The Negative Role of Social Media
These positive tools are not amazing, the people using them are.
There is no denying the everlasting integration of social media- whether it is Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, or Instagram- everyone with the available resources has been connected to a social site such as these.
Although the internet has brought connectivity that enables swift justice as well as the growth of democracy, this does not have to come with the social aspect that has torn away at having real connections. The spread of information and the connectivity of folks could have stayed limited to sharing, reaching out over private emails, and communicating in a private setting.
I believe boundaries are extremely important, and that the enlightenment of communities does not have to come at the expense of uncontrolled, 24/7, social pressures. Although I love that information gets shared on these social sites, I do believe they have a negative role in society because of the ability to enlighten without the social aspect, boundaries needed in communication, and the impact 24/7 pressures have on self- esteem.
Jessi Hempel wrote an article about the fight for freedom in Arab titled "Social Media Made The Arab Spring But Couldn't Save It." I want to clarify that the ability to bring together a country separated to "speak out against oppression" is an amazing use of social media (Hempel 1). However, as implied by the title, social media is not the holy grail and this revolution was possible because of amazing people.
The fight against oppression could have come about using any tool, not just the site intended to be social. Other tools such as email chains, private messaging boards, or even group texting would have been used in the same way had that been the tool readily available. I love that social media helped spring this revolution, and I know that this revolution could have and would have been accomplished without social sites such as Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, and Instagram.
Although social media has been used to throttle revolutions such as the above mentioned, it is also a tool to find and arrest individuals who speak out. The connectivity is completely uncontrolled and the same article informs "we’re just beginning to understand the impact of this new communications technology, [and that] social media, it turns out, was not a new path to democracy, but merely a tool" (Hempel 1). I believe this tool was used because it was the one readily available, had their been tools with less negative repercussions, and more boundaries available they would have revolutionized via whatever tool was at their disposal.
In an article about teen suicides rising by Elizabeth Flite; Dr. Katherine Goudelocke, a child and adolescent psychiatrist at Erlanger Behavioral Health, explains how "'it [social media] can very easily impact self-esteem,' she said. 'It's definitely something that needs to be carefully monitored due to potential harm'" (Flite 1). This tool was not created for well adjusted, responsible adults only. It was invented for every person, used by adolesence and adults alike and the negative repercussions of unwarranted communication have been evident.
Our children are our future, which is why the impact on those that do not know better is the impact we should be focused on. Setting boundaries is extremely difficult in real life, and even more so when using tools meant for 24/7 communication.
Social Media is a part of life no matter what path you choose for yourself. Although this has been a tool for great movements, it is only the tool that was used not the reason for the positivity. It has created a new social pressure where constant perfected communication is expected in an unreal setting.
Information is shared on these sites which is wonderful and world-changing; however, I question whether they could be shared on other sites that do not allow for communication but instead just sharing and being able to choose to email a user. Taking out this social aspect still achieves the positive aspects that the world acquired from social media, and avoids the uncontrolled communication, and the impact 24/7 pressures have on self- esteem.
Due to the ability to achieve positive aspects such as spreading democracy with a less social tool, social media has had a largely negative role in society.
Everything positive did not happen because of social media, it was simply the tool used. While the negative effect on our adolescence is clear and it is a result of social media and would not be without social media. These positive movements would arise via any tool available, I would not attribute their success to social media: I would attribute it to the people.
Sources:
Hempel, Jessi. “Social Media Made the Arab Spring, but Couldn't Save it.” Wired, Jan. 26, 2017, https://www.wired.com/2016/01/social-media-made-the-arab-spring-but-couldnt-save-it/
Fite, Elizabeth. “Experts Weigh in on Social Media's Impact on Teen Suicide Rates.” Chattanooga Times Free Press, 20 Nov. 2017, www.timesfreepress.com/news/local/story/2017/nov/20/experts-weigh-teen-suicides-social-media/457418/
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Chloe Noelle King
Learn, share, and form healthy habits that work for you. I truly hope my shares gives everyone something they can take away for themselves to enhance their happiness.
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