Advantages and Disadvantages of Social Media
July 21, 2023
Introduction
Looking back at the human history, mankind has always evolved from one stage of development in their lives to the next. The continuous improvements in their lifestyles, resulting from the technological advancements have left a remarkable impact on their lives.
Considering the latest developments in technology giving rise to the use of social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter have evolved the way consumers behave and businesses operate. This renders the traditional communication methods obsolete.
Advantages of Social Media
With the advent and increasing popularity of social media platforms, individuals can now connect with each other easily within a span of seconds. Social media has replaced the distance barrier between cities, regions, countries and even continents, making the whole world a global village. People can easily connect with people having same areas of interest as theirs. This has also led to convenient sharing of information among residents of different regions. People are able to make lifelong connections with individuals living miles away from them.
Social media is also playing a crucial role in disseminating knowledge and information among individuals of all ages. People can access the same quality of information regardless of their varying social backgrounds. This provides them an opportunity to equip themselves with the knowledge from top instructors and institutes just with a few clicks. They can also share their viewpoints with others and get suggestions, hence broadening the horizon for them.
During the global economic recession, especially resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic, social media has also been a source of employment for millions across the globe. With the increasing use of technology, a major shift towards the use of social media platforms has been witnessed for the purpose of employment opportunities. People, even form distressed backgrounds, have access to employment opportunities which have improved the lives of millions across the globe. Employers find it cost-efficient to hire individuals from different economies to get their job done when required without having to employ them throughout the year.
Realizing the potential that social media holds, businesses are also using it to build their customer base and get increased sales. Social media has enabled businesses to attract customers from, regardless of their areas of residence. Consumers have also got access to a wider range of products and services, hence businesses now compete to provide value to customers. Customers, as a result, have a choice to choose from the quality goods being offered to them at competitive prices.
Disadvantages of Social Media
Though human society has benefited a lot from the use of social media platforms, it has not been without its disadvantages. The uncontrolled use of social media has led to discoveries of several health issues. Human bodies are being continuously exposed to the rays being emitted by the gadgets. Weakening eye sight, backbone issues, anxiety are among the several health issues being the outcome of getting addicted to social media.
The increasing use of social media is adversely affecting the mental health of the people. The harmful rays have deteriorated the efficiency of human brain. In addition to this, the inadvertent disclosure of the lifestyles and modes of conduct over the social media has started a race among the people and setting of unrealistic expectations from one’s life. The continuous comparisons one starts to make by looking at the lives of others have detrimental effects on one’s mental well-being. Depression and stress levels have reached an all-time high as people fail to understand the reality behind what is shown on social media.
Although the ease of connections provided by social media has made the world a global village, the societal pressure it brings has created differences among people. Face to face interactions among close relatives have been replaced with the digital connections with previously unknown individuals living miles apart, often without even getting a chance to meet in person. This social isolation is also adversely affecting the soft skills of individuals as they fail to experience in-person interactions with others.
Despite the expanding global markets for businesses, social media has also raised privacy concerns among its users. People are reluctant to provide their information over such platforms due to the continuous threats of their private information being hacked and leaked.
Conclusion
Social media has proved to be a disruptive technology of digital age. However, finding a healthy way of using social media is crucial for individuals to enjoy its advantages. If used wisely, social media is a great platform for people to improve their lives as well as the lives of others living around them.
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