Social Media: A Blessing or a Curse? by Sarah Fawaz

                                       

“The first rule of social media is that everything changes all the time. What won’t change is the community’s desire to network.”

---Kami Huyse, PR & social media strategist, entrepreneur, CEO Zoetica Media---

Social media is a web-based platform that allows people to join, communicate and share their ideas, thoughts and beliefs. It can take various forms including texts, images and videos. It has become a vital part of our lives. Especially with the recent Covid pandemic, the need to connect with each other via online methods using electronic devices has increased immensely. Therefore, at present, the use of social media is widely prevalent not just among the younger generations, but even the older ones. Studies show that an average person spends around 2 and a half hours on social media per day! The social media population has arisen to 4 billion active users around the globe. Some famous social media applications include WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube, to name a few. Like most things, social media has its pros and cons that impact the lives of many.

Social Media platforms can be useful in many ways. Social Media has a lot of information from many sources. Therefore, many news organizations and people share news and data that lead to the spread of information. Moreover, social media is a great publicity tool. It only takes a blink to make anything go viral and for people to gain fame overnight. Celebrities on social media known as “influencers” gain fame and a good audience through the use of social media. Social media is also generally recommended for business promotion. It is a fast and easy tool used by many entrepreneurs to advertise their products and services. Connectivity is another main benefit of using social media. If it isn’t for connectivity, how can people gain publicity and grow their businesses? With the ability to reach any part of the world, social media users can make friends and connect with each other, while also being in touch with family, friends and loved ones. Interactive practices such as liking, commenting and sharing have increased connectivity among people. Last but not least, entertainment is one of the main purposes for which social media is used. People across the globe use social media to watch videos, share photos and engage in various forms of entertainment.

Just as a coin has two sides to it, social media too has its disadvantages. One of the many disadvantages is the spread of false news and information. Due to the hefty amount of information and sources contained, it is difficult to differentiate authentic information from fake ones, leading to many adverse impacts. Since social media has been rapidly growing, there have been many cases of Cybercrimes reported. Some of them include cases of threats, harassment, bullying, stealing of private information, thefts, etc. People sharing their personal information on social media have led to the damage of life, property and data of many people. Increased usage of social media and the more time spent on it can lead to cyberbullying, social anxiety, depression and exposure to content that is not age-appropriate. A 2019 study involving 6595 teenagers from the United States concludes that those who spend more than 3 hours per day on social media may have a higher risk of mental health problems than those who do not. Moreover, FOMO (fear of missing out) has become a widely prevalent issue that has led to people comparing themselves with others on social media and feeling that others are having more fun or are living better lives than them. This has greatly affected the self-esteem of individuals making them feel envious of others and unhappy with their own lives. Thus, we can see that social media can have a negative impact on a person’s physical, mental and social well-being.

Thus, it can be concluded that social media is a vital part of our lives and has benefitted us in many ways, including helping us to communicate with others, be up to date with the latest news and information, gain publicity and entertain ourselves. However, precautions should be taken so that social media is used in a wise and vigilant manner in order to avoid its negative impacts. Social media itself is not the problem and it's in our hands to make social media a better place for all of us.