20 Pros and Cons of Social Media Use
My generation grew up in an era not known for leaps in technological
advances. The lack of fun, lithium-ion powered iThings forced us to
engage in antiquated traditions like going outside, socializing or reading.
On the upside, living offline allowed us to keep screw-ups to limited
audiences. We also experienced less bullying, anxiety and depression
than later peers.
Related: Why Social Media Is Ruining Your Self-Esteem—and How
to Stop It
Today, we often perceive anyone who shuns social media as old or out
of touch. However, they might be the most mentally fit among us. In
reality, most people have little awareness of the frequency with which
they check their phones. In a 2015 study, participants checked their
phones an average of 85 times each day and spent 5.05 hours per day
using their smartphone. This is concerning because several studies and
researchers have associated social media with several psychiatric
disorders, including depressive symptoms, anxiety and low self-esteem.
Consider these 10 notable pro and con stances regarding social media
use.
PROS:
1. Messaging on social media sites can lead to face-to-face
interactions when plans are made via the sites.
2. Social media increases voter participation and facilitates political
change.
3. Social media helps reduce loneliness of senior citizens who are
socially isolated.
4. Social media allows for quick diffusion of public health and safety
informationduring crisis events.
5. The U.S. military and the Department of Veterans Affairs use
social media to help prevent suicide.
6. Social media can help disarm social stigmas like anxiety or
depression.
7. Crowdsourcing on social media allows people to attain a goal,
empowering users to achieve positive change.
8. Social media provides academic research to a wider audience,
allowing people access to previously inaccessible educational
resources.
9. Social media sites can help improve overall well-being by
providing users with a large social group creating a “contagion”
effect.
10. Professional networking sites like LinkedIn greatly assist
companies to find personnel and job seekers to find work.
CONS:
1. Social media posts cannot be entirely deleted.
2. Social media can endanger our military, journalists and activists.
3. Social media use is associated with personality and brain
disorders.
4. Students who are heavy social media users tend to have lower
grades.
5. Social media can exacerbate feelings of disconnect and put
children at higher risk for anxiety, depression, low self-esteem,
eating disorders and even suicide.
6. Criminals can use social media to commit and promote crimes.
7. Social media can be a drain on time and use up hours that you
can’t get back.
8. Advertising practices of social media sites may create an invasion
of privacy.
9. Social media facilitates sexting, which can lead to revenge porn,
criminal charges and a proliferation of personal images.
10. Social media use can cause personality and brain
disorders, ADHD and self-centered personalities—particularly
in youth.
Clinical psychologist and author of The Teen Girl’s Survival Guide, Dr.
Lucie Hemmen writes that, “Most people experience huge benefits from
taking a social media break. There is a way in which cultivating and
maintaining your online identity can replace an authentic connection to
your true self. The more grounded you are in your authentic value as a
human being, the less likely you are to be a heavy user of social media
and also to be negatively affected by it.”
For example, if you know that your value is deeper and more complex
than what you post and how many likes and comments you receive,
then you are probably social media resilient.
The more grounded you are in your
authentic value as a human being, the
less likely you are to be a heavy user of
social media and also to be negatively
affected by it.
On the flipside, Dr. Hemmen adds that, “If you struggle with feelings of
insecurity and find yourself putting a lot of time and effort into portraying
yourself a particular way on social media, then you are more vulnerable
and would benefit profoundly from regular breaks. You will have the
space needed to move toward your true self.”
Start by temporarily limiting your access. Challenge yourself to abstain
from social media for a full week by removing Facebook, Twitter,
Instagram and other social media platforms from your phone for a
duration of time. Once the initial withdrawal anxiety subsides, take
notice if you feel better or worse. Being offline might just be a vacation
for you
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