Is social media good for you?
This has become a topic of interesting debate over the course of the past couple of decades.
Social media is still a relatively new phenomenon. It hasn’t been around all that long.
And yet, in the short time we’ve had it, it has become such a powerful fixture in our lives that it’s really changing the way we communicate.
Social media has forged the next step in human/technology integration, especially where communication and networking are concerned.
But here’s the question:
Is this for the better, or for the worse?
Well, it’s doubtless that there are some benefits to it.
Just to name a few, it facilitates easier communication, gives us the potential for a broader support base in our day-to-day lives, and just in general brings the world closer together.
Thanks to social media, it’s easier than ever to meet new people, stay in touch with old friends, and remain more connected with family members.
However, there’s also a downside to it.
A lot of people don’t just use social media to be social.
A lot of people also look to social media for validation, entertainment, and even to subconsciously generate their opinions about the world.
Social media is also becoming a hotbed for advertisements.
The average person is bombarded by so many advertisements nowadays that it’s likely having a lasting effect on how we view the world and spend money.
Social media can also be a breeding ground for outrage, anger, explosive disagreements, and just general all-around ugliness.
Yes, it’s good to be able to interact with your loved ones from a distance.
But is it worth all of the distraction and the bullying that comes with it?
We all know that there’s a huge subset of Internet users, often referred to as ‘trolls,’ who basically spread discord, chaos, anger, hurt feelings, and negativity online almost as if doing so is a goal.
These things are unfortunate. But they do, however, seem to come with the territory.
At the end of the day, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that the best approach to social media is probably one of moderation.
Try to make use of the good elements of it, while avoiding the negative ones.
Of course, this is sometimes easier said than done.
Plus, there’s no secret about the fact that social media was created based on software models that reward the brain for using them.
In other words, it can be surprisingly addictive.
If you examine your own social media habits, you’ll probably come to see this as being true.
At this point, who among us hasn’t wasted far more time than we should have swiping through photos, videos, or content?
This poses its own set of problems and further complicates the question of how social media affects us on a day-to-day basis.
Should social media deserve such a high-priority spot in our lives, even with the potential for negative things that it brings along with it?
That’s a great question. And it’s probably a question that all of us will need to answer on our own.
