What Effect Does Social Media Have on Our Lives?

By- Khushi Bisht

Humans are social beings. Being socially associated with others helps reduce stress, increase self-esteem, and bring warmth and pleasure into our lives. Whereas, on the other hand, an absence of interpersonal relationships may be detrimental to our mental and social wellbeing. Most of us, in today's modern world, depend on social networking sites such as Instagram, Whatsapp, Facebook, Snapchat, and others to discover and engage with one another.

Social media has made it extremely easy for us to connect and disseminate information. Although it has advantages, it is essential to note that social media will never substitute interpersonal contact. It takes face-to-face interaction with one another to activate the hormones that relieve stress and make us more optimistic. Surprisingly, for a platform that is supposed to connect people, investing too much time on it can potentially leave you feeling more alone and disconnected.

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Social networking has a huge effect on our lives, both positively and negatively. In this article, we will discuss the pros and cons of using social media.

Advantages Of Social Media:

Although virtual presence on social media may not have the same beneficial properties as face-to-face communication, there are several beneficial aspects where it can help you stay linked and improve your health.

Connecting with people- Social media can be used to enhance interactions among people. We can chat and keep up with families and friends all over the world. This is also one of the primary explanations for using social media. The most important and positive effect of social media has been that it has helped us to keep in contact with past and current friends despite shifts in our lifestyles.

It aids in developing communities- Social media facilitates the formation of groups of people from diverse interests and preferences in terms of sharing and communicating knowledge. Travelers can explore travel communities. Music and movie fans can share stories, interact, and stay up to date with their interests. It enables us to express ourselves and engage with others who share our values, which is critical for both relationships and the employment market. In the lack of in-person interaction, it allows people to communicate and form communities.

A place to showcase your talent- We can use social media to showcase our creativity and talent and encourage others to do the same. Social media has sparked big social revolutions, like Stop Asian Hate, Black Lives Matter, and others.

Relationship Building- There is no wonder that having social media in our lives will contribute to the breakdown of friendships, but it also helps in building relationships. Social media will reconnect you with someone you share a lot of similarities with, and mutual interest is also the baseline for long-term relationships. Even if it does not result in a fantastic romance, it may be the relationship that is required at the moment. That must be a beneficial move.

Disadvantage Of Social Media:

Self-indulgence- One major disadvantage of increased networking is that doing something through a screen may prevent people from meeting in person. Here, social media provides yet another excuse not to catch up. Sharing your deepest feelings on social networking sites will lead to an addictive sense of self-absorbing and isolate you from actuality. It may have a negative impact on our need to interact with others in person.

Depression- To be mentally stable and emotionally competent, humans need interpersonal interaction. Nothing relieves tension like engaging in real-life conversation with somebody who actually matters to you. And the more you prefer social media activity over in-person interactions, the more likely you are to experience or exacerbate depressive symptoms.

FOMO- "Fear of missing out," the feeling that you're losing out on some activities will lower your self-esteem, cause anxiety, and spark even more social networking use. FOMO will drive you to pick up your device after a few minutes to search for messages, or to reply repetitively to each and almost every notification, even if it involves, sleeping poorly or not sleeping at all, or prioritizing social media interaction over real relationships.

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Comparison- Since social media helps us to present a better image of ourselves, it can lead to people (especially teenagers) contrasting themselves to others and imposing absurdly high expectations, which may be harmful to mental wellbeing.

Inadequate Privacy- Any of the risks that social networking users encounter include stalking, data stealing, and personal abuse. Regrettably, it is normally too late by the time private information is erased. Furthermore, the material will trigger issues in folk's private and professional relationships.

Like anything else, social media has had positive and negative effects on people. Most people use social media in some way or another. Although there is nothing intrinsically wrong with it, and although social networking can be useful at times, it is good to be reminded that social networking is synonymous with a lot of problems and possible risks. My overall conviction would be that social media platforms when used with self-control and balance are neither positive nor bad. Instead, they fall right in the middle.