10 Reasons Why Social Media Is A Negative Influence | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Student Life

10 Reasons Why Social Media Is A Negative Influence

Is social media truthfully helpful? Or is it doing more harm than good?

108076
10 Reasons Why Social Media Is A Negative Influence
Rival IQ

In This Article:

Do you ever find yourself scrolling through social media for hours, losing track of time and forgetting what you were doing? Many people don’t realize the various negative effects that social media can have. Here are 10 reasons why social media can be bad for us, both mentally and physically.

Social media comes in handy when it comes to gaining information, keeping up with family and friends, and keeping up with the world around you, but with every pro, there is a con. Social media may be the reason why today's kids grow up so disrespectful towards one another, and the reason why the world is going downhill.

1. Beauty

Social media puts out an image of what a "beautiful" person is. Social media puts idea in people's heads that in order to be beautiful, you have to be a certain size, height, hair color, eye color, and race. This is not true, beauty is on the inside and in the eyes of the beholder. Social Media does not define beauty.

2. Made Up Words

Since the increase in use of social media, more and more fake words have been made up and used on a daily basis, such as BAE. These words are being used more and more in daily lives, and the true English language has been pushed aside for these made up words.

3. Lack of Socialization

The more social media is used, the less human interaction actually occurs. People today are interacting less and less with other people unless it is through a cell phone or other technological device. With the decrease in social contact, there is a lack of ability to communicate in the world, and therefore people today are not respecting one another.

4. Cyber-Bullying

Social media makes bullying easier for those who are afraid to actually bully in person. It makes it easy to bully another person with the use of social media, because rather than having to look someone in the face, a bully can now intrude on other's lives by hiding behind their electronic device.

5. Lack of productivity

With social media comes addiction, much like a drug, social media has you spending countless hours sitting in front of a screen scrolling through other people's lives. With this addiction, there is a lack of time spent doing productive things such as exercise, school work, cleaning etc.

6. Expectations

Social media puts forth an expectation of how things in the world should be. Women should be skinny, tall, have a thigh gap, and act proper; wearing dresses, nails painted, and hair done nicely. Men are expected to be tall, muscular and have a 6-pack. When in reality people are all different and beautiful in their own way and the expectations that social media puts on them is beyond awful. When out in public, people who spend the majority of their time on social media will analyze and judge any person they see walking down the sidewalk based on the expectations that social media puts out there.

7. Idolizes Alcohol and Drugs

The upkeep with social media is how many likes you have on your latest photo or status. In order to obtain these likes, people post things that are controversial and viewed as "cool" in the minds of their fellow bloggers. Not only is today's generation is drinking and doing drugs more than any other generation, but they are posting their adventures more. Every drink consumed is photographed and posted for the most "likes" on their social media platform.

8. Loss of Privacy

With everything posted, there is a location shared. Although most social media sites have the opportunity to "private" your account, nothing is really private. With everything you post, you are giving away all of your personal information which makes it easy for predators and other creeps online to find you.

9. Lower Grades

With the addiction to social media, less time is spent studying and doing homework, and more time is spent scrolling through the latest meme or GIF. With the lack of studying and homework being done, grades of social media addicts are dropping.

10. Psychological/Mental Disorders

The increase in social media use has has lead to the increase in children and teens diagnosed with mental disorders such as ADHA, depression, and anxiety. Social media has left teens and children feeling alone and lack in knowing how to deal with social issues such as harassment from people. Social media also causes malfunctions in brain activity due to constantly looking at a screen.

What are some of the most serious risks of using social media?

A lack of productivity and the potential to develop physiological or mental disorders are some of the top risks for those who engage in social media.

How does social media impact the view of one's self?

Social media has issues like cyberbullying, projections of an ideal image that leads to unfair comparisons, and peer pressure. It can be isolating instead of bringing people together, and the lack of privacy can go in a negative direction.

What are some positives of social media?

Gaining information, keeping up with family and friends, and keeping up with the world around you are positives of engaging with social media.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
girl holding phone
NYCPRGIRLS

Now that it seems “talking” is the new way to date, and will stay that way until another idiotic term is used to describe the people who can’t settle down and just date someone, I feel as if it’s time to go over the unwritten rules of “talking.”

Rule 1. Having feeling without feeling.

Keep Reading...Show less
The Stages of Having FOMO in College
iamthatgirl.com

Are you one of those people that gets super upset when you miss out on anything? Well, you may have FOMO, or fear of missing out. In college it’s not hard to experience FOMO every once in a while. You just love doing everything and anything, so hen you have to miss out on something it's the worst possible thing in your mind. Whether you’re sick, have to work, or have so much work to do you could cry – FOMO will hit you hard in college.

Keep Reading...Show less
Vivien Leigh
Revelist

I've lived a whole 21 years with an RBF (Resting Bitch Face), so naturally, I go through most of these struggles on a daily basis.

And before you ask, yes I'm fine. No, I'm not mad. This is just my face, so take it or leave it! To those of you who have been #blessed with an RBF, you'll probably relate to these more than you'd like to:

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

Iconic Duos: Timeless Legends

From Luke and Leia to Beyonce's twins...

774600
Luke and Leia from Star Wars, a iconic duo
Lucasfilm

“Name a more iconic duo... I'll wait." OK, well, if you insist. In no particular order, here's a list of 100 iconic duos that seem to be timeless.

SEE MORE: This Is The ICONIC Disney Sidekick You Are To Your BFF, According To Your Zodiac Sign

Keep Reading...Show less
Relationships

A Candid Letter to My Best Friends Ex

Because this is the real form of torture you deserve.

741
middle finger
Photo by engin akyurt on Unsplash

What's up Asshat,

I've composed a list of things that I wish upon you, and they're harsh and cruel. These things are things that I wouldn't wish upon my worst of enemies, not even that Starbuck's barista who always screws up my order, not even him. You fall into a whole other category of hate. You surpass Starbucks barista. Congratulations, I'm actually a pretty nice person, making you worthy of every single bit of torture I wish upon you. What are these things I wish upon you you might ask?

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments