Social Media Can be Dangerous

I have always been someone who thought about and tried to be aware of my social media and online presence. However, after taking this class, it has definitely made me see it in a newer scarier light, especially because of websites like Facebook. Although I don’t use Facebook much, I do still have an account and I know that Facebook has bought out many of the other sites that I use. It is sometimes scary to think about all the information they now have about me that will be there forever. Some of the privacy issues are crazy such as discussed in an article by Fast Company. However, thankfully I don’t think i’ve ever ousted anything that bad where it has to be a huge concern of mine. 

Overall, it is hard to say exactly how healthy or unhealthy my relationship with the internet and social media is. I do believe that I have a healthier relationship with social media than many other people do my age and I do not let it control me too much. However, I do still find myself doing some unhealthy habits for the sake of social media like over thinking what pictures I post and trying too hard to get pictures at certain events so that I can post them.

One newer feature that I find helpful on my phone is the screen time app. It allows me to keep track of how many hours a day I am spending on my phone and where I am spending them. Again, my numbers could definitely be better, but they are a lot less than the average person my age. I have friends who probably spend three times the amount of time on social media than I do. However, even though I spend less time on my phone and social media than others, I do feel that I spend more time on my computer doing other things like watching Netflix or playing video games. It is hard to say how much better and or worse those habits are. 

As far as using the internet for knowledge, I would say it overall makes me smarter, but there have definitely been times I have been misled to believe false information. I think as I get older and wiser, I have learned to take information like a grain of salt and make sure I look into topics further before just jumping on a bandwagon of conclusions and opinions. The internet is a tool, and if you use it right and cautiously, it can be very informational and helpful. 

As stated earlier, my friends and families social media usage is much different than mine. I have friends and family who use it way more than I do, but also ones who use it a lot less. I would say for the most part it is not a super negative part of their lives. I think they are all pretty good at not getting too overly involved in it and allowing it to affect their mental health in ways such as comparing themselves to others or feeling too isolated. I also feel the majority of them are smart enough to weed through the lies and fake news and form their own opinions. However, I do see people all the time who are not as fortunate and fall into really dark places because of the tolls social media can take. 

With all the social media influencers and pressure to post your best sides only, social media can present itself as a really toxic place that brings people down. Since the uprise of social media mental health especially among teens has decreased. As stated in this PBS article, teen suicide rates are on the rise and a lot of it can be linked to social media. Influencers often make people feel like they need to do a certain thing or look a certain way to be cool and accepted. This makes people who can't look like that or can’t afford the lifestyle they are living feel worse about themselves. This then triggers people to try to put on a certain front on social media to be someone they may not actually be. This then again spirals people to look at real people they may know and see themselves only sharing this best side of themselves and again compare themselves and feel unworthy. 

In conclusion, the internet can be an amazing and a terrifying place all in one. The last thing we want is to end up all being technology zombies as portrayed in the Mad world Remix Video. It is important to limit use and make sure you are looking at it all from an outside perspective so you don’t get sucked into some of the draining blackholes that others do. It can be a fun place to express yourself, share memories with others, and keep in touch. Just remember that most people are putting on a front and you don’t have to compare because you never know what is actually going on for someone behind the smiling photo.