The Impact of Social Media

By Mackenzie Eyles

As teenagers we don’t realise how much of an impact social media has on our views on life as well as who we are as a person. 

We can go from being this bubbly and outgoing kid to a phone addicted teenager, sitting in bed all day, stuck in the doom scroll on our TikTok fyp. We go from hanging out with our parents every night to sitting next to them on our phones.

We focus on other people's lives without looking at what is in front of us. But, this is not just teenagers. It is not just Gen Z and Gen Alpha who spend 24/7 on technology. We inherited the addiction from our parents, watching them sit on their phones while we ran around the park or watching them sit on their phones while we watched TV. 

It is not just us. Our world has grown a reliance on technology. It is no longer this amazing invention that increased communication capabilities, it is something that we, as humans rely on. 

We don’t look at physical maps, physical photos anymore and why would we, when it’s all in the palm of our hand?

But, that’s the problem. 

We think that scrolling on our phones has no impact. But, it impacts on the way we see and the way we interact with our surroundings.

Social media doesn’t just entertain us. The way we use it can hurt us and/or others.

It can be used negatively, impacting individuals and groups whether it be for the long term or the short term.

We see negative usages all the time, here are some examples: 

Child Exploitation - Look at Piper Rockelle, who was exploited by her mother as seen in the recent Netflix Documentary. Not just her but countless other children on her channel were abused and exploited just to get the right take, for the right amount of likes. This has negatively impacted these children's mental health, possibly for the rest of their lives.

Cyberbullying - Can include anything from a simple phrase/word to a deep fake (fake image) of someone which can ruin their lives. Posting or saying something negative online whether it was actually you or fake could ruin your chances of employment and therefore negatively affect your entire life.

Doxxing - Includes posting a person’s name, home address, email and telephone number without that person’s permission on a public social media platform. This can put people or groups of people in tremendous danger. There are many cases of racially discriminatory acts of doxxing which can impact both the mental and physical health of someone.

Social Media Addiction - The Addiction Center defines this type of addiction as a behavioral condition, characterised by “being overly concerned about social media, driven by an uncontrollable urge to log on to or use social media, and devoting so much time and effort to social media that it impairs other important life areas." It can be as addictive and impactful as drug use itself.

Social media doesn’t just include acts of cyberbullying or violence. Social media can change who we are and how we see ourselves. Social media can affect our identity.

Scrolling on tiktok, whether we say it out loud or not, we are comparing ourselves to every video we see.

“Her hair is gorgeous”

“I wish I looked like that”

“She is perfect”

This is negatively affecting the way we see and interact with ourselves. Using social media has increased the amount of profit beauty brands or franchises such as Mecca and Sephora make as teenagers begin to buy more makeup to cover up every 'flaw'.

This is unhealthy. 

Social media isn’t only entertainment, it can have huge negative effects.

But social media is not all bad, it can be used as a source of communication between friends or even a way to share your experiences with others online.

Social media builds communities, not just through group chats or hype houses but through hashtags, our for you pages, even our reposts connect everyone even if we don’t realise it.

“Xyz liked your repost”

“Xyz reposted the same video”

That notification shows you someone that shares your opinion or interest. That repost could have started a relationship that you didn’t know could ever happen.

Often we share reels to put a smile on someone’s face or even make them laugh. 

Social media is not only used to spread negativity. If we use social media the right way, we can make serious changes.

Social media isn’t about your like count or your followers.

Social media revolves around our interests, our hobbies, our favourite celebrities, our likes, our dislikes and these all connect us.

Social media is negativity, social media is hate, social media is unrealistic standards. 

But, social media can be connection, positivity and love.

It can put a smile on our face as fast as it can take it away.

Report, repost or ignore.

Always remember you can control what you see.

You can control the impact and power social media has over you.

Social media has a huge impact, use it the right way.

Reference

https://www.apu.apus.edu/area-of-study/business-and-management/resources/how-social-media-sites-affect-society/