studies suggest implementing
social networks within the workplace can
strengthen knowledge sharing. The result
is to improve project management
activities and enable the spread of
specialized knowledge. Fully
implementing social technologies in the
workplace removes boundaries,
eliminates silos, and can raise interaction
and help create more highly skilled and
knowledgeable workers.
The flipside: A low number of social
‘shares’ can lead to negative social
proof and destroy business credibility
Interestingly, although social sharing has
become the norm rather than the
exception in business, some companies,
after experiencing first-hand some
adverse effects of social media, have
decided to go against the grain and
remove the social sharing buttons from
their websites.
A case study of Taloon.com, an e-
commerce retailer from Finland, found
that conversions rose by 11.9% when
they removed share buttons from their
product pages.These results highlight the
double-edged nature of the impact of
social media. When products attract a lot
of shares, it can reinforce sales. But when
the reverse is true, customers begin to
distrust the product and the company.
This effect is what Dr. Paul Marsden,
psychologist and author of ‘The Social
Commerce Handbook,’ referred to as
‘social proof.’
4. The Impact of Social Media on the
World of Work
Social media has had a profound effect
on recruitment and hiring. Professional
social networks such as LinkedIn are
important social media platforms for
anyone looking to stand out in their
profession. They allow people to create
and market a personal brand.
Nineteen percent of hiring managers
make their hiring decisions based on
information found on social media.
According to CareerBuilder's 2018 social
media recruitment survey, 70 percent of
employers use social networking sites to
research job candidates.
5. The Impact of Social Media on
Training and Development
Job candidates who develop skills in the
latest and most advanced social media
techniques are far more employable.
A 2020 survey by OnePoll on behalf of
Pearson and Connections Academy asked
2,000 U.S. parents and their high-school
aged children about the “new normal” of
high school. Sixty-eight percent of
students and 65% of their parents believe
that social media will be a useful tool and
part of the new high school normal.
Blogs, wikis, LinkedIn, Twitter,
Facebook, and podcasts are now common
tools for learning in many educational
institutions. Social media has contributed
to the increase in long-distance online
learning.
Despite issues of lack of privacy and
some instances of cheating among long-
distance learners, this has not deterred
social platforms from being used in
education.
6. The Challenges of Social Media
Social Media is relatively a newer
technology, hence, it is a little difficult to
establish its long-term good and bad
consequences. However, multiple
researchers have concluded a strong
relationship between heavy use of social
media platforms with an increase in risk
of depression, self-harm, anxiety, and
loneliness.
Fear of Missing Out (FOMO)
Long-use of social media platforms make
you addicted to checking out what other
people are doing. FOMO is an
exacerbated feeling that other people are
living better lives or having more fun
compared with you. This feeling makes
you check your notification every second,
just to make yourself feel better.
Cyberbullying
Teenagers need to fit in, to be popular,
and to outdo others. This process was
challenging long before the advent of
social media. Add Facebook, Twitter,
Snapchat, and Instagram into the mix,
and you suddenly have teenagers
subjected to feeling pressure to grow up
too fast in an online world.
The Cyberbullying Institute’s 2019
survey of U.S. middle and high school
students found that over 36 percent report
having been cyberbullied at some point
in their life, with 30 percent having been
victimized twice or more. It also found
that almost 15 percent admitted to having
cyberbullied someone at least once, and
nearly 11 percent admitting to doing it
two or more times. Teenagers can misuse
social media platforms to spread rumors,
share videos aimed at destroying
reputations, and to blackmail others.
Lack of Privacy
Stalking, identity theft, personal attacks,
and misuse of information are some of
the threats faced by social media users.
Most of the time, the users themselves
are to blame as they share content that
should not be in the public eye. The
confusion arises from a lack of
understanding of how the private and
public elements of an online profile
actually work.
Unfortunately, by the time private
content is deleted, it’s usually too late.
and the content can cause problems in
people’s personal and professional lives.
7. The Impact of Social Media on
Relationships
One of the effects of social media is
encouraging people to form and cherish
"social media friendships" over actual
friendships. The term 'friend' as used on
social media is a weak shadow of
traditional friendship. Real friends
actually know each other, frequently
interact face to face, and have a personal
bond.
Top 20+ Advantages and
Disadvantages of Social Media
If the internet is an unmissable part of
contemporary life, social media is
integral for communication – an
unavoidable element, especially for those
who lead hectic lifestyles and depend on
it for even the smallest updates. People
can communicate with friends, speak
with family, and stay updated on global
happenings via numerous platforms. One
of the most common online activities is
using social media, and in 2021, 82% of
Americans had a profile on one or more
social networking sites, up 2% from the
usage rate of 80% the year before. That
comes to about 223 million social media
users in the United States in 2020.
Over the past ten years, social media has
grown astronomically. There was
minimal participation in the industry in
2005. At the time, most of them were
unaware, and among those who knew,
having the opportunity to establish a
MySpace page typically meant elaborate
backgrounds and unique playlists rather
than a direct connection. If people were
to spring back a little bit, the real taste of
social media emerged from blogging,
where accounts were created sometime in
the 1980s. After that, the evolution of
free platforms and chat rooms created
newer social opportunities. Later
Facebook, Twitter, and others
revolutionized it.
Advantages of Social Media
Connectivity
Connectivity is among the most
significant benefits of social media. It can
link countless users at any time,
everywhere. Information could be spread
globally through social media and its
connectedness, making it simple for
people to interact with one another. It
results in global relationships.
Education
The use of social media in education is
commendable. Learners and educators
can enroll in global collaborative
platforms to facilitate constructive
learning. It also aids in skill improvement
by fostering knowledge and creativity.
Information and Updates
Stay informed about events happening
across the globe or in other people's lives
using social media. In contrast to
television, radio, or newspapers, social
media lets everyone convey information
accurately by presenting the real picture.
It aids in showcasing real-world news
across the globe.
Awareness
People have become more conscious
thanks to social media. It serves as a
channel for information, thus paving the
way to innovation and success via
developing their knowledge and abilities.
Social media well-covers global events,
making people more aware of their
surroundings.
Share Anything With Others
Social media is the best platform to
convey feelings and opinions - a song, a
poem, a work of art, a decadent dessert,
or anything else. Anyone can let their
creativity shine through the platform for
it to be shared by millions of others.
Sharing the artistic works with others
could open the door to achievement and
several milestones.
Helps in Building Communities
Live in a diverse world where individuals
from different cultures, beliefs, and
backgrounds exist. Social media brings
these people together by linking them on
a common platform. Thus, fostering a
sense of unity facilitates the development
of community links. For instance, food
lovers can join the community of food
bloggers, while gamers can join
communities focused on gaming, etc.
Noble Cause
Noble deeds can be promoted on social
media. It is the ideal tool for endorsing
causes like giving donations to those with
cancer, for instance, to those who need
money for treatment. While everyone can
use social media to assist others in
finance, it is also the simplest and fastest
way to advance any worthwhile cause.
Mental Health
Social media serves as an excellent stress
reliever. Several groups can support
people battling against stress, depression,
and loneliness. By creating a feeling of
elation, these communities can bestow a
brighter attitude while also helping
develop healthy relationships with others,
thus enhancing mental health.
Advantages of Social Media for
Business
Brand Reputation
Social media improves company
relationships by fostering goodwill
among users; its promotion increases
sales, which in turn increases
profitability. The comments and feedback
left by customers are a fantastic resource
for businesses. Due to the user likes
garnered, companies can experience
enhanced popularity and a boost in
revenue.
Brand Awareness
Networking platforms contribute to
greater brand recognition. Visually
appealing products and information
capture users' attention, which increases
brand visibility and raises customer
knowledge about certain goods and
services.
Customer Interaction
Social media enhances customer
engagement by providing goods and
services and soliciting comments on
them. Users from across communities
leave various feedback and suggestions,
which can assist in improving areas of
focus and satisfy them.
Teens and social media use: What's the
impact?
Social media is a big part of many teens'
lives. A 2018 Pew Research Center
survey of nearly 750 13- to 17-year-olds
found that 45% are online almost
constantly and 97% use a social media
platform, such as YouTube, Facebook,
Instagram or Snapchat.
But what impact does social media use
have on teens?
Social media benefits
Social media allows teens to create
online identities, communicate with
others and build social networks. These
networks can provide teens with valuable
support, especially helping those who
experience exclusion or have disabilities
or chronic illnesses.
Teens also use social media for
entertainment and self-expression. And
the platforms can expose teens to current
events, allow them to interact across
geographic barriers and teach them about
a variety of subjects, including healthy
behaviors. Social media that's humorous
or distracting or provides a meaningful
connection to peers and a wide social
network might even help teens avoid
depression.
Social media harms
However, social media use can also
negatively affect teens, distracting them,
disrupting their sleep, and exposing them
to bullying, rumor spreading, unrealistic
views of other people's lives and peer
pressure.
The risks might be related to how much
social media teens use. A 2019 study of
more than 6,500 12- to 15-year-olds in
the U.S. found that those who spent more
than three hours a day using social media
might be at heightened risk for mental
health problems. Another 2019 study of
more than 12,000 13- to 16-year-olds in
England found that using social media
more than three times a day predicted
poor mental health and well-being in
teens.
Other studies also have observed links
between high levels of social media use
and depression or anxiety symptoms. A
2016 study of more than 450 teens found
that greater social media use, nighttime
social media use and emotional
investment in social media — such as
feeling upset when prevented from
logging on — were each linked with
worse sleep quality and higher levels of
anxiety and depression.
How teens use social media also might
determine its impact. A 2015 study found
that social comparison and feedback
seeking by teens using social media and
cellphones was linked with depressive
symptoms. In addition, a small 2013
study found that older adolescents who
used social media passively, such as by
just viewing others' photos, reported
declines in life satisfaction. Those who
used social media to interact with others
or post their own content didn't
experience these declines.
And an older study on the impact of
social media on undergraduate college
students showed that the longer they used
Facebook, the stronger was their belief
that others were happier than they were.
But the more time the students spent
going out with their friends, the less they
felt this way.
Because of teens' impulsive natures,
experts suggest that teens who post
content on social media are at risk of
sharing intimate photos or highly
personal stories. This can result in teens
being bullied, harassed or even
blackmailed. Teens often create posts
without considering these consequences
or privacy concerns.
Protecting your teen
There are steps you can take to encourage
responsible use of social media and limit
some of its negative effects. Consider
these tips:
 Set reasonable limits. Talk to
your teen about how to avoid
letting social media interfere with
his or her activities, sleep, meals
or homework. Encourage a
bedtime routine that avoids
electronic media use, and keep
cellphones and tablets out of teens'
bedrooms. Set an example by
following these rules yourself.
 Monitor your teen's accounts.
Let your teen know that you'll be
regularly checking his or her
social media accounts. You might
aim to do so once a week or more.
Make sure you follow through.
 Explain what's not OK.
Discourage your teen from
gossiping, spreading rumors,
bullying or damaging someone's
reputation — online or otherwise.
Talk to your teen about what is
appropriate and safe to share on
social media.
 Encourage face-to-face contact
with friends. This is particularly
important for teens vulnerable to
social anxiety disorder.
 Talk about social media. Talk
about your own social media
habits. Ask your teen how he or
she is using social media and how
it makes him or her feel. Remind
your teen that social media is full
of unrealistic images.
If you think your teen is experiencing
signs or symptoms of anxiety or
depression related to social media use,
talk to your child's health care provider.
Promotion
Social media is a great supporter of
internet commerce and marketing. Posts
and promotions facilitate effective user
connections and contribute to the
profitability of a business. It fosters user
relationships and endorses customer
loyalty, which is crucial for any
company's expansion.
Disadvantages of Social Media :Affects
Social-Emotional Connection
Social media hampers emotional bonds.
Everything is conveyed through texts
digitally, which can stunt expressions.
Ingenuity is lost when people who would
ideally visit one another to convey
greetings only send text messages instead
of hugs.
Decreases Quick-witted Skill
With the decrease in real face-to-face
conversations and in-person chats, quick-
wittedness is rare. Sense of humor and
sporty tête-à-têtes have been
compromised – the sense of love,
friendship, fun, and enjoyment have all
disappeared due to the effects of social
media on human mental health.
Causing Distress to Someone's Feelings
People who use social media to
communicate lack empathy and do not
wink an eyelid when they have to hurt
someone. The latest trolls, negative
comments, and feedback are all witnesses
to the hard-heartedness that has evolved
due to the invisible nature of social
media.
Present Physically Not Mentally
Spending time with each other is about
being 'present' and in the moment. As
friends and family gather, create
memories by speaking to one another
about times past, present and future.
Unfortunately, today with social media
being made available on the mobile
phone, people spend time with each other
'scrolling' through posts.
Lacking Understanding and
Thoughtfulness
Feelings are conveyed through word and
voice – but to do this, there is a need to
be physically present in front of the other
person to communicate feelings
effectively. However, social media gives
it a different hue when anyone puts them
into a text, thus masking the real
meaning.
Lack of Quality Family Time
Social media has been the cause of many
disrupted relationships simply because
families cannot spend quality time with
each other. Family time has taken a hit
with 'me' and privacy taking precedence
(due to the quality of texts that appear on
social media).
Cyberbullying
People, particularly children, have been
victims of cyberbullying where threats,
cons, and other negative activities easily
ensnare them. Fake news and rumors
spread effortlessly, leading to depression
and suicide.
Hacking
The vulnerability of social media has also
thrown light on how easy it is to gather a
person's data. Privacy settings must be
constantly updated and profile locked to
avoid such situations.
Distracted Mind
Social media is impulsive. New
messages, notifications, and updates are
the impetus to constantly checking the
phone, resulting in distraction. The
individual wastes time even ignoring
important work to only look at the menial
update.
Facilitates Laziness
Spending hours on the couch glued to our
smartphones results in several health
problems such as obesity, stress, and high
blood pressure. Technology and
accompanying social media have led to a
rise in laziness among people due to no
physical activity or exercise.
Addiction
A serious issue among youth social
media addiction has led to disastrous
consequences. While checking social
media and using the smartphone in
moderation is not bad, productive time
and energy are wasted due to overuse.
Cheating and Relationship Issues
Individuals are now using social media as
a platform for dating and marriage.
However, chances are that the
information provided on the profile is
false, eventually leading to a toxic
relationship or even divorce.
The Bottom Line
It’s been said that information is power.
Without a means of distributing
information, people cannot harness its
power. One positive impact of social
media is in the distribution of
information in today’s world. Platforms
such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and
others have made it possible to access
information at the click of a button.
Research conducted by parse.ly shows
that the life expectancy of a story posted
on the web is 2.6 days, compared to 3.2
days when a story is shared on social
media. That’s a difference of 23%, which
is significant when you consider that
billions of people use the internet daily.
The lifespan of an article is different
from the active lifespan of a social media
post itself. Green Umbrella estimates that
a Facebook post has an average lifespan
of 6 hours, an Instagram post or LinkedIn
post of 48 hours, and a tweet on Twitter a
mere 18 minutes. The longer social
media users actively access the
information, the more discussion it
generates and the greater the social media
impact. The shorter the active lifespan,
the more frequently one must post to that
channel to maintain engagement
(recognizing that posting too frequently
can cause reader burnout).
While the world would be a much slower
place without social media, it’s caused
harm as well as good. However, the
positive impact of social media is
astronomical and far surpasses the ills
associated with sharing.
 Ultimately, sharing is about
getting people to see and respond
to content. As long as the content
is still relevant and the need for
information still exists, it’s always
worthwhile for any organization to
use social media to keep
publishing.
Multitasking has become a common
theme in our lives. It’s a wonder how we
manage it all.
We depend on our smartphones for work,
school, our personal and social
lives. When was the last time you left
home without your phone and kept on
going? The internet has become a
significant part of our daily lives. So too
has social media. And it is having an
impact on today’s teens.
Social media usage
Back in 2005, when social media was
still in its infancy, only about 5 percent of
users in the United States were involved
in social media. In 2019, that number
grew to about 70 percent.
 Pew Research Center surveyed
social media usage and popularity
among US adults early in 2019.
The survey found that while the
most-used social platforms for
adults are YouTube and
Facebook; teens prefer SnapChat
and Instagram, while TikTok is
reportedly the fastest growing
social network among younger
users.
 Social media use is nearly
universal among today’s teens.
Pew Research Center reports 97
percent of 13- to 17-year-olds use
at least one of seven major online
platforms.
 The amount of time spent on
social sites is astounding. One
report indicates the average teen
ages 13 to 18 spends about nine
hours on social media each day;
tweens ages 8 to 12 are on for
about six hours a day.
Like most things, using social media has
its positives (the good), its cautionary
tales (the bad), and dangers (the ugly)
that lurk and impact the lives of many,
but especially teens.
Pros: Why is social media good?
Social media and technology offer us
greater convenience and connectivity:
 staying connected with family and
friends worldwide via email, text,
FaceTime, etc.
 quick access to information and
research
 banking and bill pay at our
fingertips
 online learning, job skills, content
discovery (YouTube)
 involvement in civic engagement
(fundraising, social awareness,
provides a voice)
 great marketing tools
 opportunities for remote
employment
Social media can be a good thing, but
if teens ever feel uncomfortable about
something they see or read on social,
they should trust their own feelings and
talk to someone – a parent, a teacher, or
another trusted adult. Bullying, threats
and cruelty on social media are all signs
that the person doing those things needs
help.
Cons: Why is social media bad?
Along with the good comes the bad. With
all of its benefits, the nature of social
media presents a range of potential
issues.
 Online vs Reality. Social media
itself is not the problem. It is the
way people use it in place of
actual communication and in-
person socializing. “Friends” on
social media may not actually be
friends, and may even be
strangers.
 Increased usage. The more time
spent on social media can lead to
cyberbullying, social anxiety,
depression, and exposure to
content that is not age appropriate.
 Social Media is addicting. When
you’re playing a game or
accomplishing a task, you seek to
do it as well as you can. Once you
succeed, your brain will give you
a dose of dopamine and other
happiness hormones, making you
happy. The same mechanism
functions when you post a picture
to Instagram or Facebook. Once
you see all the notifications for
likes and positive comments
popping up on your screen, you’ll
subconsciously register it as a
reward. But that’s not all, social
media is full of mood-modifying
experiences.
 Fear of Missing Out. FOMO has
become a common theme, and
often leads to continual checking
of social media sites. The idea that
you might miss out on something
if you’re not online can affect
your mental health.
 Self-image issues. Social media
sites provide tools that allow
people to earn others’ approval for
their appearance and the
possibility to compare themselves
to others. It can be associated with
body image concerns. The
“selfieholics” and people who
spend most of their time posting
and scrolling are the ones most
vulnerable to this. In fact, most
college girls who use Facebook at
least five times a day are likely to
link their self-worth to their looks.
That doesn’t mean that the main
problem is social media; it only
provides a medium for it, which
further elevates the problem. It
also promotes the same sort of
behavior to others.
Social media and bullying
Sadly, there is an ugly side to all that
technology offers. While bullying is not a
new concept, social media and
technology have brought bullying to a
new level. It becomes a more constant,
ever-present threat -- cyberbullying. The
State of Rhode Island anti-bullying laws
& regulations define bullying and
cyberbullying as follows:
“Bullying” means the use by one or
more students of a written, verbal or
electronic expression or a physical act or
gesture or any combination thereof
directed at a student that:
 causes physical or emotional harm
to the student or damage to the
student's property
 places the student in reasonable
fear of harm to himself/herself or
of damage to his/her property
 creates an intimidating,
threatening, hostile, or abusive
educational environment for the
student
 infringes on the rights of the
student to participate in school
activities
 materially and substantially
disrupts the education process or
the orderly operation of a school
“Cyberbullying” means bullying
through the use of technology or any
electronic communication, which shall
include, but not be limited to, any
transfer of signs, signals, writing, images,
sounds, data, texting or intelligence of
any nature transmitted in whole or in part
by a wire, radio, electromagnetic, photo
electronic or photo optical system,
including, but not limited to, electronic
mail, Internet communications, instant
messages or facsimile communications.
Bullying statistics
Every 7 minutes a child is bullied.
Unfortunately, intervention is rare, with
an adult intervening in only four percent
of cases, and a peer in 11 percent. An
astonishing 85 percent of all cases of
bullying are not addressed.
The following are just some statistics on
how common bullying and cyberbullying
have become: According to
StopBullying.org:
 One out of four (25 percent) teens
are bullied, while up to 43 percent
have been bullied while online.
 Nine out of ten LGBTQ students
experienced harassment at school
and online. Biracial and
multiracial youth are more likely
to be victimized than youth who
identify with a single race. Kids
who are obese, gay, or have
disabilities are more likely to be
bullied than other children.
 58 percent have not told their
parents or an adult about
something mean or hurtful that
happened to them online.
 5.4 million children stay home on
any given day because they fear
being bullied.
Social media and suicide
Sadly, the cons of social media can take a
toll on young minds. Suicide remains
among the leading causes of death of
children under age 14. In most cases,
young people die from hanging.
 Suicide rates among 10- to 14-
year-olds have grown more than
50 percent over the last three
decades, according to the
American Association of
Suicidology.
 Suicide rates among children
between the ages of 10 and 14 are
very low, but are creeping up,
according to the American
Foundation for Suicide
Prevention.
What can parents do?
As parents, there are things we can do to
improve our children’s lives online and
in real life.
 Attempt to model the behavior we
want to see.
 Set boundaries right way when
you give your child their first
phone. Set parental controls on his
or her phone, with access to their
passwords. Phones should be
charged somewhere other than
their room at night, and should be
shut off an hour or two before bed.
 Have conversations with your
children on why some things
should be kept private.
 Take time to actively engage with
your kids face-to-face. This
interaction teaches them how to
follow social cues, verbal and
non-verbal.
 Talk to your kids without glancing
at your phone.
 Find opportunities to have genuine
conversations that are not lectures.
 Be aware of privacy concerns and
cybersecurity issues.
Technology has changed the way we live,
work, and socialize. But it can’t replace
parenting.
 For more tips on parenting, visit
the Growing section of our
Lifespan Living health and
wellness blog.
Amid rising concerns over
misinformation online – including
surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic,
especially vaccines – Americans are now
a bit more open to the idea of the U.S.
government taking steps to restrict false
information online. And a majority of the
public continues to favor technology
companies taking such action, according
to a new Pew Research Center survey.
Roughly half of U.S. adults (48%) now
say the government should take steps to
restrict false information, even if it means
losing some freedom to access and
publish content, according to the survey
of 11,178 adults conducted July 26-Aug.
8, 2021. That is up from 39% in 2018. At
the same time, the share of adults who
say freedom of information should be
protected – even if it means some
misinformation is published online – has
decreased from 58% to 50%.
When it comes to whether technology
companies should take steps to address
misinformation online, more are in
agreement. A majority of adults (59%)
continue to say technology companies
should take steps to restrict
misinformation online, even if it puts
some restrictions on Americans’ ability
to access and publish content. Around
four-in-ten (39%) take the opposite view
that protecting freedom of information
should take precedence, even if it means
false claims can spread. The balance of
opinion on this question has changed
little since 2018.
Partisan divisions on the role of
government in addressing online
misinformation have emerged since
2018. Three years ago, around six-in-ten
in each partisan coalition – 60% of
Republicans and GOP-leaning
independents and 57% of Democrats and
Democratic leaners – agreed that freedom
of information should be prioritized over
the government taking steps to restrict
false information online. Today, 70% of
Republicans say those freedoms should
be protected, even it if means some false
information is published. Nearly as many
Democrats (65%) instead say the
government should take steps to restrict
false information, even if it means
limiting freedom of information.
Partisan views on whether technology
companies should take such steps have
also grown further apart. Roughly three-
quarters of Democrats (76%) now say
tech companies should take steps to
restrict false information online, even at
the risk of limiting information freedoms.
A majority of Republicans (61%) express
the opposite view – that those freedoms
should be protected, even if it means
false information can be published
online. In 2018, the parties were closer
together on this question, though most
Democrats still supported action by tech
firms.
Some demographic differences that
existed on these questions in 2018 have
now largely disappeared. Three years
ago, older Americans and those with less
education were more likely than younger
and more educated adults, respectively,
to say the U.S. government should take
steps to restrict false information online,
even if means limiting some freedoms.
Now, Americans across nearly all age
groups are fairly evenly divided between
the two views. Similar changes have
occurred when it comes to Americans’
educational background.
  Women still tend to be more open
than men to the idea of both the
government and tech companies
taking action to restrict false
information online, though both
groups have become a bit more
supportive of the government
taking such steps.
Burden of the Marketing Shift
Business marketing now involves
personal engagement with customers;
campaigns that do not invite your
customer to interact risk being
unsuccessful. While social media-based
marketing can be used effectively,
businesses that are used to providing a
one-sided sell must now learn how to
develop a relationships with buyers.
Instead of releasing statements about
product lines, your business needs to
develop stories that promote the culture
of the product instead of simply outlining
its particular benefits.
Increased Customer Power
In the days before social media, negative
company experiences might stay within
an individual's circle of friends; now,
stories of bad customer service and
disappointing products can run quickly
through social media networks. It has
become more difficult for companies to
contain negative publicity. The upside is
that as much as bad publicity spreads
more quickly, good publicity also spreads
more quickly. To help combat negative
feedback from consumers, offer robust
customer service through all of your
social media channels and attempt to
settle a problem before a toxic situation
develops.
Tracking Negative or Misleading
Statements
Social media is an enormous
conversation everyone is invited to join;
with all that talk, it's difficult for
businesses to track statements about their
brand that are negative or even
defamatory. With social media, you have
the added burden of tracking statements
and responding when necessary; the
response, however, might be of limited
effect if the negative statement has
already made the social media rounds. If
you want to tackle negative feedback in a
proactive manner, reputation
management software can help you track
negative and positive feedback across
social media and the web. Contacting
customers with negative experiences can
often lead to improved feedback but has
the potential to backfire, so tread
carefully as you keep an eye on the web.
Accidental Release of Confidential
Information
Individuals with inside knowledge of
your business might inadvertently blurt
out confidential information, damaging
the company's competitive advantage.
Before social media, a letter sent to the
wrong address or even an email that
ended up in the wrong inbox could be
retrieved and the information kept under
wraps. In the world of social media, the
sheer numbers mean that once
confidential information is out, it's out.
Unauthorized Employees Speaking on
Company's Behalf
It's difficult for companies to monitor
employee social media activity and
prevent them from speaking on company
matters without authorization. In the era
of engagement, you might strive for
employees to have the ability to assert
their personalities online; however, this
freedom comes with the risk that even a
well-meaning social media post about
your company's perceived objectives and
direction can damage the company's
reputation or challenge the company's
assertions to investors.
