Research Paper: Dose Social Media Have A Positive Or Negative Impact On Society?

Why are depression rates increasing at such a dramatic pace? If we fail to find out the reasons why and how to solve it, the depression epidemic will only get worse. In the 21st century, there has been no other significant invention that has had more of an impact on society than social media. According to a survey published by the Statista Research Department, “In 2020, over 3.6 billion people were using social media worldwide, a number projected to increase to almost 4.41 billion in 2025”. Nowadays, it’s difficult to imagine life without social media perhaps the upcoming generation will not understand what it’s like to live without social media.  Millions of people across the globe are on networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tick Tok, and Snapchat. These social media platforms even provide professional careers for many teens and young adults. Social media does have its positives; however, some are oblivious to the negative consequences that it has which ultimately overshadow the benefits. Social media harms society because promotes mental health issues, causes social division, and destroys the idea of democracy.

The world is constantly evolving. Nowadays the advancements in technology in society are changing faster than it ever has before. Nobody enjoys the feeling of being left out, everyone wants to stay in touch with the modern world. Social Media has had some positive contributions to society, for example, social media allows instant communication with any person around the world, at any given time. It allows an individual to express their creativity and ideas, it helps raise awareness of problems in society, and it can also establish new friendships or even relationships. Apps like Tinder provide an opportunity to meet singles who are looking for a date. On Tinder, one can adjust the range of age and the radius between 1-100 miles. Next, a photo of someone’s profile will appear, after examining someone’s profile the induvial is given two options. Swipe right, which means I would like to go on a date with this person or swipe left meaning there not interested. If two people swipe right on each other it will create a match and be allowed to communicate through text. Another example of how people communicate via social media is through Snapchat. Most people who fall into the category of Gen-Z know what this app is, perhaps it might have been their main source of communication in high school. Snapchat allows communication through pictures, there is communication like texting, and putting a picture or video on the story. Which is a single snap that is available for the public to view and after twenty-four hours the story will disappear. There is no doubt social media has opened the door to a new kind of communication. However, humans were not designed to communicate through technology. Nothing can replace value hearing someone’s voice, reading their body language, and having a face-to-face conversation.

First, social media is destroying society because it promotes mental health issues. The nature of social media is designed to be addictive. Receiving a like on Instagram or getting a match on Tinder is very rewarding. The brain naturally releases a happy chemical called dopamine, which is associated with pleasure activities such as eating, social interactions, and sex. Ironically, social media was designed to bring everyone closer together, however, people who use social media excessively are at a higher risk of experiencing depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts. An article published on www.everydayhealth.com titled, “Social Media Use Tied to Increase of Depressive Symptoms in Adults” written by Becky Upham, states what social media sites that are most likely to trigger symptoms of depression, “association between Facebook use and depression risk was greatest among adults under 35. For other platforms, like TikTok and Snapchat, the risk appeared to be greater in older adults,” (Upham). At the end of the day, humans must have face-to-face interaction to be psychologically healthy. Simply making eye contact with someone else is a more effective way to reduce stress and anxiety than posting a picture on Instagram to see if this photo can get more likes.

Additionally, causes social division. Although this has already been mentioned, social media was originally designed to bring people from different cultures and communities together. Sometimes it does the exact opposite, it has sparked numerous arguments such as political ones which were exposed during the 2020 presidential election. In an article written by Mark Murray conducting a survey asking civilians a simple question, “Is social media tarring the country apart’? the data shows that “Sixty-four percent of Americans think social media does more to divide than unite us” (Murray). Social media influenced many more Americans to vote in the previous 2020 election, which is a good thing, but on the flip side, there are several cases where people have taken things too far. Some people will take their opinions straight to their favorite social media site. Since there are zero face-to-face interactions, people have the confidence to say anything and try to be as toxic as possible. Sparking controversy naturally gains attention from the public, attempting to dehumanize another person increases the chance of a post getting more likes or possibly going viral. It’s heartbreaking to see people go to the most extreme forms of toxic character to acquire 15 minutes of fame.

Finally, social media is hurting society from the inside out because destroys the idea of democracy. One of the greatest features of living in America is the power lays in the hands of people. The American government isn’t perfect but overall, they do a better job than other countries to provide help for those who are unable to help themselves. Throughout the history of the United States, we have seen the power that the media has. The media has the power to manipulate a story and change the narrative. At least back in the day, there was at least a little bit of respect between the media and politicians. In present-day America, the media has no sense of respect for politicians, the information being told to the public through the social media is filled with ignorance. Media sources enjoy trying to cancel other people or groups that make them feel uncomfortable. Everyone in America is granted an inalienable right to free speech, however, attempting to dehumanize a certain person or group goes against the foundations of democracy. Throughout history, we’ve seen what happens when there is an attempt to remove people from the community, playing a key role in some of the worse scenarios of genocide and propaganda, for example, Nazi Germany in the Second World War. Sources today will present information by way of rude or unsociable dialog. Painting a picture of a false sense of reality, tying conspiracy theory with similar themes of propaganda and genocide. Is an attempt to destroy the democracy of America for it gives a sense to not just disagree with opposition but to completely squash it and remove them from society.  

In conclusion, the influence of social media has spread across the globe. This raises the question, is this new age of human development good for the community? The era of social media is still very young and every day there is new information on the effects of social media. Thus, the purpose of social media was sought out to allow communication across all parts of the world. However, social media has negatively affected society. Data shows that more people are suffering from symptoms of depression and anxiety at an alarming rate, promoting social division between Republicans and Democrats, and if nothing is done about it can destroy the foundations of America.