Social Media Is Bad For You
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| Photo Credits: Book Catalog |
In a recent blog post from Shalina Chand, she wrote about how she thinks that social media is great for users' health and I disagree with her statement, along with her evidence.
Chand speaks on how social media allows people to express themselves and communicate with others which is true, however just because you can do so doesn’t mean that it will result in a positive experience. Social media is a toxic cesspool when it comes to opinions. You can be attacked for the simplest things such as disagreeing with a call by a referee in a sporting event or be hit with racist and homophobic slurs when discussing your opinion on why you disliked a certain character in a show. When Atlanta rapper Takeoff died, videos of his dead body were circulating on Twitter. I called out the people doing so and said how it wasn’t right to be posting said videos and I was met with many nasty responses to the point that I turned replies off on the Tweet. The internet is unforgiving regardless of the topic. An article from the site HelpGuide discusses the negative effects of social media when it comes to insecurity in people’s lives by stating the following; “Even if you know that images you’re viewing on social media are manipulated, they can still make you feel insecure about how you look or what’s going on in your own life.” The article also discusses the statistics of cyberbullying by stating “About 10 percent of teens report being bullied on social media and many other users are subjected to offensive comments.” Social Media makes it very difficult to express yourself without facing repercussions.
Further in her post, Chand discusses what social media can do for making friends online, however, she doesn’t speak on what social media can do for ruining friendships both online and in person. In 2021 Sherri Gordon of Verywell Family put out an article about how the presence of social media can lead to FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) for many people because they will see posts on Instagram, Facebook, etc. showing off a party or event that they were not invited to or weren’t told about. Gordon also talks about how arguments in comment sections are very public and can lead to a misunderstanding for people on the outside looking in because they don’t have the full context of the situation.
In Chand’s final point, she discusses how social media helps people with social anxiety disorders, which, as someone who has a friend online who has very bad social anxiety to the point she can’t work in a public space I agree with this point. However, that is not the case for all people with social anxiety, and social media can lead to more negative than positive for this small group and can be a link to causing social anxiety rather than helping it. PsychCentral speaks on this connection in their article when discussing how we get a rush of dopamine from all the little things that social media gives us to feel popular such as likes, engagements, followers, and so on, but they also discuss how this leads to anxiety due to a lack of dopamine with you rely too much on the system of engagement when it inevitably starts to go down or you take a break from social media.
In conclusion, Chand did a good job shining a positive light on social media however there is just too much negativity online to justify it being good for the user’s health.
Title Explanation:
I decided on the title I chose after testing several different words. I used bad (88), evil (15), not good (4), and causes depression (<1) to determine which adjective to use for my title and then tested all of them in the full title in the last 12 months which bad in the title averaged 42 and not good in the title averaged 51. In Canada however, it wasn’t even a competition as social media is bad for you was the only one that had searches in the last 12 months so with that I decided on “Social Media is Bad For You” for my title.
You presented some valid arguments against the positive effects of social media, citing examples of how it can be toxic and can cause anxiety, insecurity and FOMO in users. However, one area where the post could be improved is by acknowledging that social media is a tool, and like any tool, it can be used for good or bad. It's not social media itself that is harmful, but rather how it is used by individuals and communities. While it's important to be aware of the negative effects of social media, it's also worth noting that it can have positive impacts on mental health and well-being for some people, such as providing a sense of community and social support.
ReplyDeleteThis was a good read and well written. I really liked how you brought in a personal story to use as part of your argument. That was courageous and I thought added quite a nice touch. I did like your picture but I think that it is too focused on a singular app. If there were more social media icons in the picture it could stand out more, however that might be a hard picture to find.
ReplyDeleteHey Liam,
ReplyDeleteYour blog is very good, especially the examples you provide are very convincing. The only thing I think could be improved is if you try to split a large block of text into two or three paragraphs, I think that might be easier to read. Also, the photo you found for this blog is very interesting, but it seems a bit monotonous, I think if you choose a photo with a little more content, it will make the blog more interesting!
I think that the points that you made about the negative aspects of social media resonate quite strongly with me, as I do not typically post about myself on social media for many of the anxiety inducing reasons you have noted (in addition to other, more complicated reasons). One thing which I might suggest for you to do differently would have been to find a source which more closely represents the negative aspects you raised in your personal story (particularly the ease of dissemination of inappropriate images) which I believe would make your first points even stronger. Thank you very much for your blog post!
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ReplyDeleteYou did very well in you blog argument. On of the thing that I have liked the most is the image used which properly describes the topic that social media is bad. You have provided names of diseases that that people suffer from due to social media and also supportive links to articles that make it more clear.
ReplyDeleteI would recommend that you have written some more in conclusion which could make easier for reader that what points you have highlighted in blog argument and make it more clear that about what things you have talked in your argument.
The student did a great job in using both personal experiences and external sources to support their arguments. This helped to make their point more relatable and convincing.
ReplyDeleteOne area for improvement is that the student could have acknowledged some of the potential benefits of social media use, even if they ultimately disagree with Chand's argument. By presenting a more nuanced view of the topic, the student could have demonstrated a deeper understanding of the issue.
The essay successfully refutes the idea that social media improves users' health and supports its case with compelling research. The work has a relatable quality due to the author's own experiences, which makes it interesting to read. For those who rely on social media for social connection, the essay could benefit from offering more solutions or alternatives for individuals who rely on social media for social interaction.
ReplyDeleteThe photo used to indicate the harmful effects of social media is the accurate one as observing it indicates the danger behind it. However, the inner and more deeper meaning of the topic can be defined by adding more points.
ReplyDeleteI think the photo you used is well-suited for the topic you covered. The skull emoji instead of a real skull suggests fear of a social media platform without being overly intense. Your personal example with Takeoff really stood out to me. I think putting it in a separate paragraph could have highlighted your point and been a memorable part that sticks with readers.
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