How Has Social Media Changed the World Negatively

Are you one of those people who spend so much time on social media? If so, how do you think your life has changed since you become so addicted to social media? Around the globe, billions of people spend hours on social media every single day. It has definitely become a big a part of almost everyone’s lives.

You wake up in the morning and the first time that you check is your smart phone. Is that right? You launch your Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter app and find out what you missed when you were asleep. From access to information to staying connected to silly humor on your feeds, social media is changing the way we live in the society.

While social media has undeniably positive effects on people, it also has its disadvantages. It is important that people keep their personal lives out of it. People need to draw a thin line between what they share on social media and what they have in their private lives. Here are some of negative effects of social media.

INSTANT GRATIFICATION

People wanting instant gratification from the likes and praises they get in social media. Here’s a scenario: you receive a message from a friend or family member asking you to hit the “like” or “heart” button on Facebook to help some child’s activity in school. Other people even try to do hilarious things just to earn praises and be famous.

FILTERS

If you want to be the fairest of them all, use an app that enhances your physical features. It is easy to look so pretty online, but it isn’t exactly how you look like in real life. You were surprised how your old friend looked so slim and flawless in the latest photo she shared but when you saw her the other, the photo that she shared is not even close to how she looks like in person. There is really no need to use filters to look good.

PRETENTIONS

Social media is not real life. People often only post and share the good things that are happening in their lives. Most people like to pretend someone they are really not because they want to be popular.

OVERLY PUBLIC

You can instantly find out where you are, who you are with, what you are doing the moment you post your status on social media. Privacy is still very important so we all have to be mindful of what we share on social media.

PEOPLE CAN’T EAT WITHOUT TAKING A PICTURE

People can no longer eat without taking a picture of their food or worse, taking a selfie first. Is it the modern way of saying grace? Yes, you may be tempted to take a picture of the food that you ordered that is so beautifully presented but it can really get annoying at times. If you didn’t post or Instagram your food, did you really even take a bite of it?

POSTING PICTURE OF SICK AND INJURED

Social media provides platform for people who want to report photos and videos. When your parents, child, family loved one, or friend is ill, the last thing that you need to do is update your friends on social media. Your ill family member wouldn’t really appreciate if you post pictures of him or her looking very sick, don’t you think. Typing “Amen” or sharing those pictures is not really going to make them feel better. Also, be wary of sick child hoaxes.

CYBERCHONDRIA

There are pages on social media that share information about health and illnesses. It pops up on your screen and you begin to read it. Do you think this is a good idea? There are pages who share information about how to prevent heart disease, stroke, brain tumor, and all the crazy illnesses in the world, but are they providing accurate information? Here’s a scenario, you feel a little headache then you remember a post that you saw the other day linking headache to brain tumor. You start feeling anxious, thinking that what you might have is something fatal when most likely it isn’t. It is still best to contact your doctor if you are feeling a little bit under the weather.

FAKE NEWS

Since anyone can easily buy a domain and set up a website, some people take advantage of it buy sharing fake news to either entertain or frighten people. We couldn’t stress so much how important it is to trust only reliable sources. Use your instincts. You should know better. Don’t fall to the trap of controversial clickbait headlines, these websites only want earnings. More views translate to more revenue. Even media alone is incapable of exposing false news.

THE NEED TO BELONG AND FIT IN - PERFECT ONLINE LIFE

Do you feel the pressure to be perfect? Do you feel pressure to look or act in a certain way? Do you feel pressure to be slim and sexy? Do you feel pressure to become rich so you can buy all the things you want? People, somehow, are biologically wired to have the desire to fit in. Think about peer pressure? Unfortunately, social media has just made peer pressure worse.

People are always looking for ways to blend in. People can’t resist the pressure created by cunningly curated by social media feeds - school pressure, body image anxiety, stress, lower self-esteem, and the pressure to live a perfect online life.

SOCIAL MEDIA HAS CHANGED COURTSHIP RITUALS

People take their quest to find love onto social media. Online dating has become a practicable alternative for people who wants to find a girlfriend or a boyfriend and even a wife or a husband. Social media has killed the art of courtship. A look up to one person’s social media profile and you can easily discover so many things about her or him. Easy hook up is greatly possible.

POSTING PROBLEMS IN SOCIAL MEDIA

There are just some things that don’t work in social media. If you have a problem with your marriage, don’t tell the whole world about it. If you have an issue with your co-worker, friend, or family member, just keep it private. We all have that one friend who posts his or her problems on social media like Facebook or Twitter, but posting about your problems online isn’t really the best solution. It is better to find someone you can trust and talk with about your problems. There is no need to broadcast your dilemmas to the entire online community.

SOCIAL MEDIA SHAMING

People also turn to social media to bash or publicly humiliate their enemy. Instead of taking to the concerned person privately, people tend to take their anger online. Before you go online to blast that person who took your seat in the bus, or that person who cut you off while driving, or that friend who didn’t invite you in his or her wedding, think twice because it might not really be worth your time and your energy.

LESS TALKING PERSONALLY

Social media has greatly improved the way we communicate and that’s is good. It is easy to talk to someone. You simply open up their profile and send them pms. You can also ‘gram or tweet them. However, the ease of communication that social media brings also means people get less interaction on a personal note. It is still nice to catch up with someone over a cup of coffee, don’t you think?

Social media has changed the way we communicate in many ways. With social media, everyone needs to constantly broadcast their lives on the Internet. It is true that social media has had a profound impact on people’s lives. However, people shouldn’t take advantage of the unsightly parts that this revolutionary technology has brought. Let us use social media in a smart way.