NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON SOCIETY

NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON SOCIETY

            Social Networks, which was initially designed to bring the world closer and let people connect with friends and family has now expanded to horizons that even the developers might never have imagined.

       It is not surprising anymore when you see account of your 8-year-old cousin or your 63 years old grandma on Facebook nowadays. While it has been a good companion for some for meeting their old lost buddies or connect with far-off relatives but for some, social networking sites have been a whole new opportunity to share every minute of their lives. Some people share too much information to the world, things that had to remain private, mostly about their struggling relationship, places they are going to, who they are travelling with, etc. etc. that the world least cares about.

      Social Networking sites allow us to hide behind screens and limit our social interaction face to face. We get the false feeling of being socialize. In the same vein, it gives us the feeling of being a friend(or having friends) without having to put in any actual work to build the friendship or relationship.

      It is really disheartening to see how it has taken over our lives. Everywhere we see people’s eyes glued to their phones. It is a good idea to never check social networking sites when you are out doing something. Whether it is grocery shopping, having dinner with friends, hanging out with family, etc. etc.… It is just so impolite.

      We have become so much addicted to that little digital box that we can’t enjoy the world around us for and hour without retreating back into it. It shows a serious problem with distraction in today’s society.

      Summing up the points, the following are the negative impacts of Social Media in society:

1.     Addiction: First and foremost effect that no one can deny is that it leads to addiction. Spending countless hours on the social sites can divert the focus and attention from a particular task. It lowers the motivational level of the people, especially of the teenagers and students. They mainly rely on technology and the internet instead of learning the practical knowledge and expertise of the everyday life.

2.     Effect on kids: Kids can be greatly affected by these social networking sites. The reason is that sometimes people share photos on social media that contains violence etc., which can damage the behavior of kids and teenagers. It puts the negativity as these kids and teenagers involve themselves in crime related activities.

3.     Privacy: Another downside of the social media is that the use shares too much information which may pose threats to them. Even with the tight security settings your personal information my get leaked on these sites. Downloading your videos or pictures is an easy task and can be done within few clicks. It is said that once something is uploaded in the internet, it can never be erased permanently.

4.     Cyber bullying: The immediacy provided by social media is available to predators as well as friends. Kids especially are vulnerable to the practice of cyber-bullying in which the perpetrators, anonymously or even posing as people their victims trust, terrorize individuals in front of their peers. The devastation of these online attacks can leave deep mental scars. In several well-publicized cases, victims have even been driven to Suicide. Cyber-bullying has spread widely among youth, with 42% reporting that they have been victims.

5.     Lack of Confidence: People also lose confidence in their own thought process as they are deeply moved by what they read and see in the Social Media sites. Sometimes we also find people seeking for ideas and decisions in Social Media which clearly show their lacking decision taking ability.

6.     A False Sense of Connection: Social Media sites can make it more difficult for us to distinguish between the meaningful relationships we foster in the real world, and the numerous casual relationships formed through social media. By focusing so much or of our time and psychic energy on these less meaningful relationships, our most important connections, relationships with friends, family and spouse will weaken over time.

        Hence it can be safely concluded that the effects of social media have been somewhat balanced, to be honest. There are many good things about it, and many bad things. In the end, it all depends upon how we use it. If we can keep our own life centered in reality and use social networks as a small part of it, we should be just fine with it. But overdoing not just social sites but anything will have negative impacts which cannot be denied. Now, it might be time to turn off the computer for a bit, switch off your data connection on your smart phone and go for a walk.😊