“The latest data shows that 5.17 billion people use social media as of 2024, which is equivalent to 63.82% of the world’s population. Facebook remains the leading social media platform, with over 3.05 billion users.” [1]
With so many people in the world using social media, it must be a good thing, right? One would assume that we are more connected than ever, especially since 97% of Americans own a smartphone according to a Pew Research report. [2]
I would argue that social media has not improved our lives or connections with each other, but rather has damaged our abilities to continue relationships in real life.
Why do I think this? Find out below!
1. It‘s addicting
Social media sites are designed to be addicting. The Addiction Center even recognizes it as a behavioral disorder, saying “self-disclosure on social networking sites lights up the same part of the brain that also ignites when taking an addictive substance.” [3]
The scary part about this is that, “90% of teens ages 13–17 have used social media. 75% report having at least one active social media profile, and 51% report visiting a social media site at least daily”, according to the AACAP. [4]
One would think that parents and lawmakers would give more attention to social media as something that can easily become addicting. Instead, most children are handed phones at young ages with little to no supervision. I firmly believe that people will look back years from now and question why our society was so foolish when it came to social media and spending our time wisely… which leads to the next point.
2. It easily becomes a waste of time
Especially with the popularity increase in AI, I’ve personally see social media sites gone downhill when it comes to quality content. Rather than focusing on quality content, people post things on social media to get a reaction from viewers. Content is created to keep viewers engaged as long as possible without them clicking off. Even popular images on social media are not worth looking at. Take the real posts in the screenshots below as an example:
*Screenshot credit: u/Cracraftc on Reddit
The images are obviously AI generated, yet the second one has 1.2 MILLION reaction and 134 THOUSAND comments. Generally, posts like these appear in people’s feeds randomly because Facebook “suggests” them to people. When a person goes on social media, they should see content from the people they follow/their friends — not AI generated garbage that Facebook thinks they may like.
This is one reason I barely use Facebook any more. My feed was full of things I didn’t care about or didn’t want to see, and I’m not the only one who experienced this. [5] [6] Other social media platforms are not much better. Take TikTok for example.
3. Once it’s on the internet, it’s there forever
Anything posted on the internet is there forever, whether you like it or not. I know I sound like you mom right now, but just because you deleted a post or comment on your end does not mean it is scrubbed from the internet forever. Many platforms save everything on their servers for a long amount of time or forever. [7]
People online have reported that they were denied jobs after their potential employer discovered content they had posted on social media. [8] [9] When you know that future employers may be looking up your social media profiles, it can make this even scarier. According to a CareerBuilder survey from 2018, 70% of employers check candidates’ social media profiles. [10]
4. It causes comparison and jealousy
Whenever someone posts on social media, they aren’t going to be sharing the bad or unattractive parts of their days. No, people always share the best stories, best pictures and do their best to make sure that they lives look perfect. This gives the illusion that their life has no problems. People viewing content like this may look at their own lives and end up depressed because their lives are imperfect.
The fact of the matter is that nobody lives a perfect life. We are imperfect from the moment we enter the world. When we constantly are seeing the best parts of people’s lives, it causes unhealthy comparison. According to Verywell Mind, “Research suggests that people who limit their time on social media tend to be happier than those who don’t.” [11] If people who don’t use social media are happier, why not spend less time on social media?
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Now that we have looked at a few negative aspects of social media, we have to ask the question, “can social media be useful when used properly?” I believe it can be. When we control our social media usage rather than letting social media control us, it frees us from its grasp and allows us to enjoy life without being glued to a phone.
If you have not tried it yet, I suggest setting a period of time to break from social media. This could include uninstalling the apps from your phone, for example. Of course, this approach may not be practical for everyone due to messaging or other factors.
No matter the course of action you take after reading this, I hope this article gave you things to consider and sparks thoughts.
Until next time.