Have you ever wondered how different our social lives would be without social media? This thought often crosses my mind. When I was younger I never had social media, throughout middle school I did not even have Instagram or Snapchat. I first downloaded Snapchat my Freshman year of high school while I downloaded Instagram Sophmore year. When I downloaded these two applications I was exposed to a new world: one that some positive, yet many negative effects associated with it. The problem with social media is that often young teenagers feel pressured to obtain an unrealistic image that mimics major Instagram influences such as Tik Tokers, the Kardasians and other celebrities. Many do not realize that most of the time these people use photoshop and invest thousands of dollars to change their look. Although it is not necessarily a problem to change one’s image on social media, it becomes an issue when young teens start comparing themselves to these influencers in a negative way effecting their body image and self confidence.
Another interesting aspect of social media that I noticed, when I downloaded these apps, was the constant need to check my phone. Before, in middle school, I never cared to check my phone and would only check it up to five times a day. Now I check it whenever I get notifications and have my phone on me at all times. Before COVID, when I went out daily, I always felt a pang of sadness watching members of society glued to their phones not enjoying the moment around them. Yes, social media does keep us interconnected, but at what expense.
As I was doing research about social media I discovered that psychologists and researchers have found that there has been a spike in mental health issues, such as Depression and anxiety within Generation Z linked to social media use.
In two separate interviews, Bill Gates-the CEO and founder of Microsoft- and Steve Jobs -the creator of Apple- both limited their Childrens’ use of social media and technology. This statement speaks volumes, even the social media creators understand that there is some sort of bad effect associated with their own product.
I wish I could go back in time to the nineties to experience my high school years without Apple Cell Phones and all the other social media apps. I believe that there would be a much happier atmosphere. No one would be judging each others’ instagram posts, worrying about the next notification on their phone nor caring whether they were excluded from a group chat. Are you a fan of social media?
It's great that you brought this up, Sarah. With all the time we have alone these days a lot more of it is spent on social media, and that can really affect people. I would be lying if I said it hadn't made me want to change who I am once or twice. But I think it's really important to remember people only post what they consider "the best of themselves". There's always a lot more going on then what we can see on the surface.
ReplyDeleteI agree with all of this 100%. And I also always wish I could go back to those times with no social media and less judgment. I feel like nowadays it's so normalized for everyone to have an issue, which is really sad and shows a lot about our generation--whether it's with their body image, mental health, or anything about their appearance. The standards are unrealistic, and even though everyone knows this, it's hard to really believe it when your scrolling through social media.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting point Sarah!! I hate social media because I feel like it takes up too much time and glorifies lifestyles that are unrealistic. Earlier in the summer, I deleted social media for like a month and a half and it was such a nice time period. It felt good to not care at all about what other people were doing. Highly Recommend....
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you. While social media may be used to catch up with other people, it is obsessed over by many people. It makes sense that depression has increased with the use of social media. Someone should not be concerned about how they appear on social media, but instead their life that they are living in person.
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