Pros and Cons of Social Media Research Paper Example

“There are a lot of pros and cons about social media; it's just how you choose to handle it and how you have to be prepared for the negatives as well,” said Aubrey Peeples. Social media serves many wonderful purposes, such as allowing people to contact others all over the world, assisting people in identifying professional prospects, allowing people to freely express themselves, and many other good things. While social media may be wonderful and help us to achieve many good things, it also has numerous drawbacks. Social media may also be used for bad things like cyberbullying, depression, self-image difficulties, and more. Social media may be a wonderful thing for humanity if used appropriately, but it can also be cruel and harmful; it all depends on the people that use these social networks. Social media may have many detrimental consequences on society, but it could also have positive benefits.

Although social media has many good benefits on people, there are also numerous negative consequences of utilizing social media. Social media may have a bad impact on people’s mental health, especially if they spend a lot of time on it during the day. High social media usage can result in a variety of mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, suicidal behavior, and more. Social media allows people to create a facade and become or create a completely different lifestyle that they are not experiencing. They only upload stuff they want others to see. So, if they are continuously interacting with this content, they may find themselves comparing their lives to theirs and picking out the bad aspects of their own, which can have a severe impact on their mental health. According to a study conducted by the University of Pennsylvania, limiting a person’s social media usage to thirty minutes each day will reduce depression and loneliness (Hunt, 2018, Para 1). In their study, they divided the participants into two groups, one of which had to reduce their usage of social media while the other had to continue to use the same amount. Both groups had a decline in mental diseases, but the group that reduced their time spent on social media saw the best outcomes. Cyberbullying is another detrimental impact of social media on society. Cyberbullying is quite popular on social networks and occurs regularly. Bullying has always existed, but social media has allowed people to take it to a whole new level. People can use social media to be disrespectful and make derogatory remarks to others without having to confront them in person. Most people suffer no penalties when they bully others online and are unaware of the impact their actions have on others. According to the Pew Research center, fifty -percent of teens in the United States have been bullied or harassed online. This research center used a survey to get these results and discovered that fifty-nine percent of teenagers have experienced cyberbullying. Due to the advancement of technology, cyberbullying has become a serious issue in today's culture in the United States. This is a major issue that affects not just children and teens, but also adults, and can lead to a variety of mental health issues. While there are numerous advantages to using social media, people must also keep in mind that these networks may be highly damaging. So that our mental health does not suffer, it is important to be alert and knows when to take a break from social networking sites. Cyberbullying is only one of the many bad sides of social media that thousands of people have encountered, and it may also have a significant influence on mental health.

Body-image concerns are a disadvantage of utilizing social networking sites. When it comes to obtaining other people's approval on how they appear, dress, or even portray themselves, social networking sites may be a valuable resource. Many people in today's culture crave and require acceptance to feel good about themselves. Individuals who spend a significant amount of time publishing and engaging with information on social media are more likely to suffer from self-image concerns. Celebrities and social media influencers may have a significant impact on body image concerns. Most social media users will compare themselves to others they see on social media and criticize aspects of themselves that they believe are flawed, which can lead to body image issues. According to a study performed by Jennifer Mills and Jacquiline Hogue, the more you connect with attractive peers on social media, the more negative body image you have. In this study, they separated undergraduate students into two groups and instructed them to connect with attractive women using social media. They were also required to interact with family members. They were then asked several questions about their physical appearance, including whether they believed they were attractive or unattractive. Social media has a big impact on body image, especially if you use it a lot, which may make individuals feel bad about themselves and unappealing.

Humans benefit greatly from social media, which has enhanced and streamlined the way we communicate and engage with one another in today's society. The capacity to communicate with individuals all around the world is a beneficial result of social media. Social networks have increased the pace of communication and the ability to contact individuals much more quickly. You can engage with individuals on social media in a variety of ways, including videos, live streams, photographs, and voice messages. Social networking is an excellent method to stay in touch with family and friends. It also enables users to meet new people without having to speak to them face-to-face. Social networking is also a terrific method to communicate with and meet individuals who share your interests and ambitions. According to surveys, 39% of individuals felt closer to their friends as a result of social media, while 26% felt they had more friends as a result of social media. Many people all around the globe have formed fantastic connections with people they met online. Although establishing relationships with these people might be challenging due to the absence of face-to-face interaction, many people have made lifelong friends. According to Skout's international online friendship day survey, seventy-six percent of Americans have an online friend they have never met in person. Eighty-three percent of individuals said they'd like to meet their internet friends in person. Sixty-two percent of Americans have five or more online friends, and forty-one percent have ten or more.  Social networking platforms have also accelerated the spread of news and information. These social networks enable information to be spread at a faster rate than traditional news providers. Social networking is a terrific method to keep informed and up to speed on what's going on in the world. Several accounts are solely dedicated to reporting the most recent news from across the world. Social media may also provide us with the complete raw truth by updating information with photographs and videos. Many people utilize social media to raise awareness of issues that would not otherwise receive much attention. According to the Pew Research Center, the majority of individuals in the United States remain up to date on current events using social media. Sixty-two percent of American adults get their news via social media, and eighteen percent of people view it regularly.  Social media is crucial in today's culture because it has enhanced the way people do things, made things a lot faster, and helps individuals to remain up to current on critical news much faster.

While social media has had many positive effects on society and the environment, it also has some disadvantages. It may be highly harmful and have a negative influence on society. Some of the numerous negative aspects of social media include its impact on one's mental health, self-image, and a tool for cyberbullying. It is critical that people limit the amount of time they spend on these social networks, and that they be always vigilant and aware that these things can happen when they consume too much social media. Social media may have numerous positive effects, such as making it easier to communicate across the globe, meet new people, and stay current on current events. Social media may have many beneficial benefits, such as making it simpler to communicate across the globe, meeting new people, and keeping people up to date with international events more quickly. Although social media may be incredibly harmful and hurts an individual's overall health, it also delivers many excellent developments and simpler methods to conduct things than in the past. People simply need to learn how to use it safely and recognize the disadvantages that come with utilizing social media and how to utilize it correctly and understand that while it brings a lot of good, it also has a lot of negative parts.