While there are potential benefits to using social media, such as the connections made between people and the quick source of updated news, there are also numerous negative consequences to the avid use of social media. Examples of these poor consequences that may arise from using social media include the fear of missing out, low self-image issues, and the cultivation of a venue to spread negativity for no reason at all.
In other words, social media is ruining humanity.
Social media prompts people to post about every move that they make. Did you really go out last night if you didn't check-in on Facebook? Did you truly celebrate your three-year anniversary if you didn't post a picture on Instagram of the two of you at dinner? If you do post about all the little things you are up to, then your followers may develop many different opinions of you. While judgments should not solely dictate what choices you pursue in life, it is something that you should still be aware of. The posts that you make on social media will transform how the public thinks about you.
Furthermore, the drive to incessantly post on social media platforms prompts the "fear of missing out" syndrome to ensue. People may feel obliged to participate in events that they would not personally pursue if it weren't for the possibility to gain praise on social media. Alternatively, people may participate in events in attempt to relieve feelings of jealousy, boredom, or curiosity that could be initiated if they didn't take part in a certain activity. Social media should not be one of the major motivations for taking action; your personal passion and drive to participate in a certain event should be your motivation for taking action.
Secondly, the relentless status updates, tweets, live video streams, and pictures may lead to the comparison of other lifestyles, an unhealthy waste of time that will only introduce a flood of negative thoughts into your mind. By comparing your life to the lives that are being portrayed on social media, you may develop low self-esteem levels based solely on what is chosen to be displayed online. And who's to say that what is posted online is definitely the truth about other lives.
Finally, it is so easy to post whatever you want online. Social media is a venue for people to easily bully others without understanding the raw emotional response to the consequence of making certain statements and ridiculing others. Behind a screen, people can easily lose their tempers, resulting in a social media post or comment that is cruel. Although posts can be "deleted," the fact that you chose to send something out into the Internet that was not spreading kindness, love, or compassion does not add positive credentials to your character.
Social media sucks much more time out of our days than it should. The potential for negativity that can result from the use of various social media platforms is unnecessary and is lowering the quality in which humans live. We should prioritize fortifying our face-to-face relationships rather than focusing so much energy on the number of "likes" our last picture got.
