From staying connected with others to prospering business with marketing, social media has become a pivotal part in all our life. Also, it is not anymore just considered an online community for younger populations. From little Sammy to Grandma Margaret, everyone has access to social media nowadays. According to the Datareportal July 2022 global overview, the growth of social media has continued to increase tremendously:
- On average, the total time people use social media daily is 2 hours 29 minutes
- Social media is being used by over half of the world, i.e., 59%
- 70 billion people around the world are using social media, and within the last 12 months, it has been known that 227 million new users have joined online
All our lives seem to be stitched up tight with social media at present. With the digital population growing, there is no stopping the usage and reach of social media. Whether you like it or not, you cannot avoid social media to survive in today’s world. However, that does not stop us from wondering – Is social media a boon or curse in our lives?
In a true sense, social media is a boon and curse to all of us. So, let us dive straights into how it is a boon and a curse to all of us.
The Advantages of Using Social Media Platforms
- Education
The use of social media in the educational field has made it possible for experts and educators connect easily. It has made the learning process flexible, leading educators and learners to connect easily at their own pace of time, especially during the pandemic. During this time, school, college, and university closures brought more difficulties for students, teachers, and parents. So, the ultimate solution for them was distance learning. Social media platforms have made it easier and more convenient. Countries all around the world started to design n educational strategies that let teachers offer free online learning resources, zero-free internet educational resources and broadcast teaching. Virtual class infrastructures were improved.
- Global connectivity
Social media platforms have us experience excellent global communication. People can get connected with users all around the world through social media. This is considered the most recognised perk of using social media. People can share large sets of information in a matter of a few seconds, enable global connections and develop relationships through social media. There is no doubt that it has a major contribution to creating bonds across the world.
- Join noble causes and practices
Social media tends to play a big role in assisting individuals. Several communities are out there that are dedicated to social working through social media. It is an open space for any people who wish to join these communities and discuss their problems. People from these communities can help them with the best financial assistance and possible counsel.
You will also find other types of government-sponsored communities that tend to assist individuals, undertake social work, and resolve societal concerns. They are mostly used for helping others and doing charitable work. They help with solving difficulties and make your lives happier and more comfortable.
- Connectivity
Another great advantage of social media is it lets people connect with their loved ones. You can connect to any people you desire to from anywhere in the world. It gives you the ability to communicate with individuals all over the world.
Social media platforms allow people to talk with friends they were not in touch with for a long time or to make new friends. This refined platform is excellent for exchanging ideas with people of similar interests. Users use social media platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram to communicate with their friends, family members and co-workers.
- Get up-to-date information
Social media platforms are great for getting the most up-to-date news and information. The social media platform has replaced newspapers. As a result, people obtain up-to-date information updates and information on current events worldwide. People can even comment on them and share them on their walls.
- It lets you reach large audiences
One of the social media’s greatest advantages is reaching a large audience swiftly. It lets you promote your brand to a broader audience. You can reach out to millions of people who are interested in goods and businesses who use social media. This allows you to target an audience on social media in a specific place and radius. It will lead you to attract more customers to your retail as well as the online establishment.
As per the Pew Research Center, here are the total percentages of US adults using social media sites:
- Instagram: 35%
- Youtube: 73%
- Pinterest:29%
- Facebook 68%
- Twitter:24%
- Snapchat: 27%
- Linkedln: 25%
Social media has opened a huge opportunity for people to reach large audiences. Businesses can find more leads that they want for their business or services to prosper.
- A new form of entertainment
Social media has turned out to be a new form of entertainment. Most people in the world use social media to pass their time. The platforms let them discuss and communicate on various topics with people from different regions. People nowadays create reels, make videos, record songs, cat videos, or show the latest coolest dance move they learned. People watch pictures, videos, and remarks for pleasure. Based on how they are pleased with the content, they put like, add comments, and share content.
As per research, 88% of individuals consider social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter as new forms of entertainment.
Now that we have emphasised all the major advantages of social media, let us explore the disadvantages of social media.
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The Flip Side of Social Media Platforms
- Cyberbullying
Several people on social media often become victim of cyberbullying. And since these false social media accounts are often untraceable, there is no way to stop this kind of acts of hate. People often use social media to spread fake rumours and news, making it an unhealthy environment in society and the country. Cyberbullying also leads to depression issues, suicides, etc. At present, cyberstalking has become the biggest threat.
- Distracted mind
With constant notifications from social media platforms, students hardly ever get their work done. Leaving all their important tasks, everyone is busy in the race to attain the maximum number of followers on Instagram and Facebook.
- Lack of proper understanding and thoughtfulness
Social media have replaced real-time face-to-face conversations. People are so busy chatting online that they do not get enough time to meet anyone in real time. As a result, they fail to understand emotions, love, feelings, and connection with each other.Conveying feelings or understanding someone is not the same as words. You must be present in front of someone to observe their body language and expression when speaking. However, they can communicate different meanings to people when they appear as words. Words used to express yourself on social media can express or hide the real meaning.
- Lack of quality time
There is nothing else that has caused distance in relationships more than social media platforms. People used to spend quality time with their family members by watching movies, sitting together, and having meals, camping together, having celebrations, and discussing important issues with each other.
- Spread of fake news
People more often post fake posts to their social media timelines and share them with others to get more likes. Their hunger to get more likes led them to share news without verifying it. With more people sharing and passing it on to other people and groups, fake news is spreading worldwide. This can put people’s life in danger.
- Increases health issues
The more we use social media, the less happy we seem. Social media can increase feelings of social isolation. People easily fall into the trap of comparing themselves to others as they scroll through the feeds. They instantly start judging how they are better or worse than the people on the feeds. But the truth is that everything we see on social media does not happen to be true. In the world of social media, any kind of comparison leads to depressive symptoms. It further triggers feelings of jealousy and other negative feelings.
- Facilitates laziness
Instead of walking over to the friend’s house to check how he/she is doing, people prefer to message them. This new era of social media is actively causing laziness. Staying fit is extremely important. But people hardly wish to go outside or kids hardly nowadays like to play outside. The virtual world to them seems to be more appealing.
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SUMMING UP,
Social media have increased communication among promotion trade and different countries. Social media comes with network career opportunities to share thoughts, insights, feelings, or emotions with others. We cannot live without social media since it has become an essential factor for human civilisation. However, with so many blessings coming from social media platforms, we also cannot ignore all the drawbacks that come with it. Living with just the blessings can be possible if we take proper measures and precautions and limit our social media usage.