Anotida Musiya, Grade 9
UWCSA (Waterford)
Admit it, at one point in your life, someone tried to say something to you while you were on your phone, but you were too sucked into the device that you never heard a single word, or it was the other way around. It’s almost as if the same thing that brings us together is separating us gradually. Social media is the collective name given to websites and applications that enable you and me to participate in social networking or to create and share content like the article you are reading right now. Fundamentally, social media is word of mouth on steroids, and people get to share more than just words.
Today, 51% of this planet uses social networking. That’s a whopping 3.96 billion people across the planet! Put simply, more people use social media than those that do not. Millennials were the first generation to access social media and adopt it as their main form of communication. Most 8-year-olds of today would be astonished to find out that there was once a time when people actually sat down and talked. That is the grim reality of today.
Times of crisis like the one we are undergoing at the moment make social media an essential requirement. How would we learn and keep updated under such circumstances?
It was determined by the Florida Behavioral Health that people who use social media the most are 2.7 times more likely to be depressed than those who use it less. It’s the technological age, so we no longer spend hours yapping away with our peers in person like our brothers of yesteryear did. While there are some kids who are isolated geographically, some just don’t enjoy being approached in person. Which fine until cyberbullying or hackers kicks in. Nowadays, anyone can put the kibosh on something beautiful and get away with it.
Did you know that Facebook Messenger and Whatsapp handle 60 billion messages a day? Research has shown that social media is addictive, both physically and psychologically. According to a new study by Harvard University, when we use social networking sites, dopamine is released in the brain, and it makes us feel good like we have accomplished something. This is the same ecstasy that one experiences when taking an addictive substance. Meaning social media is indeed addictive.
FOMO, I am sure you’ve heard of this one. It is the Fear Of Missing Out. We have all experienced this one way or another. When a friend releases a post on social media and anxiety that an exciting or interesting event may currently be happening elsewhere consumes you. Social media is the reason why we feel this way. I could punch keys all day long criticizing social networks, but like anything else, it has its benefits.
Social networking has provided a platform for businesses to advertise their goods and services to potential clients. It has also opened many job opportunities like podcasting, vlogging, or YouTubing. Social media has provided education to billions of people worldwide. Without social networking, we would not have been able to avoid deadly situations like predicted natural disasters.
So is Social media good or bad? Its a controversial question, but Social Media has greatly impacted society in both positive and negative ways.
Today, 51% of this planet uses social networking. That’s a whopping 3.96 billion people across the planet! Put simply, more people use social media than those that do not. Millennials were the first generation to access social media and adopt it as their main form of communication. Most 8-year-olds of today would be astonished to find out that there was once a time when people actually sat down and talked. That is the grim reality of today.
Times of crisis like the one we are undergoing at the moment make social media an essential requirement. How would we learn and keep updated under such circumstances?
It was determined by the Florida Behavioral Health that people who use social media the most are 2.7 times more likely to be depressed than those who use it less. It’s the technological age, so we no longer spend hours yapping away with our peers in person like our brothers of yesteryear did. While there are some kids who are isolated geographically, some just don’t enjoy being approached in person. Which fine until cyberbullying or hackers kicks in. Nowadays, anyone can put the kibosh on something beautiful and get away with it.
Did you know that Facebook Messenger and Whatsapp handle 60 billion messages a day? Research has shown that social media is addictive, both physically and psychologically. According to a new study by Harvard University, when we use social networking sites, dopamine is released in the brain, and it makes us feel good like we have accomplished something. This is the same ecstasy that one experiences when taking an addictive substance. Meaning social media is indeed addictive.
FOMO, I am sure you’ve heard of this one. It is the Fear Of Missing Out. We have all experienced this one way or another. When a friend releases a post on social media and anxiety that an exciting or interesting event may currently be happening elsewhere consumes you. Social media is the reason why we feel this way. I could punch keys all day long criticizing social networks, but like anything else, it has its benefits.
Social networking has provided a platform for businesses to advertise their goods and services to potential clients. It has also opened many job opportunities like podcasting, vlogging, or YouTubing. Social media has provided education to billions of people worldwide. Without social networking, we would not have been able to avoid deadly situations like predicted natural disasters.
So is Social media good or bad? Its a controversial question, but Social Media has greatly impacted society in both positive and negative ways.
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