Social Media and Its Reality

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Social Media and Its Reality

The growth of social media has jumped greatly in recent years and it brings impacts to social life. Since it has been ingrained into the society today, everyone particularly the youth always gets influence from it. Albeit social media bring a myriad of advantages, it is actually risky and dangerous. It might be a medium for committing online crime such as spreading fake news and hoaxes. Some people will spread hoaxes which may serve the goal of propaganda or disinformation. The target of this propaganda is commonly adolescents since they often make snap decisions based on how the information adheres to their existing worldviews.

The second feature that could be added is that social media can have bad effect on the attitude of youngsters. It is proven by some cases caused by the usage of online platforms by adolescents. Moral degradation, for instance, is one of the most controversial cases. Harvard University Professor and Massachusetts General Hospital psychiatrist, Steve Scholman, says that moral development comes with experimentation, and social media could sometimes get in the way of social exploration. In the age of adolescents, they are actively trying to form their own identities by imitating what they see around them, and social media can be a trap for some teenagers. For example, a teenager is brought up to  believe underage drinking is dangerous, yet is bombarded with photos of drinking and having fun which are shared online namely on Instagram. This moral  breakdown has become great concern in society since the rapid growth of globalization era.

Furthermore, a national survey in 2009 finds that 73% of online teenagers use social networks sites. A journal of Americans Society for Information Science and Technology proves that a youth spends a considerable portion of their daily life interacting through social media. This consideration shows that they make stronger contacts on online media than in person. As a consequence of using social media regularly, they become lack of positive characters in daily life, such as self control, honesty, and humility. Besides, spending a particular amount of time online can reduce level of empathy. According to a report in 2015, 62% of 13 to 20-year-olds who had been bullied reported some degree of cyber bullying. It is elicited that empathy does not  play a part in online environment.

Hence, after knowing these reality, young generation need to be wise on using social media. They need to control themselves on doing everything in online platforms because they are also responsible for everything they post. The given impacts are only some of the example of disadvantages made by social media. More than those all above, social media is such a place where indirectly affecting our life. Sometimes, it is training us to compare our lives instead of appreciating we are, it is affecting our mental health because for some people social platforms increase their anxiety, insecurity, and many more. Therefore, be careful on using any social platforms.

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