Impact Of Social Media On Society - Essay Example

Be it the positives that put a smile on our faces or the negatives that bring tears to our eyes.

• Connecting people

Advancing in technology has surely reduced the world to one global village. From Africa to Asia to Europe, everybody is practically on social media. Technology has reduced the world into one small global village whereas, social media has brought people from far away much closer. These sites have enabled a person who is a million miles away to be able to know what is happening at the other end of the world. With just a single post, millions of people from all over the world can view the happenings at the other end, make friends and even share their culture. How amazing that is! 

• Growth of businesses

Businesses all over the world have experienced huge growth ever since the launch of these websites. Through networking, more and more businesses have been making profits. The process of networking, which is very important in the commercial world, has been made easier by these websites. While many have been losing their sleep over their business, others sleep peacefully because of social media, which solved their many problems. Nowadays, business people turn to these websites to advertise their products. For example, one may decide to create a blog to attract more people to their business.

• Growth in the education sector

Learning nowadays has been made much easier. The different education websites have made this possible. From Facebook to Twitter, these platforms are heaven-sent. Many academic resources, including books and journals, are generally available on these websites. Academic forums have even been created on these websites to facilitate the sharing of different ideas, whereas, many teaching staffs have resorted to using the many websites to help their students out! For example, a teacher may decide to help their students by posting educational videos regarding the various problems in the different topics, thus allowing the students who had lost their sleep because of academics to finally sleep peacefully.

• More awareness

Many people have resorted to using networking platforms to get more people aware of the happenings of the globe. For example, environmentalists use the internet to show people the impact of human actions on the environment. So, do not need to lose your sleep over a matter that you can resolve with just a single post.

• Immorality

There are two sides to a coin. Just as social media has its positives, it also has its negative effects. Many people are using the internet. From the young to the old, there are no restrictions. Even though many have tried to regulate what is posted there, obscene and explicit content still ends up on the internet, with most of it being found on these networking sites. Problems such as sexting and child pornography have emerged because of the social networking sites, with some having an addiction to obscene and explicit content making many parents and guardians lose their sleep over it.

• Cyberbullying

Social media sites have led to cyberbullying, with the many losing their sleep over it. Cyberbullying is a form of bullying or harassment using electronic means. Through these networking sites, more and more cases of cyberbullying have been reported with people been harassed over one reason or the other.

• Addiction

Many people have an addiction to these social networking sites without their knowledge. You might think that addiction is only about the drug and substances, but addiction to the internet is real. Just five minutes, you say the five minutes turn into an hour, an hour turns into hours. Many have fallen prey to the hands of these networking sites without their knowledge. 

It might be basic enjoyment, but it is an enjoyment that eats into your many hours. The minute there are problems related to the internet connection, that is when you will see many engaging in other activities other than gluing their eyes on their phones or their computers. Addiction to these networking sites is real and is a major menace.

Many people who spend most of their time on social media sites do not even know the danger it poses to their lives. Some would rather lose sleep over losing a minute from these websites. This leads to unhealthy sleep patterns, which in turn leads to other health problems. Some people who have an addiction can’t imagine their lives without chatting.

• Depression

Though social media has brought the people who were far much closer, it has also pushed those who are closer to us much farther. There is less time for face to face communication with your loved ones. What you see on the internet is not always real. Most users on these sites only post the positives in their lives and never the negatives in their lives. Some even fake their lives to escape real life, whereas others who lack real friends in the real world fake it so that they can be accepted. This poses problems to those who cannot differentiate between what is real and what is fake, leading to depression in those who like to compare their lives with others.

The impact of social media on society cannot be ignored. Be it the positives or the negatives; we have been affected in either one way or the other.