Social Media Impact On Society Essay Example

Social media is no doubt one of the most devouring features in our everyday lives. For the past decade, the reliability and utilization of social media has drastically increased. Since technology has expanded, more individuals have found themselves captivated into this idea of social media that has seemingly taken over our lives. Social media is involved in almost all of our daily activities such as work, school, and entertainment. Since social media has become significantly popular, the way we look at the world has shifted. Social media has dispensed several benefits to modern society by providing a new way to create entertainment, a way to connect more efficiently with others, and a way to educate. While social media has countless benefits, it has also affected modern society negatively. Because social media has had such an immense impact on the way we live, most of us would have a difficult time without it. Several media platforms have negatively impacted society by creating unrealistic beauty standards, becoming a source of income for several users, and creating a lack of in person communication between individuals. Although social media has affected several different aspects, it most importantly continues to change the way we look at modern society. 

Although recent popular social media platforms have just sprouted, social media has been around for multiple decades. While the internet was established in the late 60s, the first ever social media website, “Six Degrees”, was created in 1997 (Maryville University). Subsequently, newly designed websites such as “LiveJournal” and “LinkedIn” began to emerge (Maryville University). Since then, multitudes of social media platforms have evolved into favored works that are still consistently used today. Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, and Facebook are continuously some of the fastest growing social media platforms with more than seventy percent of adults reported using them (Allen). However, the desktop experience soon shifted to smartphones and tablets which allowed the internet to become more available in different spaces, resulting in the increase of changes made in society (Allen). These technological improvements continue to expand and transform the way the world is seen. 

As social media platforms continue to expand, changes in everyday life are prevalent. Social medias impact on today’s society has produced several different advantages that ultimately aid in the way of how society works. As social media has evolved, it has become an essential business strategy. Businesses rely on social media as an essential strategy because it enables them to reach out to multiple audiences through several different platforms (Lin). For most businesses, placing ads on social media platforms engages an active presence (Maryville University). Social media also allows individuals to keep in touch with close ones. It “allows people to connect with one another in a much easier, comfortable, and faster way” (Lin). While keeping in contact with close ones, social media also provides a way for individuals to attain new and past relationships (Lin). Social media can also be a current way for individuals to make an investment through a certain platform. Richard Eldridge of Lenddo stated “Social media is transforming banking relationships in very significant ways, from improving customer service to allowing users to send money to others via online platforms'' (Guzman and Vis). Social has also significantly increased the ability to save lives in desperate situations (Lin). Social has shown to be beneficial in several ways and is continuously changing as platforms expand. 

Although social media has plenty of advantages, it also has several disadvantages. As social media has advanced over the past few years, the need for human interaction has decreased. Social media dispenses a way for individuals to interact with one another without direct contact. With countless hours spent on social media, individuals often find themselves absorbed on the internet, making it their top priority. Researchers has concluded that “individuals who limited their social media use to thirty minutes felt significantly better after the three-week period, reporting reduced depression and loneliness” (Lin). With this constant consumption into the internet, many young individuals “get involved very extensively and are eventually cut off from the society. It can also waste individual time that could have been utilized by productive tasks and activities” (Lin). More so, social media can not only be damaging for people’s mental health, but it can also bring body image and confidence plummeting down. In fact, “several teens have become very insecure by social media and feel pressured to do certain things that’ll make it seem like they are living up to specific standards, resulting in low self-esteem and possible friendships ending” (Lin). Most importantly, social media increases the risk of cyberbullying, which sometimes individuals cannot escape from (Lin). As social media has provided communities with outstanding opportunities to attain more money for businesses, it has led to individuals relying on social media platforms for their income. For example, TikTok has gained the attention of millions, resulting in certain creators relying solely on their views for income. As great as this would be, it does not show individuals the value of hard work. Ultimately, it also exhibits how these creators are paid more than any other hard-working jobs, which is truly unfair. As much as social media is valued, it is one of the most captivating aspects of our lives that truly affects everyone in several different ways that may have never been noticed before. 

One of the most substantial impacts social media has had on society is in the way we travel. As social media platforms have become increasingly popular, multitudes of families now find themselves discovering travel inspiration through social media (Bernardin). Travel inspiration can be established through pictures, ads, or even videos. Lately, social media has been “used by companies to increase brand awareness, inspire their followers and even allow followers to book holidays there and then” (Bernardin). Therefore, multiple travel companies are using social media as their own marketing strategy (Bernardin). Most importantly, social media has changed the way we travel and provides individuals with new opportunities each and every day.

Our growing love of social media has not just changed the way we communicate, it is changing the way we do business, the way we are governed, how we travel, how we are educated, and so much more (Guzman and Vis). With just a brief history, rapid change of social media continues to produce advances in technology, more financial demands, and shifting cultural dynamics (Maryville University). People have advanced technology throughout the years because it has increased our ability to communicate, work, and travel more efficiently. As technology has advanced, people have discovered new uses for it, and it has shown to be an outstanding way to bring creativity into the world. Most importantly, social media has ultimately shaped the way we look at the world. It has proven to be the biggest aspect in modern society and continues to shape the way we live.