BY: LEENA KHAN
Staff Writer
Over a billion people are on social media and the number of people is continuing to increase by the minute – but what most fail to realize in this platform is that half the population is using it and ruining lives, one post at a time. The concept of social media destroying individuals is a touchy subject. However, it is important to acknowledge social media platforms have a negative impact on adolescents, it disconnects people from reality, and people unintentionally waste all their time scrolling through various apps. Therefore, people are blind to the fact this form of networking is chipping away at them and essentially ruining their lives.
Societies today tend to think of social media in a positive light and believe everything it has to offer does more good than harm. For instance, people reunite with lost family members and reconnect with old friends through social media, which portrays it as a productive source. The fact of the matter is this is quite literally the only upside of social media, and there is more harm being done, which is not shown as often. People emphasize the good side of social media, but fail to give attention to the mental toll it is taking on people – especially younger individuals. As recent research shows, the majority of adolescents who have a social media platform have a lot of trouble accepting themselves and comparing themselves to others they see online. This is because of the fact that people we see on the internet are portrayed and edited to look perfect, and we as humans feel the need to match their level of perfection – which can not be imitated because it does not exist. For instance, feeling a certain pressure to emulate what we see online is mentally draining and unrealistic. When people act differently, it is most likely because their mind is on other things such as people they see online. Although a handful of people acknowledge there are downsides to social media, hardly any spread awareness as to how much it is actually affecting young people.